Picture of the day
- Thread starter jwhc
- Start date
- Location
- Prince Albert, Sk
They did, it is just more recognized now.
I've always wondered whether it was a cultural thing ? We're just not used to really, really ugly, death is a stranger to us and one has to wonder how we'd fare if we ever had to face the likes of WWl or Wll again ?
I've heard it 'splained this way .... the post Depression Era were a tough lot compared to the youth of today. That's just a little too simplistic for me.
The WW I and WW II vets (and civilians) were exposed to mass scale death from aerial bombardment, artillery, machine guns and the horrors of the concentration camps. These would be enough to drive most people mad to the point of never becoming "normal" again.
The soldiers that went to Afghanistan and the Balkan wars fought a lonely battle the rest of the world ignored save for evening news sound bites.
The Libs hid the Kandahar Memorial from public and private viewing in another attempt to erase our inconvenient history that doesn't give with the current narrative. Chief Poundmaker is now a heroic martyr and we were wrong in punishing him for his role in the 1885 Rebellion. I guess it figures since Riel was similarly 'pardoned' as a martyr of the Metis Rebellion.
The WW I and WW II vets (and civilians) were exposed to mass scale death from aerial bombardment, artillery, machine guns and the horrors of the concentration camps. These would be enough to drive most people mad to the point of never becoming "normal" again.
The soldiers that went to Afghanistan and the Balkan wars fought a lonely battle the rest of the world ignored save for evening news sound bites.
The Libs hid the Kandahar Memorial from public and private viewing in another attempt to erase our inconvenient history that doesn't give with the current narrative. Chief Poundmaker is now a heroic martyr and we were wrong in punishing him for his role in the 1885 Rebellion. I guess it figures since Riel was similarly 'pardoned' as a martyr of the Metis Rebellion.
And pilots said that they could smell the death up to 10000 feet when flying over the place.
From this book it seems German artillery was mostly horse drawn. It was only late in '43 that they became mostly mechanized. Horsemeat kept them alive when all else was gone in Stalingrad. This guy was lucky he was recalled to Berlin before the collapse.
Major Charles White Whittlesey
Commanded the "Lost Batallion" during the battle for the Argonne Forest in WWI. Worth a read, if you're not familiar with the incident. Quite the act of leadership during that fight, and a very well, and hard, earned Medal of Honor recipient for his command during that time. As the Americans had lost track of their location, the battalion was shelled by both Americans and Germans at various points. Even one of the units carrier pigeons, Cher Ami, was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
When you find yourself in a situation so bad, that even your carrier pigeon is awarded a medal, you've truly found yourself in a very bad place.
I bring this up here, because Whittlesey is somewhat symbolic of the way in which the scars of war haven't really changed. I think there is more a difference in perception from the outside about how well soldiers of WWI, WWII, etc., coped after the war, than the reality of it. I defy anyone to say that Whittlesey wasn't among the steadiest and bravest field officers ever to set foot into the horrors of war.
And yet, after the war, he quite simply never recovered. "Not a day goes by but I hear from some of my old outfit, usually about some sorrow or misfortune. I cannot bear it much more."
In 1921, he prepared his will and booked passage to Havana. On his first night at sea, he dined at the Captain's table, retired early to his stateroom, and was never seen again. On his bed were letters to various family and friends, and a letter to the captain on how to dispose of his luggage.
He was only ever listed as "missing" - no suicide, or even death, for that matter, recorded.
His story says a lot about how the men of the World Wars suffered, but instead of it being confronted and labeled for what it was - PTSD, shell shock, what have you - especially in the case of heroes and medal earners, it simply wasn't discussed at all. If anything, I suspect some of these men suffered even more than the soldiers of today, simply because discussing their emotional trauma was taboo. They had to keep it to themselves. The fact that his death was never recorded for what it so obviously was, a suicide, says a lot about the times.
If you look at the list of heroes of those wars, what we now know as PTSD runs rampant through their stories. Audie Murphy is another example of this - fame, and even financial success after the war, weren't enough to keep him from having a troubled and tragic life.
I don't think today's soldiers are any different. We've just become more open about talking about it.
Commanded the "Lost Batallion" during the battle for the Argonne Forest in WWI. Worth a read, if you're not familiar with the incident. Quite the act of leadership during that fight, and a very well, and hard, earned Medal of Honor recipient for his command during that time. As the Americans had lost track of their location, the battalion was shelled by both Americans and Germans at various points. Even one of the units carrier pigeons, Cher Ami, was awarded the Croix de Guerre.
When you find yourself in a situation so bad, that even your carrier pigeon is awarded a medal, you've truly found yourself in a very bad place.
I bring this up here, because Whittlesey is somewhat symbolic of the way in which the scars of war haven't really changed. I think there is more a difference in perception from the outside about how well soldiers of WWI, WWII, etc., coped after the war, than the reality of it. I defy anyone to say that Whittlesey wasn't among the steadiest and bravest field officers ever to set foot into the horrors of war.
And yet, after the war, he quite simply never recovered. "Not a day goes by but I hear from some of my old outfit, usually about some sorrow or misfortune. I cannot bear it much more."
In 1921, he prepared his will and booked passage to Havana. On his first night at sea, he dined at the Captain's table, retired early to his stateroom, and was never seen again. On his bed were letters to various family and friends, and a letter to the captain on how to dispose of his luggage.
He was only ever listed as "missing" - no suicide, or even death, for that matter, recorded.
His story says a lot about how the men of the World Wars suffered, but instead of it being confronted and labeled for what it was - PTSD, shell shock, what have you - especially in the case of heroes and medal earners, it simply wasn't discussed at all. If anything, I suspect some of these men suffered even more than the soldiers of today, simply because discussing their emotional trauma was taboo. They had to keep it to themselves. The fact that his death was never recorded for what it so obviously was, a suicide, says a lot about the times.
If you look at the list of heroes of those wars, what we now know as PTSD runs rampant through their stories. Audie Murphy is another example of this - fame, and even financial success after the war, weren't enough to keep him from having a troubled and tragic life.
I don't think today's soldiers are any different. We've just become more open about talking about it.
Most of the guys I know who served suffered the consequences. They avoided talking about it and many of them ht the bottle.
From this book it seems German artillery was mostly horse drawn. It was only late in '43 that they became mostly mechanized. Horsemeat kept them alive when all else was gone in Stalingrad. This guy was lucky he was recalled to Berlin before the collapse.
I have that book, it is an interesting read. I also recommend "Five years, Four Fronts" by Georg Grossjohan
These are very cool! Great display pieces!
