And so, despite its toll in human life, they could talk about the war in terms of American heroism and success. Fortunately, none of the men in my family were casualties of the war none experienced serious injury. Everyone knew where they were when they learned about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and when they first heard about the dropping of an atom bomb on the city of Hiroshima. But for the adults around me, the war was very much a living memory. John D’Emilio: As a baby boom child in the 1950s, World War II was always a part of history. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History Author, Sex Goes to School: Girls and Sex Education before the 1960s.Gender and Women’s Studies, Western Michigan University.Rolling Stone, How Exclusion From the Military Strengthened Gay Identity in America.Learning for Justice, Editorial Cartoons: Gay Rights.Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students, Section III: Instruction.