Post by connie on Feb 14, 2009 13:57:52 GMT -5
I am deeply touched each time a veteran has the courage to even approach these pages. And the memories shared evoke a reverent gratitude.
I know that memories of these times have been handled differently by each involved.
Certainly each mind took in different details. Time may have dimmed some. The intensity of the moment may not have allowed others to even be absorbed. But, I know, too there are memories that are fresh and sometimes still raw.
One fellow spoke of the look of an evergreen forest in winter suddenly taking him back.
Another spoke of being able to write, but not speak, of some of his experiences. For others, recalling one element of those days may open up the paths to other memories that are not welcome. You saw horrors no one should ever see. And you lost friends and, sometimes daily, encountered threats to your own existence. Many learned to cope by putting miles and years between these memories.
I know, too, that questions about these times can sometimes fall short of reverence for what you faced -- and what you risk in sharing. I have not seen this happen on this site. But, the risk is real and lines are easily crossed.
I can only relate this to the experience of a granddaughter of the Bulge. She had spent the summer of 2001 in NYC and knew turf and people there. In the fall she was in DC for for a semester, and on September 11th was beginning her first day of work there -- with the Pentagon train stop between her and her home. This day grabbed the nation in the gut. But, she was present... then and through the anthrax scares. This was a small fraction of the experiences you faced. But it was real and intense. When she returned to a California campus the next semester, she found a huge gap in experience that made conversation more difficult to handle. Distance had already set in. And the events did not seem real. Those on campus who had not "been there" spoke of the events in a " have you seen that movie?" vein. The same events, when broached by those around her in DC and NYC had been approached with a the reverence that would be used in discussing the loss of a family member.
A million times in a million different ways, you must have experienced similar well-meaning questions that come from a distance in time and place... without an understanding.
I think that you can sense that most who ask questions here want to understand. We are often the sons and daughters and even grandchildren of those who served by your side.
We will respect your silence, if that is what you need, and your need to cope in whatever way works best for you.
And, if speaking and connecting is something you find you can do, we will be grateful.
One man I spent some time with observed with wonder, "Not all those times were bad..."
If this site can help connect you with some of the warmer memories... or some of the neutral ones... I will be pleased... And, if you sense, as I do, a bond and an expanded sense of family... then your efforts will have been rewarded as mine have.
May the day be good to you.
Connie
I know that memories of these times have been handled differently by each involved.
Certainly each mind took in different details. Time may have dimmed some. The intensity of the moment may not have allowed others to even be absorbed. But, I know, too there are memories that are fresh and sometimes still raw.
One fellow spoke of the look of an evergreen forest in winter suddenly taking him back.
Another spoke of being able to write, but not speak, of some of his experiences. For others, recalling one element of those days may open up the paths to other memories that are not welcome. You saw horrors no one should ever see. And you lost friends and, sometimes daily, encountered threats to your own existence. Many learned to cope by putting miles and years between these memories.
I know, too, that questions about these times can sometimes fall short of reverence for what you faced -- and what you risk in sharing. I have not seen this happen on this site. But, the risk is real and lines are easily crossed.
I can only relate this to the experience of a granddaughter of the Bulge. She had spent the summer of 2001 in NYC and knew turf and people there. In the fall she was in DC for for a semester, and on September 11th was beginning her first day of work there -- with the Pentagon train stop between her and her home. This day grabbed the nation in the gut. But, she was present... then and through the anthrax scares. This was a small fraction of the experiences you faced. But it was real and intense. When she returned to a California campus the next semester, she found a huge gap in experience that made conversation more difficult to handle. Distance had already set in. And the events did not seem real. Those on campus who had not "been there" spoke of the events in a " have you seen that movie?" vein. The same events, when broached by those around her in DC and NYC had been approached with a the reverence that would be used in discussing the loss of a family member.
A million times in a million different ways, you must have experienced similar well-meaning questions that come from a distance in time and place... without an understanding.
I think that you can sense that most who ask questions here want to understand. We are often the sons and daughters and even grandchildren of those who served by your side.
We will respect your silence, if that is what you need, and your need to cope in whatever way works best for you.
And, if speaking and connecting is something you find you can do, we will be grateful.
One man I spent some time with observed with wonder, "Not all those times were bad..."
If this site can help connect you with some of the warmer memories... or some of the neutral ones... I will be pleased... And, if you sense, as I do, a bond and an expanded sense of family... then your efforts will have been rewarded as mine have.
May the day be good to you.
Connie
