World War II ended nearly 70 years ago. The number of people alive today who lived through that trying period is rapidly dwindling.

Stories of heroism, valor and lessons learned are vanishing forever.This is why it was great to see actual participants from the historic Battle of the Bulge visit two local schools recently.They were at Lehighton Area High School on Veterans Day and last week spoke to the older students at the L.B. Morris Elementary School in Jim Thorpe.All the speakers were in their late 80s or early 90s, but they still had vivid recollections of fighting in the densely forested regions of Belgium, France and Luxembourg on the Western Front toward the end of World War II in Europe.About 610,000 American forces were involved in the battle, and 89,000 were injured, including 19,000 killed. It was the largest and bloodiest battle fought by the United States in World War II.The veterans from the Battle of the Bulge who visited the two schools spoke about their injuries, about how they lost comrades in the fighting, about the cold conditions they endured and about how they were outnumbered but still endured.Listening to these speakers, it was very obvious why World War II-era Americans are referred to as "the greatest generation."It's one thing to learn about America's conflicts in books. It's another to meet those people who had direct roles in the fight to preserve our freedoms.The Battle of the Bulge veterans had with them photos from the 1040s, newspapers, medals they won, old uniforms and other items from World War II. Seeing these things up close has more of an impact than merely seeing pictures of them.This past Sunday was Pearl Harbor Day. It was the attack on our fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Dec. 7, 1941, which directly yanked America into World War II.Our reaction to the Japanese attack was different it was more forceful than how America reacted to the Osama bin Laden-orchestrated attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.Have we forgotten about how America's enemies are always there to test our resolve? Are we as vigilant and prepared as our forefathers who answered the call to arms in World War II?Judging from a local event on Sunday, it has become obvious that maybe things have changed.A Pearl Harbor service was held in Lehighton. It was conducted at 12:48 p.m., which coincided with the time the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred (7:48 a.m. Hawaiian time).Only about 15 spectators cared enough to attend the event. There was little media coverage.Memorial Day parades and Veterans Day parades have also seen decreases in attendance. If only more people would hear the stories from Battle of the Bulge veterans, as well as others who experienced World War II.It was George Bernard Shaw who said, "If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience."By RON GOWERrgower@tnonline.com