Posted on 06/05/2014 8:18:56 AM PDT by Kaslin
Given the numerous studies revealing how American education lags behind instruction in other countries in disciplines once thought to be essential, it should come as no surprise that on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a lot of people are clueless about central elements of the Allied invasion of the European continent on June 6, 1944.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has released the results of a survey, which finds only slightly more than half (54 percent) of those who took a multiple choice quiz knew that Dwight D. Eisenhower was the supreme commander of Allied forces on D-Day. Fewer than half knew Franklin Roosevelt was president and 15 percent identified the location of the landing as Pearl Harbor, not beaches named Normandy and Omaha. One in 10 college students were among those giving the wrong answer.
Colleges and universities clearly are not teaching what they once did. That is also apparent in the ACTA survey, which found that 70 percent of recent college graduates knew D-Day occurred during World War II, compared to 98 percent of college graduates 65 and older.
Dr. Michael Poliakoff, ACTA's vice president of policy, says: "We are allowing students to graduate college with the historical knowledge of a twelfth grader. Not a single liberal arts college, except the military academies and only five of the top 50 public universities require even one survey of American history.
Poliakoff continues: "We aren't adequately preparing the next generation for the challenges of career and community with this apathetic approach to our national heritage. These college graduates are unlikely to understand the cost of maintaining our nation's freedom."
While much of this should disgust, especially those parents who are paying more and getting less of an education for their kids, none of it should surprise. Today's young people seem to know and care more about sex, pop stars and the latest cellphones, than wisdom and knowledge from our past and the character of those who fought to preserve our freedoms.
In his classic book, "The Closing of the American Mind: How Higher Education Has Failed Democracy and Impoverished the Souls of Today's Students," the late college professor Allan Bloom indicted modern university life: "The university now offers no distinctive visage to the young person. He finds a democracy of the disciplines -- which are there either because they are autochthonous or because they wandered in recently to perform some job that was demanded of the university. This democracy is really an anarchy, because there are no recognized rules for citizenship and no legitimate titles to rule. In short there is no vision, nor is there a set of competing visions, of what an educated human being is. The question has disappeared, for to pose it would be a threat to peace." (p337)
It seems increasing numbers among us don't know what we don't know, and worse, don't care that we don't know it.
The late Steve Allen created the "man on the street" interview for "The Tonight Show." He would ask people general knowledge questions. Their replies were often funny. Jesse Watters of Fox News does the same on Bill O'Reilly's show. While the intent of this feature is to laugh at the ignorance of others, the bits reflect a dumbing-down of the American mind to the point where wisdom and knowledge are no longer regarded as necessary. Emotional satisfaction and feeling good now seem to be the new standards by which all things are now measured.
Someone should ask a question of the aging veterans who are likely visiting Normandy for the last time this weekend. If they could have foreseen what America would become and how little their descendants know, or care, about their sacrifice, would they have done what they did?
They probably would because of their character. I'm not sure the same could be said of too many of their progeny.
I wonder how they teach World War 2 in schools today?
Listening to some liberals, World War 2 history consists of the alleged crime of interring Japanese-Americans, and the alleged crime of bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
I wonder if they teach the significance of D-Day to this generation of children. Or do they teach that we imprisoned our own people, and that we were wrong to use an atomic bomb.
Sort of odd that this guy makes a mistake himself.
It was not Normandy and Omaha beaches. The area was the beaches of Normandy, but the individual beaches were named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sword and Juno.
ARF! No beach was named Normandy either, they were Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword...
If it wasn’t for the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, I doubt the number would have hit 70%. I bet that the % who have the basic facts about WWI or the Korean War or the Civil War is miniscule.
I’m reading Stephen Ambrose’s classic book on D-Day this week in honor of the occasion. It’s a shame far too many youth are totally ignorant of this significant event.
D-Day Timeline
How events unfolded on June 6, 1944.
0000: First airborne troops begin to land.
0100: First Navy hands ordered to man battle stations. Landing craft begin to be lowered into the water; paratroopers cut phone lines and knock down telephone poles.
0200: First bombers take off to attack targets around the beachhead.
0300: Gliders begin to reinforce paratroops.
0309: German radar detects Allied invasion fleet. Adm. Krancke orders shore batteries to prepare for invasion.
0348: German E-boat flotillas and two armed trawlers get under way.
0430: First P-47s take off.
0520: Sunrise. Bombers drop first bombs on German targets.
0535: German shore batteries open fire; Allied naval forces return fire.
0537: E-boats commanded by Adm. Kranche fire torpedoes at Allied destroyers.
0600: LCT launch their DD tanks.
0620: Allied landing craft approach the beach.
0630: H-Hour on Utah, Omaha Beach; LCT 535 lands the first tanks on Omaha; 116th and 16th Infantry land at Omaha; Higgins boats near the beach; 8th Infantry Regiment lands at Utah Beach.
0641: USS Corry forced to abandon ship due to heavy gunfire and mine damage.
0645: Rangers assault Point-du-Hoc; 70th Tank Battalion begins to land at Utah.
0725: H-Hour for Sword Beach; British 3rd Division begins to land.
0735: British UDT and Royal Engineers land at Gold Beach, followed by Infantry from the 50th Division.
0800: 3rd Canadian Division lands at Juno Beach.
0830: LCM, LCT and LSTs land armor at Omaha.
0900: 2nd Ranger Battalion soldiers take Point-du-Hoc and defend it for the rest of the day.
0950: Destroyers engage the enemy for at Omaha under orders of Adm. C.F. Bryant; 18th Infantry goes ashore at Omaha.
1030: 115th Infantry lands at Omaha.
1030: 12th Infantry lands at Utah.
1045: Utah fairly secure, reserve battalions coming ashore.
1100: 18th Infantry begins to land at Omaha.
1110: 101st and 4th divisions linkup on Utah securing the first exit from the beach.
1300: Troops at Omaha begin to secure the beach.
1600: Hitler finally gives approval to release Panzer divisions.
1800: Elements of the 3rd Canadian Div, North Nova Scotia Highlanders reach five kilometers inland. 1st Hussar tanks cross the Caen-Bayeux railway, fifteen kilometers inland. Canadian Scottish link up with the 50th Division at Creully.
1900: 1st Division commander, General Huebner sets up command post on Omaha.
To the dumbed-down class, the “D” in D-Day means “Da munny.”
I too am reading a book on the invasion, Sir Max Hastings excellent book “Overlord”.
It's not their descendents. It's post-1965 immigrants and THEIR descendents, who came here to make money and couldn't care less about WWII or any American history, (except how horrible and racist this country was and is.) That is the problem.
But there are a lot of young men and women who were legitimately homeschooled or private schooled. Don’t give up hope for America...and not even the public education system, given the right Administration in the near future. R2z
And don't forget, Dresden.
Hummmmm? Normandy is the region of French where the landings took place. The code names for the landing beaches were Utah, Omaha, Sword, Juno, and Gold.
oops. This was meant as a reply to bjc.
But there are a lot of young men and women who were legitimately homeschooled or private schooled. Don’t give up hope for America...and not even the public education system, given the right Administration in the near future. R2z
A lot of people in this country are clueless about Benghazi, after all, "Dude, that was two years ago."
Band of Brothers helped, too.
This wounds my heart with a monotonous langour.
For many public school students, June 6th comes AFTER they’ve concluded their final exams and other testing...even after school is finished for the semester.
"We're gonna take you back, to the year 1939 when Charlie Chaplin and his Nazi regime enslaved Europe and tried to take over the world.."
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