Timewaster's Guide Archive
Departments => Books => Topic started by: The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers on June 02, 2004, 10:07:04 AM
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article reference: http://www.timewastersguide.com/view.php?id=755
I mean, well, once you think about it, yeah, the war really sucked for a lot of people. I mean, that's why it's war, right? But do we *need* to face the reality that war is hell? I mean, sometimes you have to fight, and focussing on how terrible war was even 60 years ago, does that give us anything?
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I think what I got out of it more than anything is the recognition that WWII wasn't that different a war than Vietnam or even right now, as far as what the soldiers on the ground experienced--not that technology wasn't different and all that, but to recognize the fact that many WWII vets came home traumatized but because of their upbringing didn't talk about it as much. I don't actually agree with Anderson on a lot of points, but thinking about my grandpa's comments about his superior officers, especially--wow, he was REALLY bitter. And my expectations before talking to my grandpa (several years ago) and before reading this book had been more optimistic about the personal effect the war had, if that makes sense.
(Wow, that was a runon sentence in the middle there...)
But there were quite a few things he talked about, like the myth of the unity of the races (which I think he stretched a bit, given what we know about Japanese internment camps, segregation in the military, etc.) and how a lot of WWII issues were catalysts for the civil rights movement, and how only 25% of women actually went to work and that most women who were housewives remained at home, that he shed a little historical light on, I think--things I didn't know about before and would like to read more about.
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My grandpa(according to my mom) said two thongs about WWII
1: It was awful and it sucked for a lot of people, and they suffered many losses...
2: "On the other hand, I stioll have both of mine, and I didn't lose wuch nuthin else(yes he talked like that) and I had a helluvalot of fun not losin any of them body parts...haha, man that was fun, did I ever tell you about the time my buddy joe...shot imself..in the foot..." *snores*