Well no I don't. I was born in 1953 and my father didn't join the US Army till
1948.
My late mother who was German civilian saw more war then either myself or my father (he did 2 tours in Viet Nam). She was strafed one time and it was such a near thing she could hear the spent cartridges from the airplane falling near her as she ducked in a cellar. She told me everything about her experiences in Norway, Yugoslavia, Germany... it was like a movie only you were in it and couldn't leave and could get blown up, burned or raped.
She overheard a conversation at a nearby table in a restaurant one time between a party of SS officers and what she heard sickened her. They were discussing how many people they were killing at some place (concentration camp???). Her friend who was Swiss overheard the conversation and told her not to say anything to anyone.
She never liked talking about it and I recall her only talking twice about it-each time with tears in her eyes. I'm sure she was ashamed. To hear this and not do anything.
My Father-he was in a wagon being pulled by a mule carrying him and family members from church (Louisiana)when he heard the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor he worked in an aircraft plant, shipyard and a slaughter house (for only one week.) He joined up in 1948 since the integrated the armed services. My aunts husband was in the Navy was and served on a troop ship in the Pacific. He hated it-I mean really hated the experience. If you were an Afro-American the U.S. Navy was not a nice place to be in WWII.
Hmm my ex-wife's grandfather was hunting pheasant in Kahuku (North Shore )in Hawaii when a bunch of Japanese planes appeared overhead and assembled and headed toward Pearl Harbor on Dec 7th.
My father use to play golf with a guy when we lived in Panama in the early 1960's who survived the Bataan Death March (and whatever came after). I remember he was nice man, tubby and soft looking. Bachelor, never married, drove this old Ford
When we were stationed in Nuremberg in 1958 we had an upstairs neighbor who parachuted in during D-Day -he had a heel shot off his boot while in the air.
As a small child in Germany I remember seeing a lot of German men without an arm or leg.
I prefer to see WWII events from a distance and I'm glad I wasn't a part of it. But if it wasn't for WWII I would not be here-my Father first assignment was Germany during Occupation where he met my mother.
They were happily married for 41 years till her death in 1989.
There's a difference between knowing and comprehending. It's hard to explain but there were a few times in the past people told me about their WWII experience or there is some vivid story you read and the horror and ugliness somehow you comprehend it for just a moment- Really I am glad I never was in any war.
I just experience the ripples and echo's of WWII
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A little remembered tragedy from WWII which many people do not know about.
http://www.rohna.org/
