This video is amazing, but Trigger Warning, they talk about what killing is like for them and what their wars were like. I was medically disqualified to join service, so this is something I don't know myself. Their stories touched me and tortured me; and Cut, the channel that produced this on YouTube, did an amazing, understated job.
So, I close with a line from a video game series that released its newest installment Tuesday.
"War. War never changes." -Fallout
I just watched it; thanks for sharing. This morning, I, as a kind of veteran (served in the Air Force for 9 years), shared the honor of Vereran's Day with a colleague who served in Navy. But the thing is she and I never served in a real battlefield. This video is quite shocking, and to be honest it makes my heart being pounded. I don't know, but I feel sorry for them on the video and also for the numorous victims. The faces of my students coming from Vietnam, Burma kept popping up. Also, did some faces of veterans who served in Korean War as well. War never changes anything- I do agree. "Thank you for your service," was one quote that I taught to my students this morning. I don't know why, but after watching this, I was just thinking about the victim's families as well, because they may also say this sentence to their families who were dead on the fields, "thank you for your service."
ReplyDeleteAnd, one gentleman's quote resonates, "war can never be justified." I sincerely hope that no more wars happen. Happy Veterans Day.
I, too, think of the soldiers on both sides. It doesn't matter which country one fights for, both sides have families and the hearts of people who don't wish to kill, only to care. Each Veterans' Day, I think of all of the world's veterans. Regardless of the side, it's all just as heartbreaking.
DeleteAnd to you as well, thank you for your service, John.
DeleteJacqueline--thank you so much for sharing. Vets don't talk about what they went through--my father fought in both WWII and the Korean War. I had so many questions, but it was a subject that we didn't discuss. The only thing I remember him saying is he didn't drive for a while because when he was in Germany there was barbed wire strung around many of the roads at neck level--it's hard to imagine any of those experiences.
ReplyDeleteThe only way I found anything out about my grandfather, who served in France and Italy in WW2, was from offhanded comments my aunt remembers and from a few declassified documents he kept in the attic that my mom found when he died. Recently, my mom remembered something he'd said about the sounds or bodies on the beach in France, and we put two and two together. Evidently, he was the "first-in-last-out" and would take out the mines, during the battle he'd load the machine guns (so he was hard of hearing later in life), and he'd help "clean up" after. I can't imagine. No wonder he never talked about it.
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ReplyDeleteWow. Very powerful. I too, am a military brat. My dad was an AF colonel, my grandfather was in the Army and the Air Force. My cousin served in the Army for 20 years, while another cousin continues to serve. My ex-husband (and his dad, grandpa, and brother-in-law) served in the Navy, as does Sean (my forever more husband). My dad served 2 tours in Vietnam. My sister was the result of the first, and 5 years later, I was the result of the second. He has told me many stories about his experiences while there, but I realize this isn't the norm.
ReplyDeleteThe VA and VFW have come a long way in providing services to vets whom struggle with PTSD, however the battle has just begun. Check out the statistics provided here
I come from a full military family too. My cousin still flies bombers, but the rest of my family is retired. No one in my family served overseas in Vietnam, though, so I can't imagine. My dad was on this side of the ocean, evidently prepared to launch nukes when the "call" came. Why they put someone so young in that position, I'll never know. But the call never came, thankfully. My dad was able to retire before he should have been deployed to Afghanistan, which I'm so happy about because all I can think of is the "Hurt Locker" every time I think of my father headed overseas into a true war zone for the first time at such an old age.
DeleteThough my dad and his dad are vets, they got lucky. As far as I know, and this could be wrong due to my grandfather on my dad's side covering things up, is that that grandfather (not the one in the European theatre) was stationed in Japan and drove MacArthur's wife around all the time.
Jeff's dad wasn't so lucky there. He won't talk about it and came home from Vietnam with PTSD and a bad way of coping with it. He seems to have improved much, but I doubt he'll ever talk about what happened over there.