By John Greiner
Capitol Bureau
Gov. Brad Henry remembers how proud his Uncle Lloyd Henry was about serving in World War II.
Lt. Gov. Jari Askins remembers she was a teenager before her father ever talked just a little about his role in the war.
They and other state officials said they were amazed at the sacrifices made at home and abroad by those now called The Greatest Generation.
“Certainly, Ken Burns’ documentary has helped remind all of us of the tremendous sacrifices made by the men and women who lived during that very challenging and historic time,” the governor said.
His late uncle was a district judge and father of Judge Robert Henry of the 10th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
Some of his fondest memories are his uncle’s war stories, Henry said.
His uncle served in Europe and received a Purple Heart for wounds.
In Oklahoma’s centennial year, we have an additional reason to reflect on and honor the contributions of the Greatest Generation, Henry said.
“The pending dedication of the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor has served as a moving reminder of the sacrifices of all World War II veterans,” the governor said.
It’s impossible not to be profoundly moved, he said.
“I believe we have a solemn duty to preserve and celebrate their history so that our children and grandchildren will appreciate and honor the sacrifices they made to help make the world a better place for the rest of us,” Henry said.
Code breaker
Askins’ father was in the Navy.
“I believe they truly felt they were part of World War II to save the world,” she said of the Greatest Generation.
When she was a teenager, her father finally said he was part of a group that worked on breaking intercepted Japanese messages.
He was on duty the night they broke a message of where Japanese Admiral Yamamoto was going to be, “which ultimately became a key factor in the battle of Midway,” she said.
“I think they considered it such an honor to serve their country, and I believe they sensed honor was not something they bragged about but carried in their heart,” she said. “I think it’s a characteristic of all men and women who served in World War II.”
That was then
Secretary of State Susan Savage’s father was in the U.S. Army Air Corps, flying C-47s over the Himalayas and then a bomber.
“My father never talked about his experiences really, until a month before his death,” she said.
His family gave him a copy of Tom Brokaw’s book, “The Greatest Generation,” and that enabled her father to talk about that whole generation, Savage said.
“He also said ‘that was then and this was now and we did what we were supposed to do’ and it never seemed to him like it was as phenomenal as we now understand it to be,” Savage said.
The men and women of that time were part of a common purpose, Savage said.
Brought tears
State Treasurer Scott Meacham said his and his wife’s grandfathers served in World War II. One was in the Navy, another in the Army and later became a general in the U.S. Army Reserve, he said.
When he went to Pearl Harbor last year for the groundbreaking for the USS Oklahoma Memorial, he heard veterans’ stories that amazed him.
“It literally brought tears to my eyes to hear the stories of the sacrifices they made for us,” Meacham said.
Not seen since
Attorney General Drew Edmondson’s parents met in the Navy.
His mother was a WAVE in the Navy and his father a Naval officer who commanded a gun crew on a merchant marine ship, said Edmondson, a Navy veteran of Vietnam.
“I was watching Ken Burns’ documentary on the war,” Edmondson said. “I am just struck by the fact that everybody was involved. It wasn’t just the men and women in uniform. People sacrificed ... gasoline, meat and sugar were rationed. We certainly have not seen that kind of sacrifice on the part of the country since.”
