Posted on 07/24/2018 5:42:18 PM PDT by eastforker
When the cause is a great one, men are inclined to be much more aggressive and more willing to take risks. Also, when you know you are going home after one year rather than at the end of the war, the primary goal is to simply survive that one year.
When you know the politicians and leadership at the Pentagon are unwilling to allow the military to invade and destroy the enemy, and win the war, why take unnecessary personal risks?
I read about Eddie Albert in a book on Tarawa.
Hard to imagine what he went thru and saw.
Here is some more information.
https://ss.sites.mtu.edu/mhugl/2016/10/16/eddie-albert-in-the-battle-of-tarawa/
“We lived amongst the “quiet heroes”.”
Yes, we did. My father (Army) and his brother (Navy) were two of them. We kind of knew many were around us, but it just wasn’t spoken of. I remember noticing men that limped, or had a gimpy arm, or were very hard of hearing.
As to an unexciting life growing up for us kids — those vets were thankful to be home safe with a wife, some beer in the fridge, a job, kids, and TV to distract their thoughts. They weren’t after any ‘thrills’; they’d had plenty.
Our WWII vets are fading away now, mostly gone. We their children are left to remind others of their sacrifices.
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