Insight into the trials and tribulations of World War II Veterans - Essay Example

Write your here and here The of your teacher The of the 08 December 2006 Insight into the trials and tribulations of World War II veterans: "One soldiers' story" by Bob Dole The Second World War, the greatest military conflict in history, has been the theme of many art and literature works. What has inspired artists and writers to bring to light this terrible conflict is the expression of the many sides of the human character during the six years of bloodshed. From horrific atrocities, such as genocide and gas chambers, to feats of extraordinary courage and determination, the Second world war is an expression of man at its' best and at its' worst. Sixty years have past since the period of the greatest bloodshed in human history. And for most people it is almost impossible to imagine the horrors and atrocities performed during the war. Our most reliable sources of the essence of the things that occurred during the Second World War are the men and women that were on the front lines, where blood was shed and victory was all that mattered. In the end Alexander Pope wrote that most old men are "like old chronicles that give you dull but true accounts of times past" and are "worth knowing only on that score." Many stories can be found on the front lines of battlefields. Some of them are stories of killing, butchering and unimaginable suffering. But there are also stories of heroism, valor and faith. It is these stories that inspire future generations to greatness and provides them the tools to make a better and brighter future. Such story is the story of Robert Dole, the former Republican presidential candidate in the 1996 presidential elections and a former senator of Kansas. In his memoirs, "One soldiers' story" he explains his life and experiences during the Second World War, as well as his childhood experiences in his hometown Russell, Kansas. Through his letters sent to his family and friends he explains effects of war and how he faced the biggest challenge in his life- overcoming a difficult injury caused by the weapons of war. The events are set on the Italian stage of military operations of the Allied forces. During 1944-1945 the advances of the Allied forces were slowed down because mountainous nature of the region as well as the deployments of Allied forces in the French theatre of operations. By April 9, the British/American 15th Army Group broke through the Gothic Line and attacked the Po Valley, and slowly inclosing the German forces. Milan was taken by the end of April, and the US 5th Army continued to move West and linked up with the French forces. A few days before the surrender of German troops in Italy, Italian partisans captured the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini trying to make his escape to Switzerland. He was executed, along with his mistress, Clara Petacci. Their bodies were taken to Milan and hung upside down on public display. During this period, Bob Dole was a platoon leader in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division in Italy. On April 14, 1945, Having received an order to clear a German machinegun nest on Hill 913, he was badly wounded while trying to save a radio operator, who was also wounded. Bob Dole himself writes, "I felt a sting, as something hot, something terribly powerful, crashed into my upper back behind my right shoulder." He also explains very well his emotions during the period when he was lying on the ground, wounded and waiting for assistance: "For a long moment, I didn't know if I was dead or alive. I sensed the dirt in my mouth more than I tasted it. I wanted to get up, to lift my face off the ground, to spit the dirt and blood out of my mouth, but I couldn't move. I lay facedown in the dirt, unable to feel my arms. Then he horror hit me--I can't feel anything below my neck! I didn't know it at the time, but whatever it was that hit me had ripped apart my shoulder, breaking my collar bone and my right arm smashing down into my vertebrae, and damaging my spinal cord." Mr. Dole spent the next 3 years in and out of hospitals, undergoing 9 operations and gruelling physical therapy. He lost a kidney, the use of his right arm and most of the feeling in his left arm because of the injury. He also explains his emotions during the extremely difficult period of recuperation; "Each day became a marathon of endless hours trying to exercise my legs, my left arm, and the fingers on my left hand, with Mom and the nurses cheering every small triumph. On good days, I could move a finger or an arm a little; on bad days, I struggled to move at all. I felt imprisoned in my frozen body. I still could not control my bladder or bowels; nor could I sit up in bed.... Often after I'd tried for hours to move my arms, Mom or Norma Jean [his sister] would suddenly hurry out of the room. A few minutes later, they'd return their eyes red and puffy. Sometimes, after Dad and Norma Jean said good-bye, and Mom returned to her apartment for the night, I'd lie in bed staring into the darkness, asking myself again and again, why Why me Why was I on that Hill 913 What did I ever do to deserve this Why wasn't somebody up there looking out for me... In my better moments I realized, somebody was." That somebody included not only his family but also the hundreds of people of his hometown that gave finances for this treatment. But one of the people who helped him the most was dr. Hampar Kelikian "an Armenian refugee who . . . understood the horrors of war all too well" and who "inspired within me a new attitude, a new way of looking at my life, urging me to focus on what I had left and what I could do with it, rather than complaining about what had been lost and could never be repaired." He helped him find a new strength within him, in order to fight and eventually overcome his difficulties during his treatment and recovery. His internal strength was what it drove him forward and pulled him through, even though most doctors at the time believed that he would not survive. And it is what, he believes, made him a US Senator one day. Maybe that's the best message that a military veteran can send. No matter how bad things get, we should always look forward towards the future and build it the best way we can, with everything that we are left with. It is the one true choice that we have, if we have the honest desire to build a brighter and better future for our children and ourselves. Read More