These are the men we celebrate on Veterans Day. These are the men we celebrate on Memorial Day. The truth is that we have no idea how many of these young men never returned to their homes to share meals with their families, thus no idea which holiday is appropriate for each of them.
Click on image to see it larger.
Nearly hidden among all of these men, waiting for their rations, is one fellow who looks like every GI you've ever seen in a World War II movie. But these guys aren't in costume. These guys didn't have fancy trailers to go to between takes. These guys were walking in the mud, swatting the mosquitos, complaining about the food, and unsure what their futures held.
We remember this weekend, November 11th, those who have served our country in too many wars.
This is my submission for this weeks Sepia Saturday. The theme photo showed women working as telephone operators, part of a machine. I went with men working as part of a war machine.
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An important reminder of the sacrifices that have to be made when people don't talk to each other - by telephone of whatever other means.
ReplyDeleteWell put Alan. You can see it in everyday life when a discussion turns to the point of no return when a simple change of dialogue would have settled everything. Words are really incredibly powerful.
DeleteEven war machines relied on telephones a lot.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right, too many wars. And too many people killed. For what??
ReplyDeleteInteresting comparison between real war and the movie versions.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I think you meant November 11.
See, that's what happens when you go away on vacation and mentally never come back. Thanks for the catch.
DeleteWar is never, ever good. I remember the first time I watched an old movie rerun as a child and saw them with telephones brought in- I just couldn't believe how they could have a telephone out in the middle of nowhere!
ReplyDeleteVeterans Day (or Armistice Day for my older photos) was as my theme choice for this weekend too. Capturing the soldier's cigarette is also an iconic war moment.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your tribute to veterans. I also would like to thank them for their service.
ReplyDeleteHappy Veteran's Day. A great choice for this week. The photograph really does capture the moment.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, we remember...
ReplyDeleteHUGZ
Excellent! Your reminder of mosquitos, mud, bad food, and uncertainty is a poignant contrast to the fancy trailers of Hollywood. Our heroes should not be the celebrities of Hollywood.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely in their memory forever.
ReplyDeleteAs I get older, I often find myself doing that now—wondering who in the photos is likely dead. Of course, in war-related photos,the likelihood of absenteeism is far greater, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYour words are quite stirring - I too always wonder when I look at old photos of servicemen which ones survived to come home.
ReplyDelete