I have to try to draw parallels here as well. Could it be that the soldiers of the great wars got to come home to meaningful occupation and were honoured for their efforts? Nowadays they are treated as victims and in some cases outcasts, the soldier does not fit in todays society, small wonder they suffer from mental illness.
You bring up a good point. Yes the oldtime veterans did come back to a different welcome. They WERE heroes and everyone respected them,.
I remember. I was there.
There was a sense of unity in the war support that enveloped the whole country. Everyone joined in in some small way to contribute according to their abilities. Veterans were given preference for jobs and they were helped with housing and granted low or interest free loans to get a fresh start.
Still, those veterans witnessed and came through inhumane conditions that most of us cannot even imagine. Most of them were changed in some way too. Most of them were reluctant to talk about it. But they managed to live productive lives.
Their fight for freedom was not hampered by rules of engagement and yet they still treated prisoners of war humanely and avoided civilian casualties whenever possible.
I believe the governments that send their troops to war are to blame for the losses and for their ineffectiveness in conquering the enemy. and for the disdain and poor treatment of veterans too.
When sending men and women to war it is government's responsibility to make sure they have the tools to do the job; that means not just equipment but the psychological tools as well. The battlefield is not a place for moral judgments or pc.
It is government's responsibility to make sure the returning veteran's needs are met.
As educators, it is the government's responsibility to see that history is taught so that the younger generations are aware of the price paid for their freedoms.
Gen. Eisenhower is quoted as saying, 'take lots of pictures so the world never forgets'. Well what good are the pictures if they are not shown, explained and kept on display. Apathy has allowed the world to forget. And we will all pay the price.