How is it that most junior Soldiers claim to have never heard of Colin Powell or Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr?

I occasionally ask Soldiers if they know who Colin Powell or Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr. is. I am no longer surprised that most 18-24 year old Soldiers I asked do not know. In fact, many of them have heard about Ronald Reagan but can’t engage in conversation about him. Even sadder, most don’t know there were two Presidents George Bush. They don’t know much about daddy, and not much more about W. Call me crazy, but it seems to me that the public schools are no longer teaching history from the 1980’s forward, not spending much time showing how those eras are related and inform today’s era, or the Army isn’t really teaching any Army history. Perhaps that’s not the Army’s job, to teach Soldiers their branch heritage. But you would think Soldiers who serve in this great Army would be able to engage in a 5 minute conversation about key political and military figures of their branch, from at least Desert Storm forward. I know I’m “old” but still think it’s better for Soldiers to serve in the Army to have a sense of historical perspective, rather than just serve in a vacuum. I would think knowing one’s branch recent history would inspire and motivate. Then again, maybe not. But that’s just me.