The children born between 1901-1921 are commonly known as “The Greatest Generation.” And they deserve that moniker, in my opinion.

This generation came of age when the Great Depression hit. Many Americans of this generation took part in FDR’s New Deal, which put unemployed Americans back to work and helped build bridges, roads and public works projects — essentially laying the foundation for travel (personal and commerce) that we still enjoy today.

When fascists tried to take over the world (known as World War II), America entered after being attacked by Japan. Men (and women) from the Greatest Generation joined the fight almost overnight — volunteering to put themselves in harms way in order to protect their families and their county.

According to Veterans Affairs, total of 16,112,566 Americans served in the military during the war, which lasted from December 1941 until September 1945. From infantry soldiers to pilots, from naval seamen to nurses — and not forgetting the factory workers that built the equipment and weapons on home soil that helped win the war — Americans uprooted the homeostasis of their lives for the betterment of their neighbors and society.

For four years this generation halted much of a normal person’s selfish behavior, listening and following directions and orders of their chosen leaders. They acted like adults, even though many were just kids that lied about their age. Those veterans sacrificed themselves, and essentially the nucleus of their family and communities, for the betterment of America then and in the decades to come.

There were 291,557 American battle deaths in World War II, with another 113,842 non-theater deaths. Of the 16 million that fought and served, there are less than 325,000 still living. We owe them what they gave us: The chance of prosperity and life — and peace.

Yet here we are, 75 years after the largest war the world has ever seen, and it is American’s who are failing to lead the way in a new battle that requires self-sacrifice: COVID-19.

For all of America’s history in wars, military personnel have run the risk of succumbing to the battle. Of the 41.89 million U.S. military members who have served in a war, 2.84% never made it home, dying either in the heat of the battle, or in a non-theater related capacity.

The current COVID-19 death rate among closed cases in the United States: 3.19%.

The most vulnerable victims to the deadly virus are the elderly and those with predisposed conditions. The Greatest Generation, basically anyone 100 years old and over, are among those highest at risk. Many of them are in nursing homes and isolated from family. Many Americans are dying without a chance to say goodbye to their loved ones. Many people are facing adverse effects, hospitalizations and deaths because the spread of the virus is almost uncontrollable — almost.

Here’s the thing: It seems like Americans simply don’t want to control it. Whether it’s because of toxic masculinity, a lack of understanding or trust in scientific data (and scientists), deranged global conspiracy theories or simple selfishness, Americans are the worst in the world at handling the virus.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been a large swath of people in each of the regions across the country that haven’t taken this virus seriously. Leadership from the top was not only absent, but fabricating the dire reality of the situation to something much less dangerous. Of the states and municipalities that tried to combat the spread through lockdowns and mask orders, politicians and brainwashed citizens fought it because of the invasion of “personal freedoms” — and idiotic things like the desire to get their hair cut. On the list of necessities in one’s life, I can probably think of about 2,000 daily/weekly/monthly tasks and obligations that come before needing one’s hair styled or trimmed. And it’s not like I don’t understand the industry — my mother, my wife and a sister-in-law are all hair stylists by trade. 

In the 1940s, the Greatest Generation sacrificed everything for four years to win a major war and recover America from the largest economic downfall in history. In 2020, we couldn’t make it two months with anything that remotely resembled that kind of sacrifice — and the economy collapsed again.

For many of those living today, we think patriotism is about standing for the flag and remembering 9/11 (or even 9/12). But that’s not the core of what patriotism is, and instead is just a half-assed attempt to show we care — essentially putting makeup on our faces to hide our own blemishes (and insecurities).

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines patriotism as “love for or devotion to one’s country.” While standing for the flag may show one’s “love for the country,” the part that separates Americans of 2020 from 75 years ago is the second part: “devotion to one’s country.”

Simply put, most American’s today are only interested in devotion to their own self-interests. Perhaps this is the case for why Donald J. Trump was the perfect face for America these past four years.

As we look around at how the rest of the world has handled the virus, we come across a slew of strategies. Some worked, and most didn’t. Most countries mitigated the spread, while others basically saw it go away almost entirely.

Some places, like Africa, haven’t been hit entirely hard. Tanzania, in central Africa, as had 509 cases and 21 deaths despite a population of more than 60 million. 

In southeastern Asia, Laos (population 7.3 million) has had just 41 total cases and zero deaths. Cambodia (16.81 million) has had 348 cases and no deaths. Vietnam has seen just 1,367 cases and 35 deaths despite 97 million people, and has averaged just a couple dozen new cases a day for several months. Even Thailand, population 69.87 million, has had just over 4,100 cases and 60 deaths in all.

Were those countries not populated or advanced enough to compare with America? How about we look at Australia, which has had 27,972 cases as of Dec. 7 (population 25.62 million). What’s fascinating about Australia is that its states put in some of the strictest lockdown orders in the world. Instead of its citizens screaming about dictatorships and communism, the citizens listened to its chosen leaders and top scientists. 

For two months the country basically shut down. In late October, a slow reopen was initiated. By the end of November, the entire country was seeing less than a dozen new cases a day — at worst. In Melbourne and Victoria, the virus went over month without a new case. Australia is on the brink of entering its summer, and fans are able to attend rugby, soccer and basketball games; people can go to the beach, hang out with friends at pubs, travel the countryside or visit family for the holidays unabated and without fear of catching coronavirus. 

Boy, that sure sounds nice.

America simply cannot follow the same protocols. We don’t have the collective fortitude to do it. America has simply elected to wait until a fix comes through — either by a vaccine or a miracle. The funny thing is, even with multiple vaccines on the way, many American’s still won’t take it. America of today is not about preventative measures when facing anything that suggests danger, whether its gun control, virus control or abuse of government.

By the time you read this, it is very likely there will have been more American lives lost this year from COVID-19 than American’s killed in battle in any war in history. There were 214,938 battle deaths in the American Civil War, according to the Veterans Affairs office. There were 291,557 battle deaths in World War II. In fact, subtracting those two wars, all of the other American fought wars (from the Revolution of 1776, to the War of 1812, the Indian Wars, Mexican War, Spanish-American War, Korean War, Vietnam and Desert Storm) have accounted for just 144,176 deaths.

COVID-19 will have the U.S. beyond 300,000 deaths by Christmas. 

What can we do? Put our selfishness aside. Sacrifice ourselves for the greater good by wearing a mask, socially distancing, washing our hands frequently, and educating ourselves on the subject. We can read articles from respected science journals and major newspapers, not some shoddy Angelfire-looking website with clickbait headlines. We can listen to doctors and nurses who are on the front lines, trying to keep our neighbors and relatives safe. This virus doesn’t care about anything — literally, it is a microscopic infectious agent that feeds off of a living host. Wealth, Instagram followers, superb athletic skills, religious affiliation — none fight the virus like wearing masks and minimizing both travel and face-to-face interactions.

And please remember, masks are not foolproof. Worn properly, however, masks mitigate the spread, much like how condoms are not 100% foolproof against transmitting venereal diseases or the building blocks of life for offspring. And if you are sitting there thinking about a counterargument because you saw a meme on Facebook about some CO2 hazard, or liquid droplets and a molding issue, also note that it’s entirely OK (and highly recommended) to wash your fabric reusable mask. You wash your underwear, too, right? You can also your mask.

America is so far gone with COVID-19 spread that we are still likely 12 months away from getting back to any sort of life that we would deem “normal.” Let’s do what we can to mitigate the possibility of death and other life-lasting medical issues caused by COVID-19. Let’s all come together, again, as one nation.

— Adam Krebs is the editor of the Times. He can be reached at editor@themonroetimes.com.