(Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted me to think of all the harm done by war during my lifetime and the people I know who were permanently wounded. I don’t think anyone ever comes back from the violence without injuries, physical or mental. My father served in the European Theater of World War II as a sharpshooter, and refused to speak of it until very late in his life. I think what he carried within him explained much about the hurt he put back into his little world).
Amazing story about your dad. Hard to imagine going through that but my dad received 2 Purple Hearts during his time there but died when I was 19 and I never had the conversation that you had. I’m not sure what I would have learned. Thanks for sharing!!! Rodney
I was moved by this story. It helps explain that those in war who have attended death deeply feel its effect on life. Part of our appreciation of the combat veteran must be the understanding and acceptance of those wounds unseen and carried in silence.
This is a poignant story and I only got my father to speak of the war once. He was OSS in China and Burma, assigned to eliminate enemy posts behind the lines and train troops for Change Kai Shek. That's all I know. His records were lost in the fire of the Kansas record center. I wish I had asked him more questions more often. I think he might have been willing to talk about it nearer the end of his life. He returned to his new wife and they started having kids and he was a petroleum engineer and a drinker, which got worse, of course, with time. Having witnessed war, myself, I know how damaging it is to the soul. I think about it daily while Ukraine burns.
Thanks for sharing.
Amazing story about your dad. Hard to imagine going through that but my dad received 2 Purple Hearts during his time there but died when I was 19 and I never had the conversation that you had. I’m not sure what I would have learned. Thanks for sharing!!! Rodney
I was moved by this story. It helps explain that those in war who have attended death deeply feel its effect on life. Part of our appreciation of the combat veteran must be the understanding and acceptance of those wounds unseen and carried in silence.
This is a poignant story and I only got my father to speak of the war once. He was OSS in China and Burma, assigned to eliminate enemy posts behind the lines and train troops for Change Kai Shek. That's all I know. His records were lost in the fire of the Kansas record center. I wish I had asked him more questions more often. I think he might have been willing to talk about it nearer the end of his life. He returned to his new wife and they started having kids and he was a petroleum engineer and a drinker, which got worse, of course, with time. Having witnessed war, myself, I know how damaging it is to the soul. I think about it daily while Ukraine burns.
Thank you for the story, Jim.