20 Oct 22
“Are not dreams of poets, and tales of travelers, notoriously false?”
HP Lovecraft
American soldiers patrolling the German countryside after “VE Day” (8 May 1945) were routinely shot at (more than a few were killed) by disgruntled former Nazi soldiers, by civilians in some cases.
These attacks took place months (sometimes years) after “We won the War.”
The phenomenon is nothing new!
Similar attacks took place after (sometimes long after) the Armistice of 1918 that “ended” WWI
British soldiers were routinely attacked by groups of Boer “Bitter-Enders,” long after the supposed “end” of the Second Anglo-Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902)
For experienced, active combatants, on all sides (who live through it), wars never really “end!” We go to our graves many years hence, with our wartime experiences, and vivid memories of our long-ago fallen comrades, ever on our minds!
Some of us “get past it.”
None “get over it!”
Accordingly, never put too much faith in some misanthropic “declaration” that something is “over.” I assure you,
it is anything but “over” for many!
When I hear someone say, “It’s over,” I keep moving and look for cover!
When I hear someone say, “Don’t worry; you’re safe here,” I reach for my pistol!
“To concede ‘The False’ has any standing in court, that it ought to be handled gently, because millions of morons cherish it, and thousands of quacks make a nice living propagating it… is to abandon a just cause to its enemies, cravenly and without excuse.”
HL Mencken
/John
