My uncle Bob was a member of the Lincoln High School class of 1944. Instead of marching across a platform in the gym and going to parties, Bob was fighting in Guadalcanal and Pelileu (where he was injured and received a Purple Heart). Next week, Bob and 13 other members of the class of '44 will be honored at the High School's graduation ceremony.

In the meantime, Bob is talking to today's high schoolers about his experiences in WWII. I'm a little jealous. When I was in school, WWII history was something we rushed through at the end of the year. It was more important to talk about the "turbulent 60s" than the modern-world-shaping 40s. But it was no matter, I was brought up on a steady diet of WWII documentaries, books and movies. (A quick aside...when my Dad took my Star Wars, I cried because I didn't want to go to another "war movie").

When you learn about WWII, one inescapable thing is the nobility of America's actions in it. It's hard not to believe in your country when you understand what we accomplished in WWII. I hope that these high schoolers learning about WWII now from people like Bob can hold those lessons to their heart even as they enter colleges and universities filled with professors dedicated to making America the root cause of all evil in the world and media organizations dedicated to putting the worst face possible on our actions & prospects. It's funny, men & women Bob's age faced the challenge of facism and imperialism, kids today face the challenge of chomskyism. Hopefully, they too will prevail.