Gemmill 42777 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Died on Jan 2nd. The bloke off Band of Brothers. Mental what young blokes went through in that war. It's gonna be a weird (and diminished) world when the last of the veterans goes. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fish 10458 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 RIP Genuine hero and you're right Gemmill, we'll not see his kind again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob W 0 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Not so sure -cometh the time, cometh the man my Mam - who according to her account was (with Churchill, Stalin & Montgomery) the only person that stood between Hitler and World Domination in 1939-1945 - always said the same "we'll not see their kind again" ... but when the Falklands War came about she admitted that "just kids" had stepped up just as they had in WW2 and made her proud - which considering she'd spent the last 25 years rubbishing "modern yoof" was quite an admittion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree 4460 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Exactly RW. Fish, who do you think are out in Afghanistan now? Young men, some may say even braver still as their enemy walks amongst them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 42777 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 I think when people make that comment, it's pretty obvious that they're taking about us never seeing a repeat of that situation where an entire generation of young men put themselves on the line, some lying about their age to get the opportunity. I also understand that given the opportunity to deliver an anecdote or be contrary, Rob and CT will jump at the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree 4460 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Should make your points clearer in that case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I think when people make that comment, it's pretty obvious that they're taking about us never seeing a repeat of that situation where an entire generation of young men put themselves on the line, some lying about their age to get the opportunity. I also understand that given the opportunity to deliver an anecdote or be contrary, Rob and CT will jump at the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15160 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I think it'd be reasonable to say that during WW2 the majority of people saw the armed forces as "us" whereas now the majority of people see the armed forces as "them". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christmas Tree 4460 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 I think it'd be reasonable to say that during WW2 the majority of people saw the armed forces as "us" whereas now the majority of people see the armed forces as "them". I can understand that point, but dont think that has anything to do with the bravery of the individual. Also worth noting that before the draft (when you had no choice), to the majority of people signing up, war was probably a lot more of an adventure than today, particularly if you think of any of the propoganda films that were going about. Today we see it first hand from our sofas and are not it any way shielded from the horrors of Iraq or Afghanistan, yet still lots of brave boys and girls still stand up to be counted. Wild horses wouldnt get me out their and I would a good argument could be put up for the current lot being braver still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15160 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Polarisation, I think. You'd get more people claiming they're braver these days but also more people claiming they're daft because they know what they're getting themselves into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom 14002 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 R.I.P He seemed a very happy bloke on the DVD interviews for all the horrors he'd seen so at least he got some happiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Carr's Gloves 3718 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 RIP. True bravery like that shown by Major Winters at various points during WW2 is very rarely someone trying to be brave. It usually comes about by someone just doing what they think is right in conditions most people will hopefully never encounter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakehips 0 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 My dad. Went over a mine in a half-track full of ammunition in Normandy 1944. They were leading the column - in said half-track and had questioned the sense of this - and his pal who was sitting 1' from my dad was killed whilst the old man got his legs smashed to fuck, his right foot turned 180* round. Prior to joining up, he was captain of the football team, cricket team and tennis team. Fucked. His right leg still has to be dressed three times a week by a nurse - my mother did it every day, but she has long gone - due to the wound. Hero? I don't think he would consider himself that at all. He never collected his medals and saw fighting the Germans as a necessity. As has been suggested, there are folk who sign up today and I am proud of them. I think if we had to face what the country faced in 1939 the majority of us would sign up without hesitation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 42777 Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 RIP.True bravery like that shown by Major Winters at various points during WW2 is very rarely someone trying to be brave. It usually comes about by someone just doing what they think is right in conditions most people will hopefully never encounter. You hear that in the interviews, where none of them will have it that they're heroes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkeys Fist 41363 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 RIP. An immeasurable debt is owed by all of us to every single Allied fighter in WW2. This man did seem to be a cut above though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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