Sen. John McCain. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Unless his old buddy Joe Biden can get it together and win in 2020, Sen. John McCain will be remembered as the last, best hope of the so-called "Silent Generation" to win the presidency.
The generation born between the mid-to-late 1920s and the mid-1940s, now in their late 70s, 80s, and 90s has done a lot for America.
The early-wave Silents grew up in the Great Depression, and fought their way out of it. Middle-wavers like McCain were senior figures in fighting the Vietnam War and securing the postwar peace.
Would you believe Jim Morrision of The Doors was a late-wave silent?
They were supposedly called the "Silent Generation" because of the chilling effect of the McCarthy era--a relatively small group in the shadow of both their G.I. generation parents or their Baby Boomer kids.
But clearly, McCain was never silent, unless forced to be at enemy gunpoint. Neither were Ted Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., or Malcolm X.
McCain models other traits of his generation, too--self-discipline, fortitute, a strong work ethic, a mix of great self confidence and humility.
Hank Aaron, Muhammad Ali, and Bill Russell are Silents. Younger generations can only dream of some day manifesting the type of class and deternination they represent.
One other thing about John McCain sticks with me. He was the favorite politician of my late father, another veteran and accomplished Silent who never did much bragging about any of that. He was like McCain that way. They let their work and their soul do the talking.
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