War ramblings from an OF...(kind of long)

[mobala_tiger62]

When I watch these Ukrainian children cowering in their basements my mind goes back to WWII when there were blackouts. I cannot comprehend their fear, but I can relate to it. During the blackouts, all of the lights in the city were cutoff and everything was locked down, except for workers returning home. Even the top half of automobile headlights had to be painted black. There were Air Raid Wardens in neighborhoods that enforced the laws.

As a 6 YO, I remember cowering in my bedroom deathly afraid of bombers that never came. We had an Air Force Base in Mobile that was active and every time a plane flew over our house it scared the ever loving sh^t out of me. I would freeze and could not move, waiting for the bombs to drop. I hated it, especially the Germans. My brother was a year younger than me and had no idea what was going on. Planes flew directly over our house taking off and landing.

My Mom would turn off our kerosene lamps and my heart would drop.(We had no electricity back then and an outhouse and outside water pump) It took all I could muster to go outside to the outhouse. I used to thank God every morning when it got daylight. It got better as the time went on.

There was no TV and the only war news we got was from my Granddad's radio that he stayed glued to and would announce the news out loud to all of us. His mother and father were from Alsace Lorraine and he had four sons in the war. Most of the war news we got was a week old. Far different from the 24/7 TV news today.

Just a bit of perspective as you tuck your kids in. Sorry it's so long.

 

[BamaFan1137]

Thanks for sharing.

I sometimes wonder if an experience like that would make or break this generation. In any event, I hope we don't find out.

 

[billywayneluck]

Thanks for sharing.

I sometimes wonder if an experience like that would make or break this generation. In any event, I hope we don't find out.

Funny, I was thinking the same thing. While I have to admit that I like poking the bear with old man river for being old enough to witness the rule of Romulus Augustulus. At the same time, his generation has a sense of wisdom that will be sorely missed when it is gone. Some of the baby boomers and gen-Xers have an idea.

The younger generations seem to have no clue. They think that kind of evil can’t exist in our time and that it could never happen to us. They don’t have a thought for the type of endeavor and sacrifice that was thrust upon the world to counter a despot that was purely evil. Like you, I hope we don’t find out, but have to admit there is a very uneasy feeling at the pit of my stomach with respect to that outlook.

 

[Pops Masterson]

In the 2011 tornadofest in Tuscaloosa, my girlfriend at the time worked at the coliseum. They ushered a ton of people in the coliseum basement (safest spot for sure, but the coliseum is an absolute shithole so it couldn’t have been comfortable). Then the power went out.

Anyway, generators activated and employees and students were assured that they would keep power and everyone was fine in there. Minutes later, the generators went out in dramatic fashion- that long deep sound of a fan coming to a slow halt. To the point that the only audible noise was the sound of the tornado and sirens.

I can’t imagine being stuck in that closet of fear. I’d go nuts.