Because I watch very little 'regular' television and my TV reception comes through the dish where I have now paid to receive network programs but still rarely remember to do so, I didn't get started with the Ken Burns documentary series, The War, when it began on PBS September 23rd. I saw Burns talking about his documentary on Jon Stewart's Daily Show and again on Bill Maher's Real Time and realized I'd been missing out on something I knew I should see-- real footage and descriptions of what we today call World War II.
From what I saw last night on what I guess was Part 5, Fubar, this documentary is not easy to watch. I think it's worth seeing but realize that someone who had fought in a war, or who could not tolerate seeing violent images, might not agree. It's real and you hear the emotion still in the voices of those who fought it and those who loved them. It has some themes that fit what I have been told by those who were in combat themselves.
My uncle, who was in the European theater, never talked about it. Most who were in WWII were known by their unwillingness to talk about it. On the interview programs, Ken Burns said he believed ten years ago they'd still have not been willing but this was the time they knew if they didn't do it now, their stories would be lost. They trusted him to tell their stories and sacrificed their own comfort to describe what they had seen and experienced.
I am writing about it now, instead of the blog I had prepared for today, because maybe a few others will be like me and not have realized what it was. I am still not sure of the scheduling. I don't buy a newspaper or TV guide which would have helped. I have learned it's in seven parts and 14 hours. Tonight will be The Ghost Front about the Battle of the Bulge and German counteroffensive.
Having been born during WWII, I was impacted by it though my memories were too childlike to have it be the same as it was for my parents. The War is mostly told through the words of those who were there, sometimes written down and sometimes taped. It makes it very vivid and gives it a truth that fiction never can. John Wayne didn't fight these guys' war. Some of us knew these things already, maybe because of family stories. Some in our country still haven't seemed to 'get' it.
War is bad. It's not glorious. It's blood, guts, and disposable life. One man said it was his biggest shock. He had grown up in a country where we value individual life. War does not. It is about strategic attacks and individual human lives don't matter.
Another theme that came through, as you heard about this battle or that one. Don't automatically trust generals. The officers on the ground, they at least are there, they get killed right alongside the troops. Generals, from any war, can be good or bad. Generals can be good and still do dumb things.
In this program, it showed Eisenhower making one strategic mistake that only hindsight maybe could have seen. But he also made a pointless one in Thanksgiving of 1944. For what seems to be humanitarian purposes, he said every single soldier would have a Thanksgiving dinner-- no matter how hard it was to get it to them. At that time, supplies weren't readily getting to these men. Some had been at war two years, they had suffered, seen terrible things, done terrible things. He wanted them to have something good. Was it his ego? Who knows but an officer near the German front lines begged his superiors not to do this. He said my men will be all grouped together, they will be targets. There were to be no exceptions. The men were to have their Thanksgiving dinner. They did. They were targets and many were slaughtered. It was said that officer, who did survive, could not eat a turkey dinner for the rest of his life without crying.
We have been told today that we should trust General Petraeus. Generals are always good. Well they were not then anymore than today. Even the good can be wrong-- and they are not all good-- then or today. It's a lesson we should not forget. There is a lot from WWII that we should not forget.
7 comments:
I have not watched any of the documentary, for the reasons you mentioned. I can't watch violence. My father landed in Normandie D-Day +3. He fought behind enemy lines in the Battle of the Bulge. He was a medic. He did tell us stories of things he saw, and how they affected him. He was awarded the Purple Heart for an injury sustained while heroically, and at a great cost to himself, rescuing his fellow soldiers from an overturned tank. He would have been awarded a Silver Star, but he went AWOL (to Paris for a week of R & R) after his stay in the hospital. The Army told him he was eligible for the Silver Star, but it came with a Court Martial; or he could forgo the Silver Star and the Court Martial. He chose to avoid court. He was still a hero, and he knew how he had helped his fellow soldiers. That was enough for him and for us, his kids.
A cousin suffered shell shock and then was killed in World War II. I know little except he was a favorite cousin of my mother.And I remember her crying when she got the news. Perhaps I should find out more about him for my children and grandchildren.
I have family who think the casualties in Iraq are insignificant in comparison to highway deaths here.
I saw the first two, but I got overwhelmed and didn't follow up. Now that my big event will be over after tomorrow, I'll go see when it is going to run again. It was very hard to take, but I was born in 1937 and my 4 sisters were all much older than me. Service guys were constantly at our house because they volunteered at the USO and always had dates with the guys.
My brother-in-law who died in May was the bomber pilot at age 19. He had begun to talk about his experiences until he got too sick to talk. There is only one guy left from his squadron now. One of my sister's fiancee-to-be was killed on the Arizona. All my brothers-in-law but one were in battle.
Ken Burns has done a masterful job--again--although there is a lot of controversy here in L.A. because of immigration problems with Mexican vets and the internment of the Japanese.
This is an incredible series, although hard to watch at times.
It is going to be shown on a weekly basis, I believe, soon after the 7th episode has aired. I googled to get you the schedule, but it only will give me for Juneau. Google "Ken Burns" "The War" and you will find it.
I did go online for that too, Maya's Granny; so have a good idea when I can get the rest of them. Last night was equally good. I like how 4 towns were chosen to follow the people from there, home and on the battleground. It gives a continuity and knowing those men were telling it helps also as you don't have the fear someone you have come to like will be killed. It is very dramatic. I could do without the dwelling on the faces of the killed but understand the reason for it. We need to be very aware when we fight a war that it has to be fought-- as WWII did. It was not a war of choice except by the German and Japanese. The loss of life though is appalling for citizens and soldiers. Hard to get a person's head around the suffering. And it didn't end with the war as many families were impacted negatively by what their soldiers had gone through.
There were positive things too.
The love and dedication. The willingness to sacrifice by Americans all around the country, their total involvement with what was going on. There was no talk about how our lives should go on as usual while the troops do the job. No get out there and shop as your sacrifice. People back home gave up a lot too-- but nothing like the ones doing the actual combat. War is beyond my understanding. A horrible horrible thing when it has to be faced. Often there are diplomatic things that can be done ahead of it, things that divert it and prevent it but once it gets to a certain point, sometimes it has to be. We should, however, never get into it unless it does 'have' to be and then we should do it united as a people, all sacrificing to make it a joint effort worth what it costs
that is a story to be proud of robin, about your father. The medics were emphasized in last night's programming as well as the tanks and that problem in the Battle of the Bulge. It is tough to watch but it also makes you aware how courageous some people can be.
Ken Burns does tell it the way it is, his using families to tell much of the story made it easier in some ways. Thanks again.
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