Roughly 16 million Americans served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, which last for the United States from December 1941 until August 1945. But our story takes placed on Dec. 31, 1960, so why is World War II a part of it?
The reason the war is spoken about in our story is because of the massive impact it had on what we now call The Greatest Generation, Americans born prior to the Great Depression and the world war that followed it. Men came back traumatized by their war experiences, but the tenor of those times dictated that they not speak of it, especially not around their wives and families. So they carried those burdens inside them.
Sal, one of our characters, developed severe ulcers during his time in the service, for example. Vinny too served and hides his painful memories in the funny stories he tells about his early days in basic training. While unspoken, the war is a bond they share which their brother-in-law Sonny does not.
Sonny stayed home during the war, a stigma of those times which he constantly has to explain and justify. Sal obviously thinks less of him for it, but has promised his wife Faye to keep his feelings in check for the good of the family.
But Sal’s breaking point may be near as our party progresses, you’ll have to come see what happens.