I’ve had two occasions this week to be reminded that for perhaps the first time in history, there are four generations occupying the workplace. An article in NurseWeek magazine and a workshop at the LA County Multicultural Conference in Pasadena.
The newest workers are often referred to as Millennials, or “Generation Y.” They were born after 1980 and before 2000. The Y would be to point out they follow Generation X. Gen X was born from 1965 to 1980. The generation we hear so much about these days is the Baby Boomers, born after 1945 up until 1964. The oldest workers are from “The Silent Generation” or “The Veterans.”
The commonality of the veterans and Millennials in family orientation catches my attention- both had challenges in their upbringing that brought them to marry carefully, avoid divorce and unplanned births. Both have higher difficulty in getting college education than those between. Availability of opportunity was the barrier for one; incredible expense is the barrier for the other.
The thing that in many ways defines the veteran generation is their experiences in the world wars. In being called on to do a hard thing that was clearly the right thing in the minds of nearly everyone, and being acknowledged for doing so. We baby boomers may have had significant war experiences but my peer's Vietnam was different from my fathers’ Korea. The honest, obedient, steadfast, durable stereotype holds true more often than not.
On Saturday, May 26, County Supervisor Antonovich will be hosting a Veterans Celebration at Arcadia Park. It gives us a chance to learn about the veterans who have survived, and to memorialize those that died in service to our country. I hope someone remembers my words from a few weeks ago and takes an elder to the park, to see the skydivers, to get a free haircut, to wave a flag the way many of us baby boomers might find a bit embarrassing.