Well before I learned about The Theory, which I only stumbled upon last summer, I had always been interested in social sciences and in people's experiences. I've always loved talking to people older than me about their lives because they always have so much to tell...

Anyway, I think I may have intuitively realized a generational "connection" I and my peers had with the Greatest Generation, the G.I.s, the WWII generation, whatever you want to call them. These people always had so many amazing stories, from their childhoods in the Roaring '20s through their placid elderhoods, and since I have only known them in my lifetime as post-elders, I find they are much more open to talking about the past than younger generations.

All 4 of my grandparents were G.I.s, but only one, my paternal grandmother, has been alive during my lifetime. (Well, my maternal grandfather died when I was eight months old, and the other two died well before I was born.) But I've been thinking a lot about G.I. / Millie relations lately, particularly because some 90% of the G.I.s are no longer with us, and the remainder are leaving us in greater numbers every day.

This summer will mark my grandmother's 92nd birthday. Oddly, my other three grandparents died during the summer (one in 1969, one in 1975, one in 1991). But this summer will also be two years since the passing of a dear personal friend, the venerable but fiery Jack Kosslyn (look him up on IMDB). Since my grandmother lives in Philadelphia, Jack was undoubtedly the G.I. I had the most time talking to and learning from. He was, as I said, extremely fiery even at age 84, with a sharp wit and a tough manner, and you did not want to get him started on George Bush. In his last three years, he told me engaging story after engaging story, and while his death was hardly premature, he had almost seemed like someone too energetic to ever quit.

So when I did stumble upon S&H last summer, one year after Jack's death and with my grandmother hitting 91, it was quite an "a-ha! moment" to see that Millennials and G.I.s were of the same archetype.

This rambling and long-winded post does have a purpose, believe it or not. I'm curious what other Millies' experiences with G.I.s have been. How many G.I. relatives do you have, and how many are still alive? Have you gotten the opportunity to talk to them about their lives? What have you learned from their experiences?

I also have a strange attraction to GI Generation folks, it is actually how I stumbled upon the "The Theory" (I was looking up some stuff on the GIs on Wiki when I ran into the article on Generations ). Then there is also my admiration for my '23 cohort grandmother, tough yet kind old farm girl, life-time Big Labor Dem, and daughter of Missionary Generation immigrants from Norway (my paternal grandfather, an '18 cohort retired construction worker, sadly, died of lung cancer only 5 months before I was born ).

GIs mostly seem worldly-wise but, as S&H pointed out, disconnected from the culture. They, or at least the ones I know anyway, seem to really like us Millies. My Grandmother actually commented just when I saw her last that "kids now days seem a lot more cooperative and respectful of thier elders then they have been in a long time."

I always enjoyed the company of GIs. Wish I could have known my grandparents a little better, but the 3 GIs are dead, with one Silent still kicking.

I found out about generational theory through Wiki too!

My Grandpa is my strongest example of a GI I've known probably. He didn't serve in WW2 because he had bad vision, even though he was already a pilot for a long time. Once he touched down his plane on the 50 yard line of solider field and just barely got back over the bleachers on the way up and out.

I think that really was one of the big disapointments in his life that he didn't get the chance to serve, but he was in the Diplomatic Core and was in the US embassasy in Tokyo when Pearl Harbor got bombed.

As far as the lack of sensitivity thing GI's are known for, there was this one time when he was maybe like 75, and there was a bunch of family was over at their house in DC. His hips were getting bad at that point, and it was a three story house, so they had this little mobile chair which connected to the banister and transported him floors. Anyways, this annoying second cousin of mine was riding it up and down with her sister and just being dumb and ugly and whatnot, and she asked my Grandpa Robert, who we called Oppa, "Oppa, do you think I'm pretty?" totally out of the blue and randomness of her riding this expensive piece of machinery up and down the stairs. His response? A terse "No" and a simple walk-away. It was fucking magnificent. This guy had no concept of peer pressure or anyone influencing him, so it must've been foriegn when he had my dad who started screwing up and getting kicked out of private schools. Oh the cycle is so beautiful isn't it?

As far as what my relationship was with him? Well, it's hard to say seeing as he was the protocol for Civic nonsentamentalism. He definitely loved his family a great deal, but when he was dying, he didn't want to burden any of his children by having to fly out to be with him. My mom has to convince my dad to go out there. That's the kind of guy he was. There was never any lapsitting with Gramp's or that kind of deal. Even before my knowledge of the theory though, I always felt some kind of strange connection to him, like we had something deep rooted in common or something.

I have noticed this connection between my GI - Dad and my Millie - Son. My son enjoys a rapport with Dad that I always wanted. And he doesn't even do anything special to get this attention. The two of them just seem to understand each other; without words.

