"The Greatest Generation" is a term coined by journalist Tom Brokaw to describe the generation who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression, and then went on to fight in World War II, as well as those whose productivity within the war's home front made a decisive material contribution to the war effort. The generation is sometimes referred to as the G.I. Generation. It follows the Lost Generation of the 1880s who fought in World War I and precedes the Silent Generation of the 1930s. The Greatest Generation are the parents of the Baby Boomers.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greatest+Generation