Saturday, July 25, 2009

An Open Goodbye Letter for Harry Patch (Warning: Not a Paean to a Fading Hairstyle Trend)

Rest in Peace, Harry Patch:

My first thought, when I read about the death of England's last World War I veteran, Harry Patch (I couldn't invent a better name), was: "If it weren't for all those Dunhills, mate, you might've made it to 112!"

Seriously, folks: It made me think of when we will see such a news story for the last surviving World War II veteran. When would that be? The war ended in 1945, so the last person to see combat would've been -- at the very youngest -- let's just say 17. So someone born in 1927 or 1928 even. A person born that year who lives to be 111, the age of Harry Patch, would pass on around the year 2039. So we still have 30 years of living among those who fought in World War II. Chances are life expectancy will be extended by then and we may see people commonly living to be 130. Could be possible, so let's just extend that year by 19 and make it 2050. For that reason alone, the Glenn Miller orchestra won't have to disband for another 40 years!

It does make me sad, though, when a living link to a certain part of history expires. I don't have a lot of confidence in my fellow citizens' grasp of history. Without understanding historical context, the hysterical media can batter us blind with three-day sugar bursts of integral news stories that are replaced with the next wave of three-day sugar burst of integral news stories. Poor education about history and civics by default make cable & web opinion showboats our history and civics teachers. And when the last living human who actually experienced a specific moment in history is dead, I am afraid that what dies with him or her is witness to truth that clears the path for the charlatans with megaphones.