Stillastud5769, 67

I'm into mainly WWII and the Civil War history. I think that those two wars defined us as a nation more than any other times in our history. The Civil War brought out the best and the worst of our country, and I feel that what so many died for, still hasn't been accomplished enough to justify the courage and sacrifices of so many.

WWII seems to have shown what Americans can do, if they legitimately feel that their freedom is in jeapordy. Americans overcame some great odds and struggled early in the war, on both fronts. We found ourselves ill-prepared for a world war and if it wasn't for the brilliance of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who utilized every legal means at his disposal to ensure that the Americans could field a military that could, at least, buy enough time for the full industrial might and for the country to commit the millions of men and women necessary to be victorious, during a time when America was very much anti-war (didn't want to repeat WWI), whose military strength had declined significantly and we were a country at risk of living under the tyranny of Adolph Hitler or the Japanese empire. I agree with Tom Brokaw about those who lived during that period in our history as being the "Greatest Generation".