THIS is the kind of stuff they had to live with

[RetiredUSNChief]

Both my parents were WWII veterans. Dad served as an Army engineer in the South Pacific, Mom in the Navy stateside as a Pharmacy Tech.

Several Uncles likewise served. All have since passed away.

The WWII veteran in the video below relates a tiny portion of the horror of war he had to live with for three quarters of a century after D-Day.

THIS is why many rarely, if ever, talked about their time during The War.

THIS is why Dad apparently forbid our uncles from talking to us about his time and actions during The War.

THIS is why a cousin of mine talks about the nightmares his Dad lived with his whole life.

THIS is why so many combat veterans end up effed in the head, sometimes to the point of not being able to live a productive life...or even live with themselves at all.

Move forward a scant few years and decades to the Vietnam War and realize that many of this era had it even WORSE because they were openly ostracized by both government and citizens for actions their government FORCED upon them...they often had NO SUPPORT OR SYMPATHY AT ALL.

Homeless. Drug addicted. Psychotic. Psychopathic. Abusive. Lacking any sense of self worth. Lost.

Not everybody is strong enough to live productively after this kind of stuff. And of those that can, we simply aren't seeing the invisible scars beneath it all.

 

[Inglis]

My Father with his demons from his three wars and thirty three years of service. His answer was a!ways leave a blanket and canned food in our back shed for someone who need it.

He never spoke to me or my siblings about his demons. My youngest son spoke with my Father about it and wrote it down. I do not want to read my Father hell.

He never got help from the Government for his demons.

 

[Chuckman]

Thanks for sharing.

It's really weird, how two people can go through the same event, be affected in different ways, and handle the sequalae completely differently. Same battle, one guy is fine talking about it, no demons; the other, wrought with PTSD and demons. I think this is a very under-studied phenomenon.

Most of my family didn't mind talking about their service or time in war, some mush less vocal than others. Each person handles it differently.

I am glad, though, that the military and associated veterans groups are finally getting on board, collectively, to mitigate it and start allocating treatment and resources early. I think everyone had some level of guilt over how 'we' (collective 'we') treated Vietnam vets, and never want to see that happen again.

 

[RetiredUSNChief]

I believe that Dad didn't want any glorification of what he did during the war. By accounts I do know of, he was responsible for taking out a machine gun nest on his own.

And I know that only one other person who started out in his company survived the war with him.

War is catastrophically ugly. The sheltered lives people live in our country denies them that reality...and the willful ignorance on top of it makes it even worse.

 

[GymB]

My uncles never talked about it, 3 died in France so not much for them to say, the one that came home from europe lived the life of a hermit until he passed a few years ago. Uncle who served in Korea did much better, never spoke about it. No family members served in Vietnam.

 

[rufrdr]

My son is still having issues from his Iraq year 17 years ago. He doesn't talk about it either.

 

[1075tech]

The only story my dad ever talked about was when he kicked a helmet that was on the ground. When it rolled over, there was a head in it.

I can only guess that it was in the Philippines as that's where he saw the most action.

He only ever mentioned it twice.

My sister did say that she took him somewhere once when he came to visit her on the CT shore. I guess they were going to go on a boat. He didn't do boats. I'm guessing too much time on a troop ship.

Couple that with the fact that his first wife died while he was in Europe (after they got done with Japan ). They had only been married a few months.

The older I get, the more I understand.