History of conflict. It's strange how it can be somehow comforting, even as one watches old films of horrendous violence in an archived NBC television show like 'Victory at Sea', or the BBC's(I think) 'World at War'. To think about how the people involved, in those times, on all sides, well, they were in many ways just like me and you. For the most part, they were pretty clueless about what was happening around them, either responding to orders, and/or being affected by orders of those somewhere else. Never quite sure what the hell was happening at the time.

I've read a few things about some of the television and movies that were produced around the world following WWII. It almost brings tears to my eyes to think of men and women around the world in the 1950's as they sat in movie theatres, or in front of black and white televisions with their families and watched the "big picture". Recall all of the WWII movies that came out in the U.S. in the 50's and 60's, and 70's too. If one had been a 20 year old PFC in 1944, you'd have been 30 and most likely a civilian family man in 1954. How odd, jarring, cathartic, it must have seemed to them to see their ship, or their post in the sand or woods, or their type of aircraft, as it was briefly described and shown in the "big" picture of the War. To see strategy, or have a soundtrack put to what at the original time was pure terror and misery.

Grateful to those that came before. Of all sides.

Take heart. Be brave and thankful. People just like you and me have walked treacherous paths.