Re:Legacy of Agent Orange
by Toenex on Tuesday April 28, 2015 @08:29AM
(#9451691)
My father was a navigator and bomb aimer on Wellingtons and later Halifaxs during WWII. He very rarely mentioned it, brushing off questions from my younger self saying he never really saw much action. It wasn't until I was a lot older that I realised that this wasn't the truth and he had been in the air force since 1942.
I can only assume (my father died several years ago) that he felt somewhat ashamed of his time in the war. I didn't appreciate the negativity surrounding the bombing campaigns until more recently when they opened the memorial in Hyde Park corner in London (http://www.rafbf.org/1794/bomber-command-memorial.html). It's difficult to appreciate this when you grow up watching films like the Dambusters and 633 Squadron and seeing these guys as heroes. Dads are always heroes.
Re:Legacy of Agent Orange
by arethuza on Tuesday April 28, 2015 @11:23AM
(#9452997)
I can imagine why he didn't want to talk about it - the rate at which bombers were lost (3% to 5% was typical) and the need to complete 30 missions must have been incredibly stressful.
I can only assume (my father died several years ago) that he felt somewhat ashamed of his time in the war. I didn't appreciate the negativity surrounding the bombing campaigns until more recently when they opened the memorial in Hyde Park corner in London (http://www.rafbf.org/1794/bomber-command-memorial.html). It's difficult to appreciate this when you grow up watching films like the Dambusters and 633 Squadron and seeing these guys as heroes. Dads are always heroes.