Letter from Iwo Jima

[oldhat]

This is completely unrelated to simple living, but fascinating nevertheless. A language blog that I follow posted this letter (http://chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2015/03/25/iwo-jima-letter/) from a 20-year-old stationed on a ship off Iwo Jima during the battle for that island, written 60 years ago almost to the day.

Aside from its intrinsic interest, something that jumps out at you (as the blogger notes) is how literate the letter is. It's hard to imagine a present-day high school grad penning something so eloquent. His postwar experience of starting a charity that endures to this day is equally admirable.

I'd forgotten that we're coming up on the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. Not long ago I was at a dinner party and was talking to a guy who had managed to be at both Normandy and Okinawa. He was on one of those ships that delivered tanks to shore, and his ship was sunk at Normandy. He returned to the US and was assigned to another ship, which arrived in the Pacific just in time for the invasion of Okinawa. Talking to someone who'd lived that history was remarkable. There aren't many of those guys left.

[Alan]

Make that 70 years. My relatives who served in that war took their stories to their graves, although I'll never forget standing on the cliffs over the beach at Pointe du Hoc, imagining the Normandy invasion as troops moved across the beach and scaled the cliffs under intense fire from the fortifications upon which I stood. Chilling!

[goldensmom]

My relatives who served in that war took their stories to their graves,

Same here. When an elder gentleman friend of mine who survived Normandy was asked if he wanted to return for an anniversary memorial all he would say was 'absolutely not'.

[Lainey]

Thanks for posting, very moving.

And regarding language I think I mentioned this before, but years ago I happened to catch part of an old John Wayne movie on TV. Wayne is standing at the saloon and a man comes up and introduces himself as his neighbor by saying "our properties are contiguous." I was pretty surprised. No screenwriter in the world would say the word "contiguous" or anything like it these days.

[iris lilies]

...Aside from its intrinsic interest, something that jumps out at you (as the blogger notes) is how literate the letter is. It's hard to imagine a present-day high school grad penning something so eloquent. His postwar experience of starting a charity that endures to this day is equally admirable.



I've got a packet of letters from my father during his WWI stint, a 20 something stationed in a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific. His are also literate, with full sentences, correct grammar and spelling. And--he went to a one room school house until about 6th grade.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I think the education of previous generations was better. Perhaps the content was more limited, but I truly believe their foundation was stronger.

[kib]

Thanks for posting, very moving.

And regarding language I think I mentioned this before, but years ago I happened to catch part of an old John Wayne movie on TV. Wayne is standing at the saloon and a man comes up and introduces himself as his neighbor by saying "our properties are contiguous." I was pretty surprised. No screenwriter in the world would say the word "contiguous" or anything like it these days.
This strikes a chord with me. I don't think the number of people with a special gift for written language has changed, and I think it's a "god given talent". Bob would probably have written a great letter whether he'd had a 5th grade education or a PhD. I would agree that the use of correct if uninspired writing has gone downhill, perhaps because it's no longer stressed, perhaps because it seems these days that simply showing up is grounds for a passing grade.

What has changed is the factor of least common denominator. 50 years ago: 'contiguous' is le mot juste, and if one didn't know what it meant, well that was too bad - guess or go home. Today: saints forbid anyone should be made to feel ignorant no matter how careful they've been to shove their head in the sand.

[ToomuchStuff]

I am not surprised, as I have some of the books that my grandparents and great grandparents generations would have used. First the books on handwriting which were done early and much better then what I see today. (now typing seems to be more the concern, earlier) Then some of the books used for various examples, of both idea's and punctuation (some poetry books). They were taught more the skills then taught to standardized tests.
When I first saw this, I thought this was about the movie, though.