The Greatest Generation

A term coined by onetime NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw to describe Americans (or westerners) that were young adults during the World War II era. These folks were thought by many to be "great" as a result of the strife and turmoil they endured. In addition to prevailing against Hitler's great war machine, the WWII generation also suffered through the Great Depression. Also known as the G.I. Generation.

Generally speaking the Greatest Generation are the parents of the "Baby Boomers". Their grandchildren are members of Generation X and Generation Y. Members of the greatest generation currently fall into the "retirees" demographic and are currently collecting social security benefits. The differences between generations have been extensively studied and socio-economic models have been created to help plan for future government expenditures and programs to plan for changes in current demographics.