WWII Documentaries on Net Flix

[Skysoldier]

So, I am halfway retired......I only work 3 days a week now.

I live alone, and TV sucks, so I have gotten addicted to Netflix.

For the last weeks I have been spending a lot of time on Netflix, and watching mostly WWII documentaries.

There is a wealth of stuff out there, and a lot of interviews with the actual people that lived it.

I wish we could make the kids in school today watch every damn one of them.....maybe it would open there eyes about the realities of life.

And God knows, these kids today could sure do with a dose of reality.

And then, I am also getting a dose of reality....

My Dad served in WWII as a Navigator on B-17's with the 100th Bomb Group, and retired from the Air Force in 1962. He never talked about what happened back then.
I wish he would have......maybe I would have had more respect from him.

He raised five kids, and all five of us served in the Military during the Vietnam Era.

Three of as served in Vietnam, and between the three of us we had 6 tours.

We tried to earn his respect for that, but we we never really got it........

My older brother went so far as to do 3 tours in Vietnam, trying to earn my Dads respect. After his second tour, he received a Combat Commission, and went back again and earned
a Distinguished Service Cross as a LT in Cambodia in 1970!

I did two tours myself......hoping that my Dad would finally tell me he was proud of me.

My older brother talked many hours.....bitter that we did not get any respect.

I remember coming home and trying to join my Dad's VFW.....and they said I "didn't fight in a real war."

And watching these documentaries on Netflix now, I understand why.

My war in Vietnam wasn't shit compared to what my Dad and his generation did!

And only now, watching these documentaries, can I understand what my Dad and his generation did.

If I could only have seen these documentaries when I was a kid......I would have told my Dad how much I was proud of him!

And maybe he might have told me he was proud of me...

But now it is too late.....................

 

[Jim R]

[h=1]Skysoldier,
America as a whole failed our Vietnam veterans. From the executive branch trying to micro manage the war to how returning veterans were disrespected for answering their country's call for service. You should be proud of your service and you should know that there are more of us that are grateful for your, your brothers and your Dad's service and sacrifice than you will ever know.

Yes, the WW II guys had it bad, so did the WW I guys and the Civil War guys and the Korean War guys and the Vietnam War guys and the OEF/OIF guys and a dozen other military actions through out history. Comparing one war to another is like trying to decide which kind of cancer is better. There is always one that is worse.

One day you will be reunited with your Dad and you will be able to let him know how you feel. I believe the feeling will be returned.

A Veteran Is Someone Who, at one point, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘The United States of America’ for an amount of ‘up to and including their life.[/h]

 

[noddaduma]

Skysoldier there are a couple good WW1 documentary series that you ought to watch too. This one to get you started:

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/The-Fi...&strackid=5ba365b6248730eb_1_srl&trkid=222336


And then this focuses on the American involvement in WW1:

http://dvd.netflix.com/Movie/World-...&strackid=5ba365b6248730eb_0_srl&trkid=222336

I still have a photo of my great-grandfather in uniform with his horse. He was in the cavalry during WW1.

And also, since I've been reading Richard Rhodes' "Dark Sun", here's a documentary on the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll

https://www.netflix.com/title/60033508

 

[bbarer]

Sky, I don't know you personally but after reading that I am damn proud of ya! I am willing to bet your old man was damn proud of you an your brothers as well....just didn't know how to show it......rest assured sounds like he did a good job bringing you up, in a way that's more than pride will ever show...

 

[Hetzer]

You had his respect, he just never showed it. I'll bet he was proud of you all too. Guys of that generation didn't show or express their emotions like later generations. I'll bet the signs were there, they were just subtle. Who knows, maybe he thought if he'd showed you respect, he thought you'd have stopped trying to gain his respect.

And yeah, the shit you went through in Vietnam did compare. Sure, you weren't overrun by Panzers in the Ardennes or had your B-17 shot up by ME-109's and flak over Schweinfurt but those guys didn't fight in the Iron Triangle or Dak To either.

 

[K98]

Skysoldier, I am very proud of you and all of your brothers in arms. As stated above, comparing one war with another is pointless. The fact is you and your siblings placed your lives on the line during a U.S. military conflict. You are very well respected, know that in your heart.
I also have great respect for those who flew those B-17's and the like during the war. I got the opportunity to get inside one several years ago, and was surprised to see they are nothing more than a tin can. Must have taken balls of steel to be seeing 30mm cannon fire coming at you while firing your 50 cal in return.
Hats off to you and your Dad.

 

[dustoff22]

As the expression goes......sh*t flows downhill. Being the son of a WW1 vet, occasionally and I mean very occasionally my dad would mention that the WW2 guys had it much better than did he. Likewise, being a Vietnam vet, on more than one occasion, many to be exact, I got the distinct impression that neither the WW2 guys or Korean War guys felt that we Vietnam veterans had it tough at all. I suppose you could say that while we greatly respect those who have followed us, fighting in the Gulf War, Afghanistan et al, that we too feel that they’ve had it easier than did we. It’s just the way it is.

As for the respect issue, I’m sure your father respected you and your brother for what you did, he just didn’t have the means to express that respect. Not once did my father say to me that he respected or admired what I did, just that Vietnam was a “damn fools” war. He might have been right.

 

[M60]

Sky. If you feel like talking, call me.

 

[K98]

Well speaking of Netflix movies, I just watched Apocalypse Now. Christ I for got how boring this movie was. I want my 2 1/2 hours of life back...