Brokaw reminds NACDS Annual attendees of uncertainty in the past

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. Offering attendees of NACDS Annual a look at the world and a glimpse back in time, was author and broadcast journalist Tom Brokaw, former NBC News anchorman and managing editor of the program NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw, who wrapped up Sunday’s Business Program I with an intriguing and inspirational presentation.

Americans today are faced with a myriad of uncertainties as the war rages on in Iraq, the economy wobbles, the housing market sinks and the global climate sparks concern. To top it off, the nation is going through what is the most important presidential election since 1968. However, in an effort to remind attendees that this isn’t the first time the nation has faced uncertainties, Brokaw took industry members on a trip back in time to the 1960s.

“I know it may seem as if this is a time of great trial and challenge, and it is. … There is probably an inclination to think, ‘Oh my God, times have never been worse. We have subprime mortgages, high gas prices, World War in two different countries. What is going to happen to us?’ Let me take you back 40 years ago,” said Brokaw, who has a distinguished record as a political reporter and has a series of “firsts,” including being the first and only anchor to report from the scene the night the Berlin Wall fell.

Throughout much of his presentation, Brokaw recounted many of the tribulations that took place during those years—including the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War and race riots—and shared stories he has carried with him throughout the years.

Brokaw also addressed the presidential election and stressed the need for Americans to get involved and to send a signal to the next generation.

“We need to get involved now. And most of all we need to send a signal to the next generation coming up. This is how we define ourselves and our country and the system every four years. We are not spectators in the process,” said Brokaw. “When we have gotten in trouble, as I believe that we have in the last 10 to 12 years in this country, it is because we have allowed ourselves to be shut out of the process.”