Bad day at work?

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

This does give you something to compare our very normal lives against. We don't know hardship nor do we know challenges compared to what these men did. And then they went on to pretty much not talk about it. Each story told on a single page with an artistic black and white photo of the serviceman on the facing page.

And these were the recipients that lived afterwards - most died from their actions. From the MOH website: From World War II to the present, more than 60 percent of the Medals have been awarded posthumously — 58 percent in World War II, 73.8 percent in the Korean War, 62.9 percent in the Vietnam War and 38.9 percent in the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

[ItsTaz]

I have thought about the hardships and unimaginable experiences of people in the armed forces since I was a kid. I'm 49 now. I still can't come close to understanding what battle is like, to face mortality in such a terrible way. I wish that no one every had to experience war. Sadly, it's just wishful thinking.

Thank you to all who have served.

 

[dabrock]

We had a large number of suicides and other major issues with Canadian vets a couple years ago and it really brought PTSD into the spot light. Soldiers and vets who suffer from it are finally getting the attention that they need and deserve but I knew vets from WWII, Korea and Afghanistan and they were not always treated very well so they kept a lot inside.

 

[Doraemon]

I met Frank Miller when I was in the Army, he won the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam war. He was a great man, and a great story-teller. But not the kind you would want your military-age son to listen to, your son might run off to the recruiting office the next day.

Military life is often a love-it/hate-it thing. For myself, I loved the organization, the discipline, and the action. On the other hand, there was much I didn't like about it, so when my time came, I left.

My grandfather loved the Cavalry (not so much the rest of the Army), enlisting at the age of 15, when the Cavalry still rode horses. He received a medical discharge after the end of WW2, being injured in an explosion in Tokyo Bay as they were disposing of old Japanese ordnance and unexploded American bombs. Of his entire troop which was sent from Fort Myer, VA to the Philippines, only 2 returned alive. Despite the loss of his comrades, he remembered Army life fondly, and, given the choice, would not have wanted to do anything else.

I still can't come close to understanding what battle is like, to face mortality in such a terrible way.

Many would say that facing mortality in a bed, or after a bout with a long illness would be more terrible. There is no "good" way to die, but in the past, there was no better way to go than "with your boots on." My family goes back a long ways, and many of my ancestors had their lives cut short by battle and war. Since my family immigrated to America, all generations have spent time in the military (including fighting in the civil war), but, remarkably, none have died in battle. Most came away with scars, including myself, but nothing more.

Nowadays we are fortunate to live in relative peace. I hope we continue to do so.