Download Bob Myers - Blue Valley Schools

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Melina Peshoff and Tatum Trysla
Mrs. Morris
HELA 10 Hour 2
12 May 2017
Impactful American History and Patriotism Over Time
When presented with the task for this interview, both Melina and I knew that we wanted to
deepen our understanding of American history and patriotism, as we share immense pride and
respect for our great country and its values. As we walked into my grandpa’s house, we were
greeted by a smiling couple eager to catch up with myself and my friend. They both take pride in
my interest of history and abundant patriotism, and were more than willing to share their
experiences and wisdom with us. Pictures of my family were all over the house, along with an
enormous bookshelf filled with thousands of classic novels, biographies, and American history
books. Melina and I set up the table for the interview, we offered my grandparents fresh Krispy
Kreme donuts and immediately started on the interview with my grandpa, who formerly served
in the Marine Corps.
Bob Myers was born in Des Moines, Iowa and lived his entire life there aside from his time
serving in the Marines and retirement in Kansas City to be closer to his grandchildren. When he
was born, his father was already deployed to Japan where he served in World War II and fought
at Iwo Jima. His father didn’t leave the hospital until a year after the war had ended, and Mr.
Myers considers World War II the world event that most impacted his childhood. Mr. Myers
reminisced about “a safer time” as he discussed his childhood paper route, recounted biking into
downtown Des Moines all by himself to watch the Cleveland Indians, paying his family’s bills,
and getting 25 cent malts at popular diners. He grew up during the 50’s, a time he described as
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peaceful and economically prosperous, which had a strong connection to and respect for Dwight
D. Eisenhower. Mr. Myers joked as he described having conversations with other children on his
elementary school playground. “How could someone not vote for Dwight D. Eisenhower?” They
found it unbelievable that some Americans wouldn’t support such a legendary military general
that gained the admiration of members from both parties. Mr. Myers grew up discussing current
events weekly at the dinner table, although this could be difficult without 24/7 news. He listened
intently to his grandparents’ stories about the roaring 20’s and struggles during the Great
Depression. His family’s encouragement of learning history and staying connected with world
events helped to grow Mr. Myers’ patriotism and drive to serve.
Bob Myers’ most impactful and memorable experiences occurred during his time in the
Marines, and he believes his service allowed him to mature, gain deep respect for the military,
and taught him comradery. At 17 years old, he entered the Marine Corps during “perfectly
peacetime.” Within six months, he and his fellow marines were shipped to the coast of Cuba
during the Cuban Missile Crisis. They were left uninformed as to where they were going or what
was going on, due to the lack of news coverage during the Cold War era. This prompted
concerns as to whether or not his group would be shot at by the Soviet Union. After the Russians
agreed to pull their nuclear weapons out of Cuba, Mr. Myers and his comrades were brought
back to the United States and began to focus on riot control during a period of violent protests
against the Vietnam War. Mr. Myers’ patriotism and strong opinions regarding necessary
military strength also grew through hearing the stories of his best friend and former World War
II fighter, Jack Irish, who was stationed in Tinian, Japan with the atomic bombs dropped by the
United States in 1945.
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Mr. Myers said that if he could give young people one piece of advice, he would advise to
never take anything for granted. He believes that the younger generation and millennials are the
future of our country; they are the ones in the military, they are learning how to be
technologically advanced, and most importantly, millennials should be the most patriotic. Myers
based this statement off the fact that young people make up the majority of the military, which
results in an increase of patriotism from that generation. He also advises to not always believe
the news on the Internet, and to use trusted sources. Even though Myers may not be as advanced
as the younger generation regarding technology, he believes it is positively affecting our country
because it spreads news to more people in a short amount of time. Given Myers’ experience in
the wars, he also states that learning from history is essential to success for a country, because “If
you don’t know history you are doomed to repeat it, and in a lot of cases that can be pretty bad.”
Myers stresses the importance of working hard in school, and says that part of being a good
American is taking advantage of the opportunities given; “We are entitled to hard work, that’s
what makes the capitalistic system work… you work hard, make money, and that's what makes
the world go round.” Myers believes that we must keep the government limited, respect the
Constitution, fight for our freedoms and remember that the government is only in place to protect
us. As Americans we have the right to make our own path while having an open mind, and
taking responsibility for our actions. Lastly, Myers reminded us that the United States is a
country of immigrants, that we all came to this wonderful country for a better start, and it is
crucial that we remember what it means to be an American.
Throughout our interview, we learned more about the importance of history and patriotism
from the perspective of a man of a different generation. Mr. Myers’ experiences in the Marine
Corps and through the decades provides him unique opinions that shape who he is today. As
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Myers explained how he was impacted by the changes throughout time, we gained critical
insight into the most positive and negative aspects of society and how to increase patriotism and
respect for our values.