(choose one)

• President Kennedy's assassination (6%)
• Women's Liberation Movement (17%)
• Civil Rights Movement (11%)
• Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination (1%)
• Astronauts walking on the moon (9%)
• The Pill and the Sexual Revolution (7%)
• The Vietnam War (21%)
• President Nixon's resignation (3%)
• Rock and Roll (8%)
• Other (10%)

Of the 10% who chose "other," many say that family, parents, or grandparents had the most impact in shaping their lives. As one UM Boomer put it, "None of these [events] really shaped my life because my family kept me very sheltered from change." Another says, "While these events struck me as important, the life shaping took place in the family and church." Another replies, "These other events were not as important as growing up in a great small town with friends and family." A divorce or a broken home is another major factor in shaping the lives of UM Boomers. Several respondents say that all of these events had a great impact in shaping their lives. One says, "The peace movement and Cultural Revolution spurred by Vietnam and many of these events relate. Many of my values were derived from the social movement calling for peace, loving one another, seeking more from life than material acquisitions, finding a way to contribute to humanity or improve the human condition." One cites the Cuban missile crisis as having an important impact on his life. Another cites the Cold War and atom bomb threat as having a great impact on shaping his life.

Some of the other "other" events that had the most impact on Boomer lives are sports, the Peace Corps, Earth Day/environmental concerns.

Then we asked the survey participants: Why did the event have the most impact in shaping your life? We'll look at the top four events that most influenced Boomers' lives:

Many UM Boomers see the Vietnam War as an event that "tore our country apart. . . it was a war that no one could win and everyone lost." "I was drafted and served in Vietnam. [I] came home with a real understanding of life." "All of my values were called into question. Several of my friends died. Facing their deaths and trying to make sense of my loss of them prepared me to live true to my beliefs now. Yet, at the same time, death lost some sting."

Survey participants knew men who died in the war or were there themselves and witnessed death first hand. UM Boomers who were too young to serve lost uncles, fathers, and brothers to this tragic event. UM Boomers feel that the U.S. went to war for "no real cause," "no clear mission and no end defined." UM Boomers are bitter that when the war was over, no real appreciation was shown to those who fought and served. Those who were old enough to be drafted were fearful of dying; they either enlisted, left the country, or went to college to avoid the draft. The threat of being drafted for this war helped or forced many young men to make decisions that they might not have made otherwise.

One UM Boomer writes, "The [Vietnam] war initiated the cynical and apathetic outlook of the Baby Boomer generation and [its] mistrust of our political and legal systems." Remarks another, "The ongoing horror of thousands of young men being sent to slaughter by a bunch of bureaucrats for no legitimate purpose and without a clear mission or goal. . . I was afraid that when I reached draft age, I would become cannon fodder."

On a more positive note, some UM Boomers think the Vietnam War taught them about patriotism, responsibility, commitment, honor, and what it means to be a "Christian soldier no matter what the difficulty." One Boomer says, "I learned what being an American is all about."