War Stories
I have been doing research on my father’s service in World War II. He, like Steve Kramer’s father (“Lessons From a War Diary,” Nov. 11, 2010), was a POW in Germany. I had compiled a list of 27 men in Dad’s barracks in Stalag Luft IV. When I went through the POW list for the 398th Bomb Group, I found the name Herbert G. Cooper. Mr. Cooper was not only in Dad’s barracks, he was the radio operator in Mr. Kramer’s crew! It’s a small world, isn’t it?
Rick Centore
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I find a few things Steve Kramer mentioned in his article to be particularly interesting.
Although many German citizens would never come around to admitting it, the Germans were still a few years away from realizing that the Allies were actually their liberators. Most merely saw the death and destruction raining down daily from above and quite understandably took their anger out on any downed airmen they could get their hands (or sledgehammers) on. I’m sure you’re glad that the police in Berlin were a little more level-headed that day.
My father was a B-24 pilot with the 492nd Bomb Group and was shot down and sent to Stalag Luft III as well. It’s difficult for me to fathom just how frustrating those long months had to have been for those men. They may have all felt confident that the Allies would eventually prevail, but how events would unfold, how long it would take and whether or not they themselves would survive it all had to play havoc on them. Add to that the fact that each and every prisoner there had survived a near-death experience and it’s easy to see how anxiety and despair would set in and grow over time. As bad as their forced march to Moosberg was, at least it broke their months of monotony.
My father, too, was reluctant to speak about the war. When he got shot down it was the lowest point of his life. He felt he had let down his crew, his squadron, his bomb group, his family, even his entire country. Plus he felt that his war experience was nothing special, merely one among millions that no one would possibly care to hear about. He was willing to talk about the war, but only if you drew it out of him.
As for the educational system, it is true that someone can graduate high school and even college with next to no knowledge of World War II. It is incumbent upon each student to gain a desire to learn about the war on their own. For many, that desire might come because of a relative’s service. For most, however, the spark will come from Hollywood. Saving Private Ryan and Pearl Harbor may have provided such a spark for many. A girl in her twenties may not be able to tell you who any of the combatants in WWII were, but having the hots for Matt Damon or Ben Affleck might make her curious enough to begin her own voyage of discovery.
David Arnett
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Thanks, Steve Kramer, for sharing your father’s story with us. I wish more World War II vets would have written down something. I’m sure his diary is like finding a treasure chest. Now his legacy will live forever within your family. You should be proud.
I have interviewed many WWII vets. Many of them have told me they regret not having said much after the war because obviously we kids didn’t learn the lessons they had to learn the hard way. Our current education system can’t see the value in teaching WWII (or any war) history because most of the teachers themselves don’t understand why it’s important. Therefore, we will continue to make the same mistakes and have to learn the same lessons our fathers did… the hard way.
Has anyone wondered why every war America has gotten into was led by a pacifist president? Ask the teachers; they don’t know. Ask a vet and he’ll tell you.
Paul Arnett
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