Some fathers and some mothers' sons did come back from the wars. With them came more than their lamed and maimed physical bodies. They brought back a collective attitude and a mind-set that continue to influence each new generation of youth.

School history books, novels and television documentaries prey on the carnage and brutality of war. And kids swallow this stuff whole. And young mothers swallow this stuff in gulps.

After the last great war, WWII, men and boys came home to Newfoundland and Labrador with the fear of death and dying. A new attitude about war had taken control of them. "Never," many were quoted as saying, "Had I ever thought I would witness such horrific sights. The idea of allowing my younger brothers, sons and daughters go to war would never come to mind."

But as each generation of youth grows up the glorification of war and fighting, the shiny brass buttons on neatly pressed uniforms and the control and empowerment of holding and shooting a gun takes over. Attesting to this fact, the Canadian Armed Forces are full of young men and women hitching for battle.

All the while, the generations of older men and women who did go into battle are crossing their fingers. "I would never allow my younger brothers, sons and daughters go to war." What the older generation of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians don't realize is that they have very little control over the youth of this province. Or do they??

After the war, WWII, the young men and boys came home to Newfoundland and Labrador ready to start families. And start families they did but, their families were different. For the first time in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador families were smaller. Not by much, yet, but over time the horrors of war would have a rippling effect on the size of the family. With the telling and retelling of war tragedies, war husbands convinced their wives that smaller families were safer. War dads convinced their sons and daughters to have only a couple of children.

Today, the soldiers of war are grandparents and great-grandparents. Their legacy is unique. By convincing the younger generations to have fewer and fewer children they have left a population of children much smaller then their own. It is this smaller population who is suppose to care for the "graying generation." And we do so out of respect and admiration.