Post #5 World War II

In the first story, it was interesting to hear about the home front and how people felt at home about the war.  It was also very scary to hear about how Mrs. Terry's husband had changed after the war.  I didn't expect such a drastic change.  She says, "Until the war he never drank.  He never even smoked.  When he came back he was an absolute drunkard."  It is amazing to see how much a person can change after having to experience the brutalities of war.  It was also very interesting to see that many of the citizens at home didn't really know what was going on overseas.  Without a radio, which was a luxury, there was no way to receive current events.  The people at home didn't know what was happening.


In the second story, it was very intriguing to hear how the brutality of the Japanese converted into the brutality of the American soldiers as well.  The Americans witnessed the horrible actions of the Japanese, unused to the mind set of "never give up," and turned that brutality into their own actions back at the Japanese.  Mr. Sledge says, "this hatred toward the Japanese was just a natural feeling that developed elementally."  The Germans would surrender when they knew that they were hopeless.  They then became normal men.  However, the Japanese did not surrender and so the Americans did not understand the mindset that the Japanese had.