Quote:
Originally posted by Mark W. Tonner
Probably every single one of them Karmen. Battle Drills and training with live rounds and ordnance and all the other 'bells and whistles' thrown in to make training as close to the real thing as possible....pale in comparison to the real thing.. blank rounds don't kill or wound, but live rounds do; Artillery simulators (or something similar) don't leave gapping holes in the ground or sheer off limbs, but live Arty rounds do; Thunder flashes (or something similar to simulate grenades) don't fragment into pieces to kill and maim, but the live grenades did.
The majority Karmen, never had a clue as to what the real thing would be like.
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Thats what I figure and how the hell could they. You can't know anything really until you've walked the walk on the real path. The reality of everything ... in the case of Uncle Eddie, my understanding is that he (and the rest of them who landed) had had no direct experience of real live action, events, and intensity of overwhelming emotions. Normandy was their FIRST experience action ... nothing but having been through similar can really prepare anyone for the realities.
I wonder, all the time, had Uncle Ed come home, had he survived all the action ... come back home to the rural fishing farming community totally isolated from the men he served with ... (except for my Uncles and others who DID make it home) how unreal and strange it would have been to be planted back in "normal" life ... being so separated from everyone who was there with you and understands ... well ... now I'm getting really heavy here, but war is a heavy thing that has heavy impact.
I think I'd better go giggle with the Sunray for a while now
