I think I learned a lot about war growing up -

I think this captures what I learned -

What happens in a dogfight? If the guy coming at you is any good, you didn’t see it coming. You got jumped. I got jumped. About a week before the crash we got jumped. They killed my friend. He blew up into a million pieces. I saw that guy, I saw what they did to my buddy. Brown, his name was Brown, hell of a nice kid. That German pilot was good. Shot me up pretty good, too. Never saw him coming. I’d have done the same to him. I don’t have hard feelings anymore.


Here is the thing - I knew those guys, I loved those guys - still do. I know they questioned the killing they had to do to win our WWII - THEY QUESTIONED IT!!

I also clip this from the book I wrote - following the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp - why the picture images were important for them to hold onto.


Why? Joseph, its my reminder - that all the killing, the missions, the strafing - well, that I did the right thing. I killed a lot of people. As time goes on you think about it. It helps me, the picture - gives me - perspective. It just helps me. I look at it and I just feel better sometimes. I know that sounds terrible. You had to go through it to understand what I am saying. I don’t know how to explain this to you.

That picture stayed with Dad until the day he died - 55 years later. And it is with him still.


Now I am just an accountant from the San Fernando Valley - I really am, But I am trying to say - The cost of a war is so great, so unpredictable, regrettable - that even the best of causes results in morale uncertainty many decades later.

So there can be a very few causes that are worth it - but they are so VERY rare.

When WWII causes our fathers to rethink it - we all better be rethinking a lot.

Joe

This had to be said.

it brought tears to my eyes.

That is, unless we are personally invested (as you are - how is T?).

Troy is on his way back to Mosul.

They cycled him early.

I have such a bad feeling about this one - Three is a charm, its his third tour - all that.

I hope all is well with you Tom,

Joe

They will just eat you alive.

No one should have to pull three rides. Especially in a deteriorating situation.

I think about you and Troy quite often.

Let him know there is an old guy stateside pulling for him.

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In all wars, at all times, the acts we commit do haunt us.

The thing is, when what one does in a 'good war' haunts us, what happens to those guys when it isn't such a clearly good war??

War is the same though- same acts - same players - different stage.

joe

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