Joshism
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2019
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The History Guy on YouTube recently had a video about Richard "Dick" Bong, a great P-38 Lightning ace in WW2.
Somebody in the comments was peeved that people like Bong, Pappy Boyington, and Chenault aren't taught in school.
I'm a lifelong military history buff, but I don't think under normal circumstances they have any place in a history class. JROTC sure, or if a kid wants to write about one of them for his term paper.
There is a lot to cover in American history classes. Fighter aces are interesting characters, but not being able to name any fighter aces isn't going to impact what students need to learn about World War 2. They need to learn when the war was fought, why, and the consequences of it. Big issues stemming from the war experience.
You might as well complain Benjamin Grierson or Amos Cushing or Raphael Semmes weren't covered either.
I suspect the real issue is what some people think history class should be. Namely that it's about explaining to kids why the USA is the greatest thing ever with a glorious history full of heroes they should emulate, if not outright worship.
School is supposed to be about education, not indoctrination - for or against your country. Understand the past to better understand the present.
Somebody in the comments was peeved that people like Bong, Pappy Boyington, and Chenault aren't taught in school.
I'm a lifelong military history buff, but I don't think under normal circumstances they have any place in a history class. JROTC sure, or if a kid wants to write about one of them for his term paper.
There is a lot to cover in American history classes. Fighter aces are interesting characters, but not being able to name any fighter aces isn't going to impact what students need to learn about World War 2. They need to learn when the war was fought, why, and the consequences of it. Big issues stemming from the war experience.
You might as well complain Benjamin Grierson or Amos Cushing or Raphael Semmes weren't covered either.
I suspect the real issue is what some people think history class should be. Namely that it's about explaining to kids why the USA is the greatest thing ever with a glorious history full of heroes they should emulate, if not outright worship.
School is supposed to be about education, not indoctrination - for or against your country. Understand the past to better understand the present.