Howe closed his address with this bold prediction, drawing on the historical parallels that defined his life's work. He noted that the Millennial Generation was reprising many hallmarks of the original G.I. Generation — the 'greatest generation' — who also grew up as protected children and quickly became optimistic, consensus-minded team players who saved the nation during the dark days of the 1930s and '40s. Invoking Stravinsky's observation that every generation declares war on its parents and makes friends with its grandparents, Howe argued that this pattern was repeating. The Millennials' tolerant, optimistic, networking, and risk-averse exterior, he said, conceals attitudes and habits that may prove vital for the country's healing and future. His closing prophecy — that the Millennials would rescue the country from the mess older generations had created — was delivered not as wishful thinking but as a historian's reading of cyclical patterns in American life.