WWII began 71 years ago today.
That war's effects are still felt in the children and grandchildren of the combat vets who returned. War changes changes men: killing hardens the soul, as does experiencing the violent deaths of loved comra
des; emotional and moral compasses are reset; and in many combatants there is no return from the heart of darkness. I've been thinking lots about my dad, a WWII combat vet. Today he would probably be classified as a vet with PTSD. I am interested in gathering as much detail about the trauma he experienced that changed his life and certainly influenced my development.
I've done some basic research on his unit's role in the June 6 invasion, Antwerp X (the defense of Antwerp harbor from V-1 and V-2 buzz bombs), and the worst, most costly battle for the US in the European war: the Battle of the Bulge. I've been a student of the War from a tot when I poured through my dad's pictorial history of WWII, and his comprehensive aircraft ID book (he was AAA). I was a bit uncomfortable finally confronting the historical detail surrounding my father's killing trauma(s). I'm going to try to blog some of this as a kind of memorial to my dad and his comrades. I hope I will better understand how his trauma affected me.
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