There are voices in our lives that calm us, give us solace, warm us, make us smile, make us feel safe.  Voices of loved ones, of course; your mother whispering your name, your spouse proclaiming love, your child’s laughter.

Almost as noteworthy are voices we know only through the medium of television, movies or radio.  K.d. lang is a voice of  peace and warmth for me.  James Earl Jones, whether as Darth Vader or Mufasa or “This is CNN,” exudes a calm power.  Walter Cronkite, a voice of authority.  Antonio Banderas…wait, that might just be the accent.

Anyway, you get the idea.

Many of us grew up with the evening news on the TV.  That served as our electronic portal to the world, long before the Internet.  And receiving those commentators into our homes every evening made them somewhat a part of the family, or at least a voice of reason, when so much was questionable in our lives and the world.

The aforementioned Walter Cronkite was one such anchor.  If you’re old enough, you might remember Chet Huntley and David Brinkley.  If you lived through the Vietnam War, you know, all too well, Peter Jennings and Tom Brokaw. 

Voices of honesty and integrity.

Most are gone now, with a few stragglers left behind.  Brokaw is one of those, who continues with a career in broadcasting, although greatly limited now and who somehow finds time to write bestsellers.

He gave us The Greatest Generation, helping to bring pride back to and for those who fought during World War II and A Long Way From Home  a  memoir where he shares growing up and coming of age in the Heartland of America.

Brokaw’s latest book is The Time of Our Lives: A Conversation about America.  In this book, he examines what America was, what it has become and if there is any hope of bringing back the attitudes and virtues that made this nation great.  Divided into four parts, he examines education, life in America today, the technological divide and how our grandparents lived.

“I believe it is time for an American conversation about legacy and destiny...I am not a sociologist or a psychologist.  I am a journalist, an observer, and a synthesizer—a man who has explored a lot of the world and been a witness to recent history.  I have seen what enlightened leadership can accomplish, whether it is on a family, community, national, or world level.  I’ve also been astonished by our capacity to make the same mistakes in one form or another again and again.”

Each chapter begins with a statement of fact and a question on how those facts relate to us personally.  He then examines what things worked in the past and moves on to those people and companies who are working to make compassion and responsibility work in the present and what that might mean for the future.

“FACT: One percent of Americans wear a military uniform.  They carry the battle for the other 99 percent of us, and nothing is asked of us in return.

QUESTION:  Do you know anyone in the armed force?  Have you been in touch with a returning veteran or a veteran’s family?  Have you supported a military aid organization?”

He writes about how President Kennedy’s “ask not” speech ignited a fervor for public service in the 1960s.  Then there was the Vietnam War and the division of the nation, the elimination of the draft and the development of an all-volunteer armed forces.  One that is made up almost exclusively of the working and middle class, deepening the chasm between those “with” and those “without.”

How different it is for those returning troops today, who are often welcomed home by strangers at the airports than for those returning from Vietnam who were reviled and hated by so many.  I’m one of those hippie-types that never approve of war, but I also think that those who fight should be honored in every way—they have the courage of their convictions and/or love of country enough to give their lives for the rest of us.  How many can say we would do the same?  It is a national shame that they are not better paid, better compensated, better treated, but that’s another story.

Brokaw examines a small town that comes together to help rebuild the lives of a wounded veteran, Corey Briest, and his family.  At Tom’s suggestion, a non-profit organization was formed to take donations for this family, while his own family helped obtain a wheelchair-accessible van for them.  Operation Opening Doors, organized by the American General Contractors of America to renovate houses or build new accessible homes for these returning men and women, raised $230,000 locally to build Briest’s house that would include an elevator.  Upon his return, the town held a reception where Corey was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

All this is well and good, but what about the long term?  When the crowds have gone, the excitement wears off and they settle into everyday mediocrity?  Jenny
Briest has become an advocate for other wounded vets, working with CaringBridge website, which offers information for other families who find themselves in a similar place.

These are the “invisible part of our population” who have given so much.  “In a nation of democratic ideals, including justice for all, this is manifestly unjust.”

Borrowing again from the Vietnam War era, there was a saying: “America, Love it or Leave it.”  That always made me angry when it was so bitterly spewed.  Apparently, Tom didn’t really like it either.  “I also believe that the unique character of America is very much like my definition of patriotism:  Love your country but always believe it can be improved.”

Regardless of your political beliefs, or disbeliefs, this book will make you think and consider the direction our nation is heading.  Very often, it is in a good, stable direction, but what about the times when it is on a perilous journey?  Brokaw offers suggestions, observations, talking points, not the final answers.

The library has both the hard cover book and the audio.  I opted for the audio, wanting to listen to him read his words.  However, in glancing over the book, I can still hear that familiar voice in my head.

And what a comforting, reassuring voice that is.