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James Dowling: The Greatest Generation

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Many people allocated extreme sacrifices during the Second World War and James Dowling was no exception. This hero embodied a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom when he kept fighting, despite being a prisoner of war for eight months, and also when he undertook various jobs to help better his community. Dowling’s personal perseverance after he was released from his prisoner of war camp is a trait I should strive to emulate in my every-day life. Two soldiers were interviewed in the video entitled “The Greatest Generation,” and these two soldiers demonstrated qualities that were parallel to those of James Dowling. James Dowling was a hero both on the frontier and the home front. The Greatest Generation does a great job illustrating Dowling’s sacrifices abroad in the following quotation: “He stayed in the service for another two years, hoping to become a jet pilot, but when Dorothy became pregnant he decided it was time to go home to Smithtown” (Brokaw 50). Clearly, Brokaw gives up his own personal goal of becoming a jet pilot and replaces it with a goal that betters his family as a whole. Dowling was a prisoner of war for eight months, and when he was freed, he subsequently decided that he would stay in the service for another two …show more content…

After being freed, he stayed in the military for another two years. Perseverance, passion, and bravery were personified when Dowling rejoined the military after being held captive for two thirds of the year prior. This specific action is the most inspiring aspect of James Dowling’s life to me due to the hero’s courageous attitude. Two young soldiers were interviewed early in the video entitled “The Greatest Generation,” and when these two young men spoke of the war and their service, they spoke unpretentiously, and for that reason, that part of the video was parallel to the life of James

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