October 4. High 17, low 2. Regrets ..... on my mind
Autumn is a time of reflection, for me. Warm enough in the sun for sitting out, cool enough to justify fires for warmth and comfort.
I have always lived my life with the intention of have "no regrets" ... upon passing. And for the most part I think I have been successful in my goal ... which is quite different from living without makings
mistakes. Those I have made plenty ...
... but most were inevitable ... given me ... and while I wouldn't knowingly
repeat them ... I have no regrets.
So I find myself reflecting on war .... it's on my mind a lot these troubling days ... but I'm reliving my interaction with Mom's 2 brothers .... Arthur (the gunner turned pilot) and Richard ... the Private turned Lt Colonel. I deeply regret that I was not more mature in my dealings with Uncle Dick ... wish that I had been able to get understanding of his war ..... nightly raids into opposing trenches.
A typical 8 or 9 year-old I bluntly asked him if he every killed anyone. Instead of answering he described making a
trench club .. a weapon I couldn't even imagine ... and he implied that the club was tool of choice in his line of work. Friday evening I re-lived that encounter with Dick and realized he had given me more insight into his life than I had ever realized.
Trench Weapons For Close Quarter Combat In The Great War. - Canada at War Forums
I chuckled remembering that when Uncle Dick tried to explain tanks to me I couldn't understand at first but as he explained further I gleefully told him I'd seen a Bugs Bunny cartoon with a tank ....
A strange association for a veteran to observe from a young boy.
I've been reading Max Hastings of late (Nemesis - the Pacific War; and Armageddon - Europe 1944-45). Hastings makes a very good case for the
wastefulness of both campaigns -- the sheer inefficiency of them -- turning campaigns into analysis of cost effectiveness. It is rarely flattering.
Which brings me back to my relatives whose service I honor and respect ..... I fear we are watching a global conflagration in the making .... sewn out of previous wars and previous wrongs be they real or imagined. Sadly, I don't see any other possible outcome but to stand and fight.