History - An Amazing Story

[pdub]

If you ever take for granted what our parents or grandparents did for us to get us where we are in our American society as we know it today, think again. I only don't understand how the B-17 guys in this one had enough bullets on board to pull it off. Well, there's a lot to not understand. Incredible, the courage and sacrifice. We've got our daily worries, but this is what they worried about and did so we can still be free today.

And it's ongoing, what our troops do for us right now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Im086TCu3I

[HEMI]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

My uncle piloted B-17's and B-29's in WW2.The licence plate on his car is,B29 CAPT.A few years
ago while waiting at a stoplight,a guy in the crosswalk ahead of him stopped,stood at attention,
and gave my uncle a crisp salute.

[70chevyC-10]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

Good video - thanks.

[L98camino]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

Thanks peewee, that was inspiring. Thanks to all vets and active men and women in service of our country.

[Barry Donovan]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

were they hot dogs for going by themself?
I could only guess what the planners were thinking.

187 bullets...in a fly by. I wonder....
nah. WW2 missions created no slangs and codes. :D

If I drove local with my medal on my plate... I'd get shot at (that is the way I feel).

Recently a vet went nuts outside the medical center (supposedly), got himself killed for carrying a gun in the woods outside the facility. He was 37, like me. Not going to have family, sickness brutally unknown.

WW2 and herosim make me uneasy. There was no ambivalence. cut and dried missions, get 'er done.

Today, not even a place deemed friendly is friendly. I remember getting verbally attacked by some toothless nut in england in the 90s...directly related to my obvious appearance of military.

Get it while its famous. :

[Loren]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

WW2 and herosim make me uneasy. There was no ambivalence. cut and dried missions, get 'er done.
Get it while its famous. :

I think that if there was any ambivalence at the time it dissipated in the years after, when the stories of life under Japanese occupation came out. A grade-school teacher was Phillipeno so I heard some. The occupiers chose the war and specified the conditions for the conquered to live under...such as marching civilians off cliffs to save the cost of bullets. I'd say defeating that power was a pretty cut-and-dried issue.

Same in Europe. I think most people who decide to study-up on WWII for long wind up feeling the same way about it.

[DanStokes]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

One of "good" parts of WWII (if there can be any "good" parts to any war) was that we knew exactly who the bad guys were and worked out ways to take them out. This included using the amazing skill and bravery of our fighting men to get the job done.

Not to defend Boxer, but I understand that in subsequent wars it's been harder to know who the bad guys are and the public has therefore been less supportive. I used to be like that and have changed significantly on this point. Our fighting forces are clearly just as skilled and brave as ever and have earned our eternal respect, admiration, and love - regardless of the war in which they fought.

Dan

[Loren]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

in subsequent wars it's been harder to know who the bad guys are...
Dan

Like soon after, when our WWII hero wanted to nuke half the cities in China over the North Korea issue. Millions of innocents, meant nothing to him. Scary.

No I don't believe I/we are always right. But imagine if the other guys got their way, completely. Sometimes just making an imperfect stand is enough to keep things better than they would be.

[pdub]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

Any stand on our own behalf is a good one, I think.

But I've always thought...WWII. You had to have spotters and moles planted inside enemy terriotory. And generals on both sides plotting and planning things that really relied upon the weather and visibility. It's foggy today, boys. Stand down. Maybe tomorrow. And the tipping point of the world depended upon it, the outcome.

There's always been wars, and there always will be I guess, sadly, but that's the last one where man could fly but he couldn't SEE. Radar came late in the game. They still had to send out scouts to try to figure where the enemy was.

[Loren]

Re: History - An Amazing Story

Really, the type of bravery shown in that era is hard to compare anything else with.

I'd have to say the same for subsequent wars too however. As a child I grew up w/ grandma following Viet Nam intensly, and read the personal accounts as I learned to read. Still blows me away. How well would I have done in those hot jungles, with the enemy all around and even underneath, and heroin to draw me away?

I am not a military guy but signed up for the draft in the '79 Iran thing, I guess I couldn't have refused. The conflict didn't come to anything however and guys like me got to go on with their lives.

Afganistan, Iraq, when almost every eye you see may belong to the guy who kills you...ugh.