I'm a Millie and my Grandfather (the one I had anyway, other died before I was born), was a pretty prototypical GI.

I will say this- we used to get along in our own way. I was in 3rd grade when he died, but now that I am more politically and culturally aware, he's one of the people I try to emulate my life off of.

Just never piss him off (or me, now, for that matter). He used to say- "Right is Right and Wrong is Wrong- I'm right and you are wrong" when arguing with all of his Boomer children, and they hated it. I consider it a privilege to be able to use that same phrase on his Boomer children again, decades later (my aunts/uncles/parents). Being fairly archetypal Boomers, I'm sure the irony is not lost on them.

I think if he'd lived to see me now, we'd be completely on the same page on a lot of things. For what it's worth, my parents have always told me that my brother and I "kept them young" as they entered elderhood, as they would babysit often. Two Millies and two GIs.. I sometimes wonder what they saw when they looked at us. FYI- my brother and I are their only Millie grandchildren. The rest are Xers and Boomers. Those cousins of mine like to point out how my brother and I were the "golden children" who could do no wrong in our GI grandparents' eyes whenever this subject comes up.

Originally Posted by Skipper59

I have noticed this connection between my GI - Dad and my Millie - Son. My son enjoys a rapport with Dad that I always wanted. And he doesn't even do anything special to get this attention. The two of them just seem to understand each other; without words.

My Millie kids are the same with my father in law. It's great to see them together.

I just finished an Andrew Greeley murder mystery called "The Bishop at the Lake", centering around a family of GI grandparents, Silent and Boomer children, Xer and Millie grandchildren. The only sane one among the younger generation is the youngest granddaughter, born in 1985, of whom it was remarked that it often seemed that she and her grandparents were of the same generation.

Originally Posted by 1990

Well before I learned about The Theory, which I only stumbled upon last summer, I had always been interested in social sciences and in people's experiences. I've always loved talking to people older than me about their lives because they always have so much to tell...

Anyway, I think I may have intuitively realized a generational "connection" I and my peers had with the Greatest Generation, the G.I.s, the WWII generation, whatever you want to call them. These people always had so many amazing stories, from their childhoods in the Roaring '20s through their placid elderhoods, and since I have only known them in my lifetime as post-elders, I find they are much more open to talking about the past than younger generations.

All 4 of my grandparents were G.I.s, but only one, my paternal grandmother, has been alive during my lifetime. (Well, my maternal grandfather died when I was eight months old, and the other two died well before I was born.) But I've been thinking a lot about G.I. / Millie relations lately, particularly because some 90% of the G.I.s are no longer with us, and the remainder are leaving us in greater numbers every day.

This summer will mark my grandmother's 92nd birthday. Oddly, my other three grandparents died during the summer (one in 1969, one in 1975, one in 1991). But this summer will also be two years since the passing of a dear personal friend, the venerable but fiery Jack Kosslyn (look him up on IMDB). Since my grandmother lives in Philadelphia, Jack was undoubtedly the G.I. I had the most time talking to and learning from. He was, as I said, extremely fiery even at age 84, with a sharp wit and a tough manner, and you did not want to get him started on George Bush. In his last three years, he told me engaging story after engaging story, and while his death was hardly premature, he had almost seemed like someone too energetic to ever quit.

So when I did stumble upon S&H last summer, one year after Jack's death and with my grandmother hitting 91, it was quite an "a-ha! moment" to see that Millennials and G.I.s were of the same archetype.

This rambling and long-winded post does have a purpose, believe it or not. I'm curious what other Millies' experiences with G.I.s have been. How many G.I. relatives do you have, and how many are still alive? Have you gotten the opportunity to talk to them about their lives? What have you learned from their experiences?

I learned at an early age that they were terrifying. They were the super old folk who towered over this millennial when i was a child with a strict, no nonsense, get it done now attitude. I was not used to that as a five year old when i first encountered one who was my first teacher. She was the one who picked me up, swung me over her shoulder with super human strength and marched me into the school building while i screamed my lungs out for my mother. She traumatized us 84 babies with the "i know an old lady who swallowed a fly" poem. Had the class in tears. She was the one who introduced us to the pc. Others i have met seem to be a no nonsense, strict group but many are super sweet and lonely. I no longer fear them. I work around them at the rest home and now i see them as someone interesting to talk to and they do love their sweeties and love to share them too lol! The ones who have not gone completely bonkers love to share stories of their past and i get along great with them. One rolls down the hall telling people to get out of her bloody way. She seems to rub many the wrong way but we chat and sometimes give each other a big grin. I understand her somehow. Her attitude i understand and it also cracks me up so much as i think i will be just like her when i am older. That no nonsense, move your arse now attitude i once feared as a five year old.