Do Your Part

It’s no accident that the World War Two generation earned the nickname “The Greatest Generation.” They fought a bloody war on foreign land so the fight would never come to our shores.

The war wasn’t won by the military alone, however. It was also won on the home front. A certain sensibility permeated society back then, which was, “We’re all in this together. Do your part.”

“Doing your part” meant each person made small sacrifices that benefited the whole country during one of the most uncertain times in our nation’s history. Don’t forget, World War Two stretched on for years and could have gone on much longer. At the time, no one knew how or when it would end.

No one knew how or when the Spanish Flu would end, either. Or Polio. Or the wars in Korea, Vietnam, or Iraq. And no one can predict how – or if – the challenges we face right now will ever be fully resolved.

The one thing we can count on is this: the American people are never stronger than when they rise up and lock arms to confront a common challenge. That’s not always easy. “Doing your part” requires you and me to do what’s best for each other. That means recognizing the bigger goal and putting our differences in perspective, so we can come together in what unifies us.

The American people have been overcoming challenges for 250 years. We accomplish amazing things when we come together and, as it says in the Pledge of Allegiance, we act as “one nation.”