Why vets dislike talking about their war experience especially WW2 vets

[berettafan]

First time i watched Saving Private Ryan I was in a haze for days. Horrified that i had taken so much joy in playing 'army' as a kid and gave no thought to the suffering that took place. That movie seems to have opened the door to incredibly graphic and gut wrenching depictions of the horrors soldiers endure in wars. Watched Fury for at least the fifth time the other day. Stuff hits hard.

And i'm just a well fed (but good looking!) child of the 70's who never even had the threat of being drafted. The worst i've endured at the hands of others is a high school fight and the worst i've seen in person is parents yelling at their children. I can not begin to fathom what the routine taking of lives must do to a man. Regardless of the righteousness of the mandate he is given.

FTR i think the same about cops, docs and fire fighters. People who must carry the most incredible burdens on their shoulders for life so the rest of us can pretend all is well. God bless every last one of them.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by berettafan

First time i watched Saving Private Ryan I was in a haze for days. Horrified that i had taken so much joy in playing 'army' as a kid and gave no thought to the suffering that took place. That movie seems to have opened the door to incredibly graphic and gut wrenching depictions of the horrors soldiers endure in wars. Watched Fury for at least the fifth time the other day. Stuff hits hard.

And i'm just a well fed (but good looking!) child of the 70's who never even had the threat of being drafted. The worst i've endured at the hands of others is a high school fight and the worst i've seen in person is parents yelling at their children. I can not begin to fathom what the routine taking of lives must do to a man. Regardless of the righteousness of the mandate he is given.

FTR i think the same about cops, docs and fire fighters. People who must carry the most incredible burdens on their shoulders for life so the rest of us can pretend all is well. God bless every last one of them.

Well said. I love the shoot 'em up war films of the past as a kid, but that Ryan film not only made me think but feel it. There were a few in Fury. I can't believe the new guy was treated like siht by their own men. Come and think of it, it's just human nature when every one is out into a crappy situation. The other was the women in the village that was blown up after the kid has sex with her. The fact that they had no food and the simple things like a couple eggs you and I take for granted is often extremely difficult to come by. They kill each other for just that.

[Racerbvd]

[sc_rufctr]

I was a medic in the Australian army back in the mid 80s to early 90s (I've never served in a war like environment).

The Vets I know who have been on the front line facing an enemy rarely talk about their experiences to "civies".
- They do however talk to each other and often.

Meanwhile we've (Australia) lost more Vets to suicide than died in Afghanistan and Iraq.

[Lyle O]

My dad was a WWII vet, serving in the South Pacific (Army Corps of Engineers). His unit would land on an island (New Guinea area, etc.) and prepare it for general landing of troops. They worked closely with the Marines, who got there first to try to secure it from the enemy. Growing up, the only things he ever talked about were 1)., how I should NOT want the Viet Nam war to still be raging when I came of age (it wasn't), 'cause he didn't want me to experience the jungle war experience like he did; and 2)., when he got older, he talked more about what he personally suffered physically (like having an appendectomy in the jungle, performed on him by a medic, with no anesthesia), and a bit about his core group of buddies that made it through (4 or 5 guys). Like mentioned already, NEVER any romance or glorification of it; quite the contrary, he always said it was hell on earth. Period. He lived to 96, and took a lot with him. My deepest thanks to those of you here who have served in any capacity...

[Rot 911]

To outsiders I always just tell funny stories about my time in the service. I was in the Army for 24 years and was always part of what is considered the tip of the spear. I save any serious talk, and I rarely have any serious talk, with people that were there with me.

[cassisrot]

I was a company commander in the nam. Really don’t like to talk about it. War is hell.

[afterburn 549]

Which Company?
Where and when may I ask?

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Lyle O

My dad was a WWII vet, serving in the South Pacific (Army Corps of Engineers). His unit would land on an island (New Guinea area, etc.) and prepare it for general landing of troops. They worked closely with the Marines, who got there first to try to secure it from the enemy. Growing up, the only things he ever talked about were 1)., how I should NOT want the Viet Nam war to still be raging when I came of age (it wasn't), 'cause he didn't want me to experience the jungle war experience like he did; and 2)., when he got older, he talked more about what he personally suffered physically (like having an appendectomy in the jungle, performed on him by a medic, with no anesthesia), and a bit about his core group of buddies that made it through (4 or 5 guys). Like mentioned already, NEVER any romance or glorification of it; quite the contrary, he always said it was hell on earth. Period. He lived to 96, and took a lot with him. My deepest thanks to those of you here who have served in any capacity...

Operated by a medic in the field and stories like that I found very interesting or things they did on patrol or anything else. Nothing top secret or the amount of enemies they killed. I did find the this story interesting when a friend in my first year of college told me a story about his older brother who was a foot solder in Viet Nam. He saw an old woman held the hands of two young kids as she ran into her hut to get away from solders. On his way past, he throw a grenade in there and blew them to pieces. I am not sure how much of it was true but it is entirely believable.

[cassisrot]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

Which Company?
Where and when may I ask?

669th trans, 54th trans bn, 8th trans gp. 1970. Cha Rang valley (Qui Nhon). Fact checking me?

[Por_sha911]

There are several reasons that war vets don't like to talk about the war.
-Survivor guilt (look it up if you don't know what it is).
-People who have gone through the hell of war are damaged. They will have bad memories, flashbacks, and terror in the night. They learn to cope with it or they will self-medicate themselves to escape. They don't want to keep reliving the horrors.
-The American movie industry glorified war. Brave men, heroic actions, miraculous events... Real war stories are not glamorous nor are they something to be proud of. Killing a person will change you (unless you are a deviant). The soldier also remembers the fear they had. John Wayne movies make them feel that they should have been stronger, braver, more noble.
-People who want details may have carnal interests. They want to get their jollies hearing all the gory details like a summer camp fire story about "how bad it was". The experience of war is not something to be told for entertainment.

[afterburn 549]

Originally Posted by cassisrot

669th trans, 54th trans bn, 8th trans gp. 1970. Cha Rang valley (Qui Nhon). Fact checking me?

Was not the point, was just curious.
I always ask vets where, when.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by cassisrot

I was a company commander in the nam. Really don’t like to talk about it. War is hell.

Thank you. My neighborhood buddy Sam is about 15 years older than I .... and according to him, I'm one of the few.... but he talks about his "good" times after that period... loves to talk . He was some type of Marine special ops in 'Nam in the 60s.... and I barely know that much....

Pure hell .... I can't relate.... thankfully.

Thank you all!

[afterburn 549]

Ask him what he knows about MACV , If he was Saigon and south.

[KFC911]

^^^^ I wouldn't even think about asking Sam about any of his service years ... and unfortunately, I haven't seen him in a while. We used to talk a lot years ago as he passed my house walking or in his truck and he always stops to chat....a "Marine" decal on the window.... he calls me "DAWG" .