The people who serve in the military experience a form of Hell that is unimaginable. The military in itself is a turning point in a soldier's life. To share their stories, quotes were selected from several interviews with war veterans from World War II and the Vietnam War as well as quotes from today's war heroes.
"I'm telling you what war's about."
Harvey Lundy, WWII bomber pilot |
"I took care of German prisoners with a German doctor."
Nordean Peterson, WWII |
"Everybody looked forward to serving their country."
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"I was in a situation where I could be drafted so I chose to enlist." Ken Sloan, Vietnam War "Coming home was the hardest part, your mind is still oversears... going back would almost be a relief because you are so programmed to it and now you are trying to unprogram it." C.C., Iraq |
N.B., Iraq
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"It was like a pause and play effect; you hit play when you get back but have to fast forward to catch up."
D.B., Iraq "We didn't really know who we were going after on the roadside."
B.H., Iraq |
"How much more can a mind go through?"
D.B., Iraq "I enlisted for my grandpa who was a drafted World War II veteran. He taught me to be who I am."
D.B., Iraq |
"I was extended for four months without knowing it so it was kinda like stop-loss."
B.H., Iraq
B.H., Iraq
"I served three tours in Iraq as a military doctor with a special skill, flight surgeon and emergency doctor. I volunteered because my skills were critical to the lives of soldiers and my mission was to help save lives."
J.K., Iraq Military Doctor
J.K., Iraq Military Doctor