I’m a sucker for war movies.My dad and I would watch them all of the time as well as war documentaries. It became part of my normal life. It seems like there are some veterans that can never watch something like that again after having been in a war then there are the ones like my dad. He talked about Vietnam when he wanted to but if it wasn’t on his terms then he wouldn’t say much about it. Yet when it came to movies or documentaries he’d watch them over and over again. I always tried to understand that part of him. I use to think maybe he was trying to figure it all out. Maybe he was trying to find some kind of validation or reason behind it. Maybe he had hoped to see something that would explain his pain. Or maybe revisiting that part of his life helped him cope. I’ll never know the answer because I never asked him. I knew there were things that he had to do and I know that he did them but I also learned really fast that when talking to a veteran who has seen and done the things he has that you have to be very careful with your words and questions. I knew my dad would never intentionally get angry with me asking him something about it but I knew that he had triggers just like anyone else would. It’s just best to not try to set those off for their mental well being. I know that the war consumed his life. I know that he lived it every day even on the good days. I’m almost positive that the reason he didn’t smile very often is because he felt like he had no right to. How do you comfort someone who saw their friends die day after day and there was nothing they could really do to stop it? I think my dad carried that all of his life along with his secrets.
My husband and I watched Hacksaw Ridge last night and I couldn’t stop thinking about my dad. When he was still alive I’d always have questions for him after seeing a war movie. There’s nothing like hearing the truth from someone who’s lived it. I mean, the history books just can’t compare to that. My dad wasn’t in WWII but his uncle was. His uncle told him war stories all the time so I know that with my dad’s experience and his uncles stories he would have had answers to my questions. The way my dad would tell some of his stories almost made me feel like I was there with him…almost.
I’m a sucker for war movies but I’m a bigger sucker for the truth behind them. So as I do with every based on a true story movie I research it after. Once again I was a tad disappointed to find some pretty major things changed in the movie. They weren’t major in a way to take away from what this man did to save people. Just in a way that Hollywood once again would rather spice things up than tell the truth and nothing but the truth. I personally think his story was interesting and movie worthy without all of the changes. I’d rather not list them because I don’t want to ruin the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it. But I urge you to always research these things before you go around telling your friends what really happened solely based off of what you see in a movie. Yes, it’s happened before.
Without giving the story away, I will say Hacksaw has to be one of the best war movies I’ve seen since Fury. It was intense and so graphic that it was hard to tell it was fake. It had a way of pulling you in before you even realized it. I highly recommend it! Just don’t forget to do your research guys!
February 26, 2017 at 4:43 pm
I’m also fond of war films. I liked ‘The Longest Day’. the landing on the Normandy coast, ‘Tora, Tora, Tora’, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, and so on, to name a few. My war heros were Field Marshal Irwin Rommel, Bernard la Montgomery, Eisenhower, Douglas Mc Arthur, and so on.
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February 27, 2017 at 2:50 pm
I don’t think I’ve seen that one. I love history and you just gave me something to research. Thank you for that!
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February 27, 2017 at 5:10 pm
You must read the book ‘The Longest Day’, by Cornelius Ryan. You would love it. He has also written books on the Russian war front. Another book I suggest is ‘Tora, Tora, Tora’, a book on the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour. Or possibly, the book was titled ‘Tora for Treachery’
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February 27, 2017 at 5:47 pm
I’ll definitely check those out! I’ve researched a lot on the Pearl Harbor attack but I wouldn’t mind reading more!
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February 26, 2017 at 6:02 pm
Haven’t seen Hacksaw Ridge yet. You’ve talked me into it. Cheers!
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February 27, 2017 at 2:49 pm
It’s a great movie!
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February 27, 2017 at 5:56 pm
The film is amazing!
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February 27, 2017 at 6:09 pm
Glad that you agree!
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March 7, 2017 at 1:28 pm
I really liked reading about your father and being close to someone who had actually fought in a war. I’ve always had a detached view of war from a political aspect rather than the very real emotional, mental and physical part because those kind of atrocities are too hard to think about. I just hate the idea of rich politicians and government officials pushing their own agenda and putting innocent lives at risk.
I know I’m digressing. It’s still honourable and I hope I didn’t disrespect that. I usually avoid war movies but your post has convinced me to check it out. Great post!
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March 8, 2017 at 3:02 pm
I think it can be hard to think about no matter how you believe. It’s a really great movie and I think gives great insight to what these soldiers really go through.
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