Just watched an excellent WW2 movie

[/pine]

You have to understand they want to forget the whole thing.

I do understand not wanting to remember...my father was a POW of the Japanese for 3 years as a defender of Bataan and Corregidor...he survived the death march and rarely spoke of his experiences...BUT he often spoke of the heros and heroic acts he witnessed before being captured...

Many heros are too humble to exploit their deeds and largely go unappreciated by all but those that witnessed their heroism...The world we live in today does not offer much inspiration to the degree that we saw in the heros of "the greatest generation"...

 

[JDGREEN4ME]

My grandfather served with Patton as a tank mechanic who also saw/was in combat, rarely ever talked about it.

As for WWII movies..."shes a fast ship heading IN HARMS WAY"

 

[SkyPup]

My father just turned 83 and gave me a Katana Samauri Sword, a Nambu 8mm semi-utomatic pistol, an Arisaka Type 44 6.5mm rifle, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart and his Eisenhower jacket.

When he gave me the weapons, he said, "If the Jap captain that owned these still had them, neither you nor I would be here."

He also said when he got off the boat in San Francisco, some guard saw him carrying the swords and such with him and said that he was going to confiscate them from him. My dad told him, "I personally killed each of the SOBs that had these weapons and I'll personally kill anyone that tries to take them from me." The guard let him through....

He rarely talks about Saipan Guam, New Guinea except maybe after 3/4 of a bottle of rare Scotch.

 

[dmccarty]

...
Many heros are too humble to exploit their deeds and largely go unappreciated by all but those that witnessed their heroism...The world we live in today does not offer much inspiration to the degree that we saw in the heros of "the greatest generation"...

"Hero" is a word that is over used and misused. Victims of events are often called "heros" because they died. A hero is someone who put their life on the line for someone else. Our media often confuses the real hero and victims. The media does not know the difference and it demeans the Hero. And of course the media does not really like real heros. Today's generation has heros. They are serving in the armed forces, working as LEOs, Fire Fighters, EMS, and sometimes just a neighbor.

The Heros are out there but just not mentioned or barely mentioned. Many Medal of Honors, DFCs, Navy Crosses, and DSCs have been awared over the last decade or more. But the Heros are not honored by our society in the manner in which they should.

Later,
Dan

 

[/pine]

"Hero" is a word that is over used and misused.

I agree with the above but IMO you prove the point with the following:

Today's generation has heros. They are serving in the armed forces, working as LEOs, Fire Fighters, EMS, and sometimes just a neighbor.

Sorry to disagree but taking a job with hazardous duty does not automatically make one a hero...

Sure there are some real "heros" in the capacities you cite but mere "duty" does not constitute heroism...

 

[irvingj]

<<"Hero" is a word that is over used and misused.>>

Yes. My uncle, my mother's next-oldest brother, was on the USS Yorktown during both the Battles of Coral Sea and Midway... he was one of the very last to leave the Yorktown before it sank. A true gentleman, I didn't really get to know him until I was an adult-- perhaps for the better, as I was able to appreciate his experiences more.

I've listened to a number of his stories, only occasionally (he now lives on the opposite corner of the country), but always with rapt attention.

I feel fortunate that, during one of his visits, I was able to arrange for him --and he agreed-- to be interviewed (and filmed during same) by some of my 8th graders doing a project for their social studies class. They were trying, at their teacher's direction, to record as many "first-person" accounts as they could of WWII.

I wasn't present during the interviews, but from what I heard, he deeply impressed them.

It was interesting to note --was it only my imagination?-- a bit more mature, analytical nature in some of my young students after they had spoken with, and listened to, my uncle.

If only a few had their eyes opened, it was a good assignment.

In my eyes, there's a real hero.

 

[riptides]

And to think my grandfathers, and some of my uncles actually fought on opposite sides of WWII boggles my mind. A namesake flew Wellingtons off England, trying to sink U-Boots with an Uncle aboard as a conscript radio man.

Politicial choices were made for many in Europe during WWII. Thank goodness our country is the beacon for freedom. We get the bigger picture.

 

[dmccarty]

I agree with the above but IMO you prove the point with the following:


Sorry to disagree but taking a job with hazardous duty does not automatically make one a hero...

Sure there are some real "heros" in the capacities you cite but mere "duty" does not constitute heroism...

Never said that "duty" does make one hero.

But officers, firefighters, EMS, etc, do put their life on the line on a daily basis. Do you want to go into a house looking for a rapist? A friend of mine did and took a .38 to the head. He did not have to go into the house but he did. How about going into a burning building to rescue someone? A friend of mine did, and even with his firefighting gear he was covered in blood that required him and his crew to have to go on a drug regime to kill any HIV he was exposed too. That drug cocktail will kick your fanny. He could have died by AIDs or the fire.

A shooter went into a nursing home in a little town south of me to kill his wife. He did not get her but he killed a few other people. One of the town's officers went into the building and stopped the shooter. The officer went against state training and very likely his department's policy to do what had to be done. He got shot doing so but he saved many lives. He lived and is back on duty.

They put their life on the line for others. They are heros but most often they are not recognized as such. And things like this happen every day.

Later,
Dan

 

[ToadHill]

Thanks for the movie ideas, I just added those I haven't seen to my netflix list.

For those of you who read, try " The Greatest Generation".

 

[/pine]

They put their life on the line for others. They are heros but most often they are not recognized as such.

Sorry I disagree...sure they seem like "heros" to the people they may save but they know when they take on those (hazardous) jobs that they may have to put their lives in peril...they choose those professions...In fact I believe some of the people that take those jobs do it just for a chance to be called a hero.

IMO, what I refered to as heros in the context I posted are people that risked or gave their lives to save others out of the realm of their duty (above and beyond)...in the professions you cite that is part of the duty that they choose to participate in....there is a huge difference!