Ignorance Is Bliss...Or Is It?

Peggy Terry wrote about her lack of knowledge about the Holocaust. As far as she knew, the Nazis made up a very small portion of Germany, and the Japanese were Americans' main enemy. Terry said, "We didn't know about concentration camps. I don't think anybody I knew did. With the Japanese , that was a whole different thing. We were just ready to wipe them out. They sure as heck didn't look like us. They were yellow little creatures that smiled when they bombed our boys" (193). Americans based their judgements about Germans and Japanese on appearances and one previous event. Germans looked more similar to Americans than Japanese did, and citizens of the U.S. liked the familiarity. Americans also assumed that because a fraction of the Japanese had planned the bombing of Pearl Harbor, all the country's citizens were evil. This was not the case, when in fact, the majority of Japan's citizens just wanted Americans' approval. Terry went on to say, "It's all the movies we saw, the Germans were always tall and handsome. There'd be one meanie, a little sort dumpy bad Nazi. But the main characters were good-lookin' and they looked like us. The Japanese were all evil. If you can go half your life and not recognize how you're being manipulated, that is sad and kinda scary" (193). Americans were brainwashed into hating the Japanese above all else. Because this hatred was pounded into their heads, they failed to recognize the injustice that was taking place in other parts of the world.
Americans on the homefront were ignorant about who exactly was fighting in the war. They believed the men were macho and heroic, and enjoyed being in their current situation. However, the soldiers were young, inexperienced men who were scared out of their minds. E.B. Sledge said, "There was nothing macho about the war at all. We were a bunch of scared kids who had to do a job. People tell me don't act like an ex-marine. How is an ex-marine supposed to act? They have some Hollywood stereotype in mind. No, I don't look like John Wayne. We were in it to get it over with, so we could go back home and do what we wanted to do with our lives" (196, 197). The soldiers were anxious to serve their duty and return home - it didn't matter that they might be considered "glorious" by fighting, they just wanted to get back to their loved ones. Although protecting their country was a priority, young men rightfully considered being with their families for many years to come to be more vital.

Looking Past the Pain

Although soldiers fighting in World War II were put through countless traumatic experiences, they somehow managed to come out of the war feeling grateful for having encountered all that they did. Robert Rasmus wrote, "In a short period of time, I had the most tremendous experiences of all of life: of fear, of jubilance, of misery, of hope, of comradeship, and of endless excitement, the treatrics of it. I honesly feel grateful for having been a witness to an event as monumental as anything in history and, in a very small way, a participant" (189). When I think about World War II, I feel terrible for all of the people who were forced to fight and risk their lives. Many of the soldiers were not even in support of the war, yet they were losing their lives for its cause. I assumed most of the soldiers came out of the war feeling bitter and resentful. However, these passages made me realize that many of the soldiers were pleased to have endured such rare and eventful experiences. Even though many of the situations were extremely painful, they felt as though these moments had made them stronger people. This is admirable that these young men were able to see the positive side of such an unfavorable situation.
These passages also discussed how the war was being fought by boys - they were too young to be considered men when they went into combat. Rasmus said, "In September of '39 when the Germans invaded Poland, I was fourteen years old. I remember my mother saying, 'Bob you'll be in it.' I was hoping she'd be right. At that age, you look forward to the glamour and have no idea of the horrors" (177). Instances like these proved that the boys serving in the military were way too young to be put in such positions. They entered the war with the false idea that it would be exciting and honorable - they failed to consider all of the heartaches and difficulties that went hand-in-hand with fighting in a war. It was strange to think that this would have been like the boys in my grade going off to war - I consider them to still be kids, like myself - not men capable of killing and suffering such horrendous conditions. These boys were very brave to fight like they did, but I hope that the United States will never have to resort to sending such immature men and women off to battle again.

Living Large

As I read Jane Yoder's story, I couldn't help but to feel guilty. She grew up with nothing, yet she felt fortunate for what she did have. Yoder said, "We tell our boys: you have a black sweater, a white sweater, and a blue sweater. You can't wear ten sweaters at one, you can only wear one. What is this thing?...some of the people that I know have thirty blouses. Oh, my God, I have no desire to think where I'd hang them. For what? I can't even grasp it" (128). Yoder learned at a young age that she could live with the bare necessities. Although her life was difficult at times, she knew that she had enough to survive which was all that mattered. After reading about how mature this girl was under what some might consider to be "undesirable circumstances," I thought about the society in which we live today. Especially in our immediate area, we take so much for granted . I, for one, am most definitely guilty of having way too many clothes - for what? I can only wear one shirt at a time, so why do I have hundreds? Not only that, but we think nothing of throwing away tons of food. Everyday at lunch, I watch as people throw away almost an entire sandwich, or an apple that has had one bite taken out of it. However, when doing this, these people most likely don't stop to consider the fact that millions of other children are living with hunger all around the world. If we stopped being so greedy with our resources, millions of people could live more comfortable lives. In Peggy Terry's story, she explained the time when she stole a Christmas present from her church. She said, "It was Christmas of '35, just before my dad got his bonus. We didn't get anyhing for Christmas. I mean nothing. Not an orange, not an apple - nothing. I just felt so bad. I went to the church, to the children's program and I stole a Christmas package. . .Children shouldn't have to go around stealing. There's enough to give all of them everything they want, any time they want it" (146). Every little child cannot wait for Christmas. The excitement of knowing there will be presents waiting under the tree in the morning is overwhelming and often consumes a child's mind for days in advance. It was so pathetic to imagine this little girl stealing a present because her parents couldn't afford to give her one. Once again, our society tends to go overboard with giving presents. Instead of exchanging additional goods that we can easily live without each year, we could put a portion of that money toward giving less privileged children a present. Christmas is the happiest day of the year for many people, and every child deserves to experience this holiday magic. Our country seems to have gone from one extreme to another - from living with nothing to living in abundance. We must strive to find an even ground between the two in order to help others who are less fortunate to have a more enriched quality of life.