The Greatest Generation

Last night Joey and I were eating dinner (leftover enchilada stuffed shells - very tasty) and listening to NPR when we heard the most amazing story.  I don't normally blog about this kind of thing, but in this case I absolutely could not resist.

I was amazed that during my World War 2 fascination phase I had never heard this particular story of sacrifice.  Maybe that's because it centers around 32 Conscientious Objectors and, well, their stories aren't exactly seen as the most heroic.

Usually.

I'm not really sure where I stand on war and pacifism yet, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately.  This particular story gives me pause, and perhaps it will for you as well.

Back in World War 2, a man who was a Conscientious Objector had 2 options:
1 - dodge the draft and get arrested
2 - register as a Conscientious Objector and serve in a non-combat military position, or remain at home and work on labor crews, in mental hospitals, nursing homes, or several other things I can't remember right now.

Imagine that you have registered as a Conscientious Objector and are hard at work in some manner of public wartime service somewhere in the United States, when you get a letter in the mail from the OSS.  It reads "Would you be willing to starve for a year so that others might live?"

A man by the name of Ancel Keys (inventor of K-rations) was in charge of an experiment to test the affects of starvation on the body, and the way to most carefully rehabilitate the thousands upon thousands of starving Europeans who would soon be liberated from the Nazis.

If you received that letter in the mail...what would you do?

What would I do.

One hundred Conscientious Objectors volunteered for the program.  After a selection process, 32 were chosen to begin the experiment.  Following a control phase, these heroic men were starved for 5 months.  They were required to walk 22 miles a week around the University of Minnesota campus (where the experiment took place) and were screened regularly so the changes in their body could be monitored.

These men weren't confined during the 5 month starvation period - they lived on campus and ate in the dormitories at University of Minnesota.  They'd go to dinner early and just sit and watch the students eat their food.  They'd go out for coffee or tea at a restaurant and watch people eat.  They got so weak they couldn't open doors on campus.  They could stroll through a grocery store at any time...and yet they still starved. 

Voluntarily.

These men really saw the bigger picture - how their suffering would ultimately benefit so many - and they pressed on.  They sacrificed so much more than I think I'd be willing to under similar circumstances, and they didn't give up.  They resisted the temptation to eat and ruin the experiment.

And they saved lives.

But most of all, they sacrificed because of what they believed in.  And that's something that we, Christians especially, can really learn from.  I'm not really sure I can recall the last time I truly sacrificed for what I believe.

Since I am so inadequate at relating their story to you, if you're interested look into the book The Great Starvation Experiment: The Heroic Men Who Starved so That Millions Could Live.  Thirty two wonderful examples of just why our grandparents' generation earned the name "The Greatest Generation".