In all, America had seven presidents of the World War II generation, from John F. Kennedy through George H. W. Bush. Each of them wore a uniform during World War II. Jimmy Carter was studying at the Naval Academy when the war ended and went on to serve honorably as a submariner. For each, the war was among their most defining experiences. It was no accident that Kennedy had a replica of his PT boat in his inaugural parade and that, years later, in his inaugural, the elder Bush had a replica of the Avenger aircraft that had been shot out from under him.

Not many of the World War II presidents were as successful as Reagan. Johnson had Vietnam; Nixon had Watergate; Carter had the hostages in Iran. Reagan was the only one of the seven who served two full terms in the White House. But in the rear-view mirror of history, the World War II generation looks better and better. Americans are growing more appreciative of LBJ's monumental achievements in civil rights, Carter has become a saint, Bush has a son in the White House, and the Kennedy Library has saluted Ford for his courage in pardoning Nixon. At Nixon's death, there was an unexpected outburst of sentiment, and now with Reagan, we have seen an explosion.

Vision. Clearly, Americans are sensing something about Reagan and the rest of his generation that we would like to see more of today. Whatever their individual flaws, that generation of leaders had qualities that draw us to them now. One of the voices of the new generation that has captured it best was that of a Democrat, Tom Daschle. In a moving speech last week on the Senate floor, Daschle spoke of President Reagan and his political rival of the day, House Speaker Tip O'Neill. The two men could squabble all day about conservative versus liberal policies. But as 6 o'clock approached, they could put down their differences and raise a glass of friendship, regaling each other with Irish yarns. At O'Neill's 70th birthday, Reagan said, "Tip, if I had a ticket to heaven and you didn't have one, too, I would give mine away and go to hell with you."

Looking back, we can see in their biographies the shaping of that generation. Most of them were born in the second decade of the 20th century and grew up sharing the same old-fashioned values. At his 90th-birthday party last year, Jerry Ford said that he had always lived by his mother's three cardinal rules: "Work hard. Tell the truth. And come to dinner on time." When they were young, these men also shared in common sacrifice--the war. As Garry Wills has written, the Gipper was among them--his movie career suffered significantly when he signed up. As the war ended, the members of the World War II generation shared a common vision that America was a great nation that could accomplish great things in the world.

Last week, as we heard so often, Reagan repeatedly told audiences that America's role was to be "a shining city upon a hill." He spoke lovingly of that vision in his farewell address, as he prepared to leave the White House. What should not be forgotten is the farewell address to Massachusetts that a fellow member of his generation, John F. Kennedy, gave as he was preparing to move into the White House. "I have been guided by the standard John Winthrop set before his shipmates on the flagship Arabella 331 years ago, as they, too, faced the task of building a new government on a perilous frontier. 'We must always consider,' he said, 'that we shall be as a city upon a hill--the eyes of all people are upon us.' "

They were men of different backgrounds, different chances in life, and different philosophies. At the end of the day, though, Kennedy and Reagan shared the same uplifting and unifying vision of America, as did so many in their generation. We mourned last week not only for Ronald Wilson Reagan but for the spirit we miss so much now.

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