The Man Who Died for the Liberal Arts
In 1942, aboard ship and heading for war, a young sailor—my uncle—wrote a letter home, describing and defining the principles he was fighting for.
![a collaged photo-illustration with a black-and-white photo of young man in suit and tie over a typewritten letter and a yellowed piece of college-rule notebook paper](https://cdn.theatlantic.com/thumbor/pj2ppcshxjFqnUdyRkgKhQLKSUE=/438x0:1563x1125/80x80/media/img/2024/04/Shribman_1_HP/original.png)
In 1942, aboard ship and heading for war, a young sailor—my uncle—wrote a letter home, describing and defining the principles he was fighting for.
The exercise, conducted for The Wall Street Journal 31 years ago, now shows that early success doesn’t portend lasting impact.