Watching the emotions of World War II veterans as their memorial was finally dedicated in Washington Saturday, we cannot help but be moved by their great service to our nation &8212; and to our world &8212; at a time when we needed heroes.

The men and women who fought the war on the front lines and who supported them on the homefront are indeed our Greatest Generation, and their dedication to public service in the decades since may be unmatched.

But what happens when you are raised by the Greatest Generation is quite something as well.

My dearest friend counts his grandfather, the late Herschel Bean, among the most important influences on his life. That grandfather, who with his wife Betty had already raised three children, took Josh in. They raised him as their own &8212; and from Day One he was the apple of their eye.

Herschel Bean was drafted into the Army in World War II. He

hadn&8217;t volunteered but he didn&8217;t complain. For him, there was no question he would serve. He spent two years in France and Belgium in an anti-aircraft unit.

He had married his high school sweetheart, the head cheerleader, before he went overseas. His first son was born and celebrated his first birthday while Herschel was away at war.

When he returned, the Beans settled in their hometown of Birmingham and began to raise their family. Herschel worked hard in a steel mill; there would be no time for him to take advantage of the GI Bill that sent so many of his generation to college. Years later he would privately lobby his senator with the idea that the GI Bill be extended to cover a veteran&8217;s descendants.

The family lived for years in the same modest house in a Birmingham suburb, where the front door was always open because either Herschel or Betty lost the key that first year and they never bothered to lock it again.

When Josh went to live with his grandparents, he became part of a set pattern of life. His grandfather rose every morning and made bacon for breakfast; his grandmother had supper on the table by 5 p.m.; and Sunday dinner after church was almost sure to include Betty&8217;s macaroni and cheese, a culinary treat that can&8217;t be duplicated.

Herschel was famous, in fact, for going to an expensive steak restaurant and ordering liver and onions. It was the one thing Betty wouldn&8217;t cook for him.

An avid Alabama fan, Herschel watched the games at Legion Field by volunteering as an usher rather than paying the ticket fee. But he was right there at the front of the line when they laid Bear Bryant to rest at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham.

Where many people of my generation might scoff at that salt-of-the-earth life, Josh appreciated what he had been given. His grandparents were, quite simply, good people. They loved their children, doted on their grandchildren and never lived beyond their means.

Josh knew early on he would have to make his own way through school. He worked summers as a lifeguard and at an ice cream factory. He graduated with honors and earned scholarships to college.

And his grandfather&8217;s influence, in large and small ways, remains, from his frugality with money to his generosity with his friendships.

He is, quite simply, a good person, thanks in no small part to being a product of the Greatest Generation.

Kerry Whipple

is editor of The Democrat. She can be reached at (601) 445-3541 or by e-mail at

kerry.whipple@natchezdemocrat.com

.