Reagans Boys and the Children of the Greatest Generation - U.s. World War II Memory, 1984 and Beyond

U.S. World War II collective memory took on a specific, narrow form beginning in 1984 with President Reagan's 1984 commemoration of D-Day. The aging children of the soon-to-be-coined "Greatest Generation" soon followed his lead. This is the first book to tell the entire story from 1984 to 2010.

List of contents

Introduction: The Mnemonic Structure Reagan, Ambrose, Spielberg, and Brokaw Built 1. World War II: Memory, Propaganda, and Nostalgia 2. Reagan and Brokaw in 1984 3. Stephen E. Ambrose and Brokaw’s 1994 D-Day Commemoration 4. 1998: Spielberg’s Film and Brokaw’s Book 5. Remembering World War II, 1999–2010. Conclusion: The Future of World War II Memory

About the author

Jonathan M. Bullinger is currently a lecturer at SUNY Geneseo.

Summary

During the 1980s and 1990s, aging Baby Boomer parents constructed a particular type of memory as they attempted to laud their own parents’ wartime accomplishments with the label "The Greatest Generation." This book is the first to tell the entire story of this particular type of U.S. World War II memory begun by U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1984, and promoted the same year by newscaster Tom Brokaw. The story continues in 1994, when it was given academic credence by historian Stephen E. Ambrose, a sensory realism and ideal American character by director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks, sloganized by Tom Brokaw in 1998, and later interpreted in light of 9/11 and new wars.

Product details

• Authors: Jonathan M. Bullinger, Jonathan M. (Suny Geneseo Bullinger
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.06.2021
• EAN: 9781032088228
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3208822-8
• No. of pages: 284
• Series: Routledge Advances in American History
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > 20th century (up to 1945); Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; HISTORY / Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies), 20th Century, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Social and cultural history, History of the Americas