My father didn't tell me about his WWII combat experiences until I was in my 30's. I knew he'd served in the Pacific and on the Saratoga, but had been a radar expert. He was, but still ended up in combat. It made me a bit sceptical about people who easily speak of their combat experiences. Most don't, in my opinion. At least that's been my experience over the years.
Why do you think most don't talk about it? My uncle served in Vietnam, was a general but won't talk about it. My sister even had a research paper to do once on it and she went to him for some questions and he wouldn't answer. Does the military press them to not talk about it when they leave service? Or is there just some type of code to not talk about it?
I think it has to do more with them not wanting to relive what they experienced. Don't think it has anything to do with a code or anything. To use the tired but so true saying "War is Hell."
From what I've seen and what I know, it's mostly a trauma thing. I've been watching this show as well. Thought about starting a thread last night but crashed out instead. Anyway, WWIIHD is utterly fascinating. Easily the most fascinating WWII-Anything I've watched and as a general rule, if something is on about WWII I'm not getting anything else done because I'm watching that instead of doing what I ought to be doing. I find myself to be completely immersed to the point where I get choked up on some of the stories. It's excellent and everyone needs to watch it.
I'm the same way. Does anyone know if this is possible to get this anywhere else like DVD or online? I don't have the history channel.
That's the impression that I get. Also, a lot of them don't like to be called "heroes" or brag about it because they feel like it takes away from the REAL heroes who never came home. I'm the same way. Probably since first seeing Band of Brothers on HBO when it first came out. That totally changed my perspective of WWII. Probably the most powerful mini-series ever.
Well, think about the nature of combat. Some lost close friends, saw them terribly wounded. Some saw their enemies, young people like themselves, made a bloody ruin by what they did. The experiences and images don't leave them, and talking about it just helps make it come alive again. So they try not to talk about it. My father didn't tell me until he thought he hadn't long to live, that it was something I should know while he was still here to tell me. That was my experience, anyway.
I've stopped watching the History channel cause of all the crap they've been playing, but luckily my bf tipped me off on these. I can't wait to watch the ones I have recorded.
Not to derail, but here's a trauma story about someone who never discussed his experiences: My cousin (1st cousin with my mom) is a Vietnam vet. He was with the 82nd Airborne, fought in Vietnam, and that's all anyone really knows. After the war he went to work for the City of Los Angeles as a garbage truck driver and worked there forever. 5-10 years ago the city started using those trash trucks with the big clamp thing to pick up trash cans like they have in Houston. The one on his truck malfunctioned and his partner, a 19yo kid gets out to try to see what the problem is. Long story short, it malfunctioned again and crushed the kid. My cousin gets out to try to save him, but he died in my cousin's arms. My cousin wasn't there....he was back in Vietnam holding another dead/dying kid/buddy/partner in his arms. My cousin then spent some time in a psych hospital being treated for PTSD. The family thought we'd never get him back. The only thing that saved him was the birth of his granddaughter. She literally snapped him right out of it. He then retired and he's been better ever since living in Colorado. Thing is, like you so often hear about such stories, you'd never know it to meet him. He's the nicest, most friendly guy you're ever likely to meet. As far as I know, still no one knows anything about his Vietnam experiences. Not the messy, violent, traumatic stuff, anyway. War is a Hell I cannot begin to imagine.
The link posted on page one has the page to buy from. 3 discs, the whole series for $39.99. I'll be buying this one for sure.
My uncle served two tours in Vietnam, and talks about most of it if asked. I've heard a few of the battle stories, like how he lost his fingers, but what he enjoys talking about are the off time/in the city stories. The bars, driving around in the jeep, opening it's door to knock of people in their bikes (after 4 years there they hated everyone and did this for fun when drunk), etc. My grandpa...could not ever get a word out of him about WWII. Even trying to ask him about his unit in the British Commandos, something I'd thought he would be proud of, he wouldn't speak a word.
they have them for sale on i-tunes, but for $2.99 a pop. i am enjoying this series - someone mentioned how they didnt like all the skipping around on the stories - i noticed how much they were doing it last night, but i think its cool - it helps to keep the average viewers attention better too. notice that one of the voices is ron livingston (peter from office space) who was in band of brothers. both of my grandfathers served in WWII - one was in the army and fought in the battle of the bulge - he got shot in the stomach trying to cross the rhine (30 years to the day before my b-day, coincidentally) and was in a hospital in england for about 9 months - grew up on a farm, was pulled out of school after 8th grade to work full-time on the farm and joined the army to get away from it - after the war he went back to his hometown and lived the rest of his life there - for him the war was the most important thing he ever did - it was really the centerpiece of his life and he talked about it often - i was able to get a pretty good idea of his full story - imagine a cross b/t 'cotton hill' and john wayne and there you go. his stories were always full of details and lots of warrior bravado - "i snunk up behind that nazi sob and slit his throat". my other grandfather was an airforce mechanic who worked on bomber planes - he rarely talked about his experiences and when he did it was always w/ alot of modesty - as a mechanic he wasnt on the frontlines fighting, but he did say that they did get bombed by the japanese.
LL cool J is another voice, and the narrator is none other than, lieutenant dan! btw, it's pretty gory. lots of dead, burnt, mangled and dismembered bodies. but to quote Harry Welsh- "war is hell"
As I just got back, I have been recording these shows, gonna start watching after the minny game tonight, I can not wait. I am a big history buff and particularly WW2. DD
Just finished watching the last part of the series. I just want to reiterate how good of a program this was. Kudos to the History Channel for producing this awesome series.
Great series, worth the hype. I hope most can appreciate the man and women that made victory possible. THE Greatest Generation.
Do you know what is stunning to me, someone who heard about WWII from the time I was old enough to understand anything at all? That out of a population of 132,000,000 in 1940 (compared to an estimated 305 million today), over 16 million served in the armed forces during WWII. Besides that little amazing fact, everyone who wasn't in the military, with few exceptions, worked in some way for the war effort. Women, for the first time in our history, worked in industry in jobs traditionally filled by men since time out of mind. It was a total national effort and I grew up hearing about it from those who were in it up to their neck. That's why I get so ticked off when I hear about cutting taxes during a war, two wars, or refusing to raise taxes to pay for them. Yet often those same people will wax nostalgic about the "Greatest Generation" and their effort during WWII, not realizing how incredibly hypocritical that is. Oh heck, guess I better shut up or this'll get moved. Sorry.
