Mostly I think this is about aging boomers finally realizing that their parents weren't the menace they made them out to be back in the 1960s, and trying to make up for it before it's too late. Perhaps we wouldn't have fought the Germans if they'd placated us the way teevee fun does. History sez that war helps economies. Probably due mostly to the Cold War. Today's post-coldwar fronts are purely economic.
Consumerism becomes nationalism.
There's nowhere for today's generation to be heroic except through humanitarian efforts. Polio, measles, mumps, small pox, none of them compare to a virus that isn't even airborne . In terms of body count, the US was 15th in losses. No one could know what every American would have done. They want out of the cities so much that they are willing to waste huge chunks of their lives clutching steering wheels and swearing at the guy in front every day.