Originally Posted by
Rod Sheridan
Thanks for the reminder. My father never spoke of bravery, he did speak of fear and confusion, and luck, on the extremely rare times he said anything about the war. He also never watched any war films, or volunteered that he had served overseas, nor did he ever wear his uniform to Remembrance Day ceremonies. When I was little we were walking to the Cenotaph when I noticed I had lost my poppy and started crying, Dad gave me his, then I was worried that other people would think he wasn't remembering the war. Years later I realized how silly that was, how could he have forgotten the worst 6 years of his life? When my Mom died in 2010, I cleaned out the house, found some service records, a uniform and a wedding photo, the only one I have of Dad in uniform. It's a surprise to realize what a handsome couple they made, and oh my gosh, were they young! The 3 boys in his family came home without injury, darn lucky. I once read "The Greatest Generation", after looking at all the relatives and friends whose parents were of that generation, I would have titled the book "The Broken Generation". Growing up during the depression most had their aspirations thwarted due to lack of income and the inability to afford an education. Then the war came, robbing the lucky of their remaining childhood/early adulthood, and the unlucky of their lives. They returned to a society that slipped backed into conformism, leaving them to work, be quiet about their mental injuries from the war, shut up, work, raise your family, do what was expected of you in the very narrow social norms of the period. They were a generation that received far less than we have. As my oldest brother said when my Mom died, "They were a generation forced to be of sterner stuff". While we appreciate their accomplishments, it's a good time to reflect on why we have to endeavor to never repeat those circumstances............Regards, Rod.