My Dad was complicated.
He talked about the war, but did not boast nor brag or find glory in what he did. He would talk about the experience. And going from a depression era farm , 8 miles north of Seminole, Oklahoma to Picadilly Circus, to Stalag 17 near Krems, Austria ............ that's a long trip.
He would flat out reject being called a hero. Said he did what millions of others did, no more, no less. And I think that's a point that got lost on those of us who did not live in that era ............ everybody served. It was the exception to not serve.
Dad was drafted. And I found a long letter my Grandad wrote to the local draft board trying to get Dad a deferment because he was needed on the farm. Its not like they were filled with patriotic fervor on the farm. Two of Dad's older brothers had already gotten deferments and another brother was serving.
And Dad could've gotten through the war without getting shot at, he was sent to mechanic school and became a certified B-25 mechanic. But he volunteered for aerial gunnery school and ended up as a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17. He never told me that. I've found that in his records and momentos.
He was not anti-war. But he was not pro-war either. He saw war as something that had to be done. Initially, he supported the Vietnam War, but became opposed to it as it dragged on. He said either commit the full power of our military to winning the war and getting it over with ..... or get out.
About mid 70's, I was home for the weekend. Dad always stayed up for the 10 oclock ( CDT ) news. Saturday night after the sports, the late movie came on and it was ' Slaughterhouse 5 " , movie made from Kurt Vonnegut's book that the anti-war crowd of the 1960's fawned over. It's largely about the bombing of Dresden. I expected Dad to become disgusted and get up to go to bed, but he and I stayed up to watch the entire movie together. And that pretty much summed up Dad, his view on war was complicated.