I neglected my blog on Wednesday. I busied myself with printing my chapbook of poems and preparing it to mail out. I told Mary that I felt like I had just given birth. Of course, that immediately became a subject of ridicule. Then I told her that she didn't know because she'd never published a book. Again, I was corrected and I didn't think she'd ever stop laughing. A couple of years ago she published a family history book that became the top award-winning publication with the Germans from Russia Society. As she crowed and preened her feathers, I slinked away to do my own modest little thing.
Katie Couric interviewed the vice presidential candidates, and in one segment asked them to name their favorite movie. Joe Biden named "Chariots of Fire" and gave some insightful reasons why he felt so. Sarah Palin listed a couple, the names of which I've forgotten, but she liked them because they were about winners. It caused me to think what might be my favorite, and I would probably say "Saving Private Ryan." I've read a lot of history, but no amount of reading could let me imagine how horrendous the invasion of those beaches must have been. The scenes in movie were as close to realism as can be portrayed by actors and special effects, or at the least that is what I think. As time passes I realize I relate to the after effects the surviving veterans live with. So much gets said now about post-traumatic stress syndrome, but at the time it was not recognized as an ailment.
As a kid growing up I remember seeing many veterans spending a good deal of time in the bars drinking. I know now they were trying to dull their senses and memories of their wartime experiences. Unfortunately, they got pegged as drunks while scenes of death and destruction swirled in their heads. I'm sure battlefield veterans from any of world history's wars experience those same feelings and find it hard to function in a society that expects a certain homogenized behavior. I can only wish now that I had been more sensitive to these veterans. In brief that is why I think "Saving Private Ryan" tops my list of favorite movies.
