There are currently two living veterans from World War I. Pondering what it means to be the last first-hand witnesses to an era or a major historical event is the subject of Evan Fleischer’s essay, published in the Awl. He beautifully considers what one does at the tail end of an era, how seemingly distinct generations interact with each other and how to negotiate the past with the present.
“Nearly 10,000,000 men were killed in the conflict, 65 million participated, and now we are left with two. Think about that. Think about those numbers. What are you supposed to do when an era is inches away from disappearing?”
