Wish I could have fought in WWII...

C'mon guys - lighten up a bit. We all know the old saying about 'War is Hell' but lets face it - WWII is the last war that continues to be glorified and has been for the last 60 years - war comics, movies, tv series etc and he is no different from Millions of boys and men who have signed up to go to war. Before that there was the romance of the Spanish Civil War, WW1, the Boer War, Crimea and on it goes. How many volunteers would they have got had the true horrors been known. Theres no big surprise in the statement he makes - we too love the weapons, tanks, planes, ships, uniforms, the stories of heroism and great battles won and lost or else we wouldn't be here. I'm sure no-one who has seen war would recommend it but who among us hasn't imagined what it would be like to would like to see squadrons of Spitfires overhead dogfighting during the Battle of Britain, to stand on the bridge of a warship on D-day or to ride along with Rommel for a day. Sure you can go on pretending you're a stone faced serious historian but underneath that crusty exterior (and some of you are seriously crusty ) there still is that tinyest grain of 16 year old boy thinking of the romance of war.

 

I quite liked the Victor front and back cover true stories. All true, no blood and Britain won ww2...Your not now going to tell me different are you?

As for the romance side, at 16 I was in forces, knocked the romance side out of me on day one.

But no your right, catch me a few years earlier and yes I could have been storming the beaches with the best of em.

 

Amen brother. Seeing folks die isn't much fun. I joined the army when I was 17, and I thought that I was ready for everything and anything. Although there was no shootin' war for my time in service (thank God), and after talking with my dad, his friends and co-workers who saw combat, I came to the conclusion that I really don't think that I missed anything. Whoever made the statement "war means fighting, and fighting means killing" just about covered it.

 

This is something about which I've thought frequently. However, yesterday it was -21 F in Denver and I remembered reading about how in the Winters in Russia it was often -30 to -40. I couldn't imagine fighting in a war in those kinds of temperatures.

 

In war, there is never the perfect climate. When I was in Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield/Storm, it was hot. Luckily, being Texan I was exposed to some of that heat but not as hot as it got there. In Panama during Just Cause, not quite as hot temperature wise but it sure felt like I sweated a lot more due to humidity even though it was in the fall, if you could call it that. We all go in expecting glory but come out thanking God (everyone finds God during war) we made it. The smart ones admit to being foolish.

 

Don't know if anyone's pointed this out yet,

If you ever find yourself in a conflict like World War II, God forbid, be THANKFUL for the high technology. It saves your life, in every aspect from taking the enemy's to fixing you up properly after wounds. Be thankful that your side has the helicopter gunship, because I would hate to be the bugger eating 30mm rounds. Be thankful that your side has the laser-guided bombs and missiles, because wouldn't you hate it if you never saw the enemy or plane that just plastered all of your friends? And, sitting in your tank, wouldn't you rather prefer that the enemy rounds were stopped by your armor and not cleaving clean through your tank and everything inside? And how would you like it if your wounds aren't that grievous, but lack of medical supplies and technology alone would kill you? I don't think any soldier, wounded or otherwise, is anything other than thankful for the medical evac and the surgeons.

And, coming from a younger kid, I have to say, that isn't youth. That is upbringing. Do you know any vets? Probably not. I think we have someone who has too much faith in Hollywood's projection of war. Be thankful there aren't such titanic conflicts anymore, and be thankful it is the USMC you are joining, not the militia of some run-down nation who can't even afford to give everyone proper clothes.

 

And I think we have someone who believes the American Army is the best in the world and none other can match. I mean please mate, the americans do not have the best of everything, and you are not the only country in the world with technology. You are not the only one with 30mm cannons, or tanks with heavy armour and you are not the only nation with advanced medicines. Enough with the American is awesome routine. Don't get me wrong the American army is well equipped and trained but you are not gods of war, just look at Vietnam and who you lost to, a less technological advanced country, technology isn't everything.

An army is not judged by the weapons or the clothing they have, just look at the Gurkhas in ww2 or even the Australians in Papua, the Japanese against the Americans, the Finnish against the Russians, where to stop? Technology and 'clothing' do not win the battles.

 

It does when you are gaming!! LOL

 

OF course having a padded leg saves you from a direct head shot with a 9mm Pistol at close range. lol

 

May I ask what the latest few posts have to do with WW2?

 

Not much, but I mentioned it.

 

Tomcat, I was not trying to say that at all. I was merely referring to the current wars we are fighting. We aren't the only ones with helicopter gunships and effective medicine, but the insurgents in Iraq or the Taliban in Afghanistan sure don't. I also never said that the technology made our army good, I only said that it saved lives, which, in the current global situation, it definitely does. Training also saves lives, and only developed nations have well-trained armies. The American military was singled out because that is the one he wants to enlist in so badly.

Neither am I a warmonger, but I do believe that technology allows those who own it to have a much better chance. In Mogadishu in 1993, the well-equipped U.N. peacekeeping force suffered no more than 30 deaths, while the Somali militiamen suffered thousands. If that isn't a demonstration of the power of training and technology, then I don't know what is. Even the insurgency in Iraq. It is definitely much deadlier than the conventional army ever was, but even now, for each American or British soldier dead, there are maybe four or five dead insurgents.

Now, its funny how people say Americans are arrogant. Now, if I wasn't an American, you might have let the comment pass, but now you had to say something. It's always the extreme. We admittedly are arrogant, but now, even a little harmless statement or reference turns into a self-infatuated brag.

Now, should we enter in a conflict with another powerful country, such as China or Russia, I have no delusions about the massive and difficult conflict it would be, and I hope that something like that would never occur.

 

Says who? Were the examples I gave you not good enough?
Ok lets look further into history, what did the Abrab nations do to the crusades? What about the Barbarian undeveloped nations against the mighty well organsied and well developed Rome, how did that war end up for the Romans?

The point is, technology and training are not everything, you don't have to be an American, British, Australian or Russian to be a well organised and well trained unit of men. Sure the Americans in Iraqi did a brillant job of taking the country but how is the insurgency going, how is all there technology and training fairing there?

Only an Imperisitic American would have that point of view, I have no problem with Americans, I have known many of them, I know many here on this website and all are great people, and then there are those that think the world revolves around the US and think that there ways, their training and their technology is second to none.

Does Vietnam fall into this catagory?

 

Thread title: Wish I could have fought in WWII...

What part of "WWII" aren't you people understanding?

 

Tsk tsk gentlemen. Lets stay on topic and off the America bashing. If you wish to debate more than take it to the PM or else both will get a visit from

 

At the risk of getting me head bit off...Za is correct its supposed to be ww2 related in this particular thread.

pZjgr your wrong, Im not speaking for Tomcat, he can do that for himself obviously. But I see no American bashing from him. That seems to be the knee jerk reaction on here sometimes.

I see both of them misunderstanding the other, plain and simple...Soar, was responding to another poster, it isnt too obvious when you read his post but he certainly isnt having a go, he seems to be offereing advice....No harm with that...But even when I read it at first I thought it was US equals all things great...but reading it again its obvious he is just passing comment and offering advice...we all do that...nothing wrong with his post.

Tomcat though is certainly not guilty of American bashing that I can see...Calm down folks....Looks like nothing more than friendly fire to me...It happens.

 

Perhaps America bashing was not the correct term but lets stay on topic nonetheless.

 

Point taken, I apologize for going of topic so far,

 

I apologize as well, we're just getting back to age-old issues that can never be resolved. Keeping it to World War 2 from now on, although I think I've said my piece on this thread.

 

Thank you gentlemen. Our differences are what makes us great. We just need to keep them in check and not stray from the topic or just create a different thread.