Indar's poem about her father's wartime experiences brought this back to the surface. Written a year or so ago when I found myself remembering one of Dad's rare insights into his war in The Royal Navy. Normally he glossed over the memories, but sometimes he lifted the curtain briefly on a particular image.
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Choices
Men in the water
smothered by burning oil
as their ship sinks
and the U-boats seek fresh prey.
Praying, as the convoy scatters,
some nameless gunner will ask permission
to put the poor sods out of their misery,
and some captain has the balls to say yes.
Gyppo
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Choices.
Re: Choices.
Wrenching Gyppo,
Circumstances might change but these realities do not.
Circumstances might change but these realities do not.
-
Tim J Brennan
Re: Choices.
My uncle drove a tank up through Italy under Patton. He only told one story that I remember.
In a nutshell: tank hit, fire, my uncle climbs up and out, reaches back down in to pull the gunner out b/c he's wounded. Tank explodes, throws Fred about 20 feet. When he stands up, all he has is the guy's arm.
In a nutshell: tank hit, fire, my uncle climbs up and out, reaches back down in to pull the gunner out b/c he's wounded. Tank explodes, throws Fred about 20 feet. When he stands up, all he has is the guy's arm.
Re: Choices.
They had a difficult time talking about it but we should.