tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31265055.post8300325922324630317..comments2023-09-20T14:18:32.900+02:00Comments on Obscene Desserts: Soldier boysJCWoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02585322642151280666noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31265055.post-88320265970585282832008-11-12T22:31:00.000+01:002008-11-12T22:31:00.000+01:00They call that war fighting generation "The Great ...They call that war fighting generation "The Great Generation". They should really be called "The Silent Generation". My father was of a generation and nationality who thought emotional expression for men unseemly. Nowadays men are encouraged to be expressive, but have mostly been through a lot less to express.<BR/><BR/>When I meet young guys of 18 plus it seems utterly incredible that they would once have been expected to go and fight in a war. It seems like a different planet.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31265055.post-20300429384322694952008-11-12T22:13:00.000+01:002008-11-12T22:13:00.000+01:00Thanks for the comment, kb. I'm one of those peopl...Thanks for the comment, kb. I'm one of those people (kind of rare?) who actively <I>seeks</I> out the poppy vendors if I'm in Britain when they're available. They often seem a bit taken aback that they don't have to convince me. <BR/><BR/>A friend of mine commented once on my succumbing to the 'poppy terror' (i.e., the social pressure to wear one), but, as you say, I've always felt it was somehow a personal thing rather than a political statement. <BR/><BR/>Bomb disposal. I shudder simply at the words. <BR/><BR/>A pretty massive WWII bomb was defused here earlier this year or late last year. This goes on all the time in Germany (and I presume now and then in Britain). I am amazed by the people who do that.<BR/><BR/>An interesting question: would I rather be alive and maimed or blown to pieces? <BR/><BR/>None of the above, please.JCWoodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02585322642151280666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31265055.post-51132635097973376772008-11-11T23:21:00.000+01:002008-11-11T23:21:00.000+01:00I suppose a lot of us wear poppies in remembrance ...I suppose a lot of us wear poppies in remembrance of one of our family, which can happen after a total war. I wear mine for my father, who was in the Pacific theatre. Like you, I wish I could ask him more about it - he always talked about the jokes and silly things rather than the dangers. He was part of a bomb dismantling unit, and according to my sister, thought it would mean that he would live or be blown to pieces rather than be maimed or crippled.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com