« Worlst Telco Moments | Main | Smart Drugs » War at ChristmasMy energy undermined by respiratory virus, I've been a little listless and depressed this Christmas weekend. Last night I watched "White Christmas" for the first time in many years, and this morning I've been listening to Caroline Kennedy's recent Christmas discussion with Tim Russert, prompted by publication of her book A Family Christmas. She says she learned a lot while writing it; one story she offers is that of the World War I Christmas Truce, which began on Christmas Eve, 1914. German and British troops sung Christmas carols from their respective sides, and this led to shouted greetings, then to actual visits across the line. Firstworldwar.com refers to the ad hoc temporary truce as "a shining episode of sanity from among the bloody chapters of World War One — a spontaneous effort by the lower ranks to create a peace that could have blossomed were it not for the interference of generals and politicians." "White Christmas," though it begins during World War II, is a musical comedy set in postwar USA — but it's still a movie about war, or at least about the bonds that form during war. Protagonists Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) met during war, and much of the film is about their efforts to help their former commander in the Army's 151st Division, Major General Thomas Waverly (Dean Jagger) — in the end bringing veterans of the 151st together for a musical salute to the General. It was common for post WWII films to celebrate and acknowledge the military, and the lush, unreal technicolor hues you find in "White Christmas" and other films of the era were in part a manifestation of a desire to escape the darker realities that were such a presence through both world wars. Baby boomers were born into this world; it's no wonder so many of us were such fervent idealists, and so ultimately disillusioned. Earlier this week I heard another story — on NPR — about the impact of a Iraq war veteran's post-traumatic stress disorder on his marriage. At some point in the story, the veteran, Peter Mohan, mentions how his wife didn't understand the bonds he had formed with his buddies while in the military. He was evidently unable to refocus on his own life and marriage when he returned to civilian life. This made me think about Audie Murphy, a high-visibility case of PTSD. I wonder this Christmas about all the soldiers stationed in Iraq and elsewhere, away from family and home — and former soldiers with PTSD, some of whom, like Peter Mohan, have been transformed by war. It's a sad moment. I suspect we'll see more wars, worst wars, and various devastations even worse than wars. I resist the thought of my grandchildren at war, and their children. But I'm Technicolor-blind at this point. jon posted this at 12:18 PM |
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