“My dad was an Aviation Machinists Mate,never talked about it,...”
You do have to pry the past/truth out of some of The Greatest Generation,
that is for sure.
Sometimes, I think it is just innate modesty, not wanting to stand out
too much from “the other guy”.
Sometimes, I think it’s from religional training (and I’m NOT bashing
religional/moral sentiment). You do hear in “The War” and other documentaries
how some recruits had to get over a general church-born ethos about
“Thou Shalt Not Kill” and get their heads wrapped around
“Thou Shalt Not MURDER” as the more accurate bit of theology.
I do really like the old “Sergeant York” for how it dealt with this
dilemma, albeit in WWI.
Also, I suspect some of the returning veterans weren’t ready to tell their
small children and wives what “the real deal” was during their service.
Too bad some President or other moral figure (Billy Graham?) didn’t
tell them: Set a date when you are going to come clean with your loved ones.
(Provided the veteran thought that s/he and the family could handle the
stress of the mental imagery)
Maybe when all your children have been married at least 10 years.
Or when you want to make sure they do their duty...and don’t repeat
some of your “wrong turns”.
War is Hell.....I suppose that’s why many won’t talk. My father never said a word. My father-in-law finally said a FEW words a couple of years ago. I often wonder if it affected their fathering abilities....since they both were uncommunicative and very distant fathers.