CAN ONE man embody a century? Frank Buckles lived to be 110 years old and participated in the most rapid period of technological and institutional development the world ever has seen. Born in Missouri back when horses were still the dominant mode of transportation, Buckles was caught up in the two great World Wars, and yet he lived to see the first man walk on the moon and observe our nation elect an African-American president. On February 27, 2011, Buckle's passing symbolically brought that era to a close. When thinking about this great man's death the words of rapper B.O.B. fittingly resound, "Whenever an era dies, another begins."
Buckles' life embodies some of the best and most peculiar characteristics of the American experience. Buckles was the oldest surviving American World War I veteran. At 16 years old, Buckles misrepresented his age to join the Army. He spent his time in the armed forces driving ambulances and later guarding German POWs after the armistice. Less than 30 years later, Buckles would find himself in another POW camp halfway across the world. This time Buckles was a prisoner of the Japanese as they desperately fought the Allied forces for dominance of East Asia during World War II. Buckles survived over three years as a POW, eventually returning to the United States to settle in West Virginia.
There is no question that Buckles led a fascinating life. His propensity for taking risks and pursuing adventures, combined with his seemingly unassuming manner, was characteristic of American masculine culture. Buckles' generation and the generation that followed transformed the world as they participated in the first global mechanized war and then stood up to the evils of totalitarianism and then communism. As the number of World War I veterans dwindled, Buckles experienced another American phenomenon: growing celebrity. Buckles became the living symbol of America's glorious past, a hero for the modern era.
What is most tragic, however, is that Buckles' death and the dwindling numbers of the "Greatest Generation" are slowly eroding the importance of shining ideals in American culture. The postmodern era has stripped the glory from heroes of the past and created a culture of disdain around supposedly archaic beliefs such as faith in God, patriotism and self-discipline. In Buckles' time men held strong worldviews, but in the modern age the only good worldviews are those bland enough not to offend.
America's culture never has been perfect, but in the 20th century there was a historic pride in what the country had accomplished. Individuals were not afraid to take a stand for what they believed in, and the greatest social sin was not offending someone but failing to defend one's own beliefs. That is not to say that modern cultural values and belief systems are inherently wrong. The advent of metropolitanism and many new ideas have added flexibility in the global political and economic environment. The rise of the American metropolitan culture, however, should not discredit automatically those traditional values that made the United States great.
Americans must remember that choosing a modern values system is not a zero-sum game. A child can be taught to be patriotic while still valuing global diversity, and respect for authority can be encouraged at the same time children learn to question power. Unfortunately, in modern socialization, children are taught that there is no dual nature to values. In order to respect one virtue you must give up another, and the most important social principle is to avoid offense. In contrast, the two generations that fought the World Wars were not afraid to make bold claims about what it meant to live and work honorably. Individuals were encouraged to set up principles as to how to conduct their lives. While they were expected to respect others, there was no shame in fiercely defending what they deemed to be the superior value set.
President Obama issued a statement regarding Buckles' death, saying, "Frank Buckles lived the American Century." While the President's statement may be true, the more important question is: What era have we entered now? Since the 21st century began, the pace of innovation and change within the world has accelerated. Although the generation that shaped the first half of the 20th century may be passing away, their belief systems based on self-reliance, hard work and patriotism still can ring true in the modern era.
Ginny Robinson's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at g.robinson@cavalierdaily.com.
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