All Comments on 'Laying the Ghosts of War'

War is a F____d up thing. There are so many servicemen and ex-servicemen still alive through the bravery and sacrifice of their comrades. There are too many of the survivors that still carry the guilt of surviving due these actions.

My thoughts and well wishes are with you all.

Ex 3rd Parachute Regiment.

I shed actual tears, a beautiful story. So many of those who returned after that war were scarred physically and mentally. My own grandfather was a regular veteran, sent to France only nine days after the declaration of war, having arrived home from 7 years in India only weeks before that. I fictionalised his tale in a NE entry some years ago, he too was damaged by the war and didn’t live long enough for me to make his acquaintance. My childhood was full of memories of men in bath chairs and women who wore nothing but black. I enjoyed your story and look forward to reading more in like vein as the centenary looms.

The ghosts of command are so frequently overlooked. A very good tale.

This is a well written and moving story of times that we have all come to understand with each succeeding centennial anniversary, battle by battle! As we approach the centenary of the Armistice we need to remember those who made it home, usually damaged in some way as has also happened to soldiers in each of the subsequent conflicts of the 20th century and up to the present day.

Like Arthur, both my own Grandfathers also survived; one in the Royal Navy whilst the other was promoted from the ranks to Second Lieutenant before Passchendaele only to be wounded again and returned home to a 'normal' life?

Thank you for reminding us with this heartfelt story to look again at the names on our local war memorials and remember too that the wives and widows also had to deal with the aftermath and recovery of the survivors. Well done!

Thank you for the beautifully written story. My family members fought in The Boer war, The Great war,WW2, Korea, and Vietnam. The have lived and died forgotten lives. Thanks for bringing back their memories to me. Fellow ANZACs remember the stories of Gallipoli, of its death and destruction due to poor leadership from British officers in charge. Lest we forget.

There's more than one kind of heroism. Thank you for the beautiful job of making that clear. Short and entirely to the point.

A poignant and timely reminder of the pain and suffering that war causes not just to the physically injured, but to all who are touched by it. May the dead rest in peace and may those who still suffer find serenity.

At the going down of the sun and at dawn we shall remember them.

Good on ya mate

But of ourselves I only remain.

I "dream" of them often.

Time has lessened the pain but tears for them still wets my face.

Thank you.

Solesurvivor1969

JUST A COMMON SOLDIER

(A Soldier Died Today)

by A. Lawrence Vaincourt [The end of a poem ... ]

He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,

But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part

Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,

Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,

Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

© 1987 A. Lawrence Vaincourt

Thank you for this memorial to those who served "over there" 100 years ago. Back then they called the trauma suffered by so many survivors "shell shock" and "the thousand yard stare." Today we call it PTSD, and it's shameful that we do so little to help those suffering from it....

This year, why don't we all plan to visit our local war memorial on 11/11 and give thanks to those who served - in all wars - and honor both the names on the memorial and those who came home, changed forever by their experiences.

Thank you again for this moving little tale.

Since women can soothe the ghosts of war in the minds of the living, maybe someday they will soothe the savage beasts who believe war is the only possible action to take when problems arise.

And a lesson in writing to us all.

Thanks, Ogg

Superbly written. This applies to all wars and the needless deaths. It is a shame we still can't stay out of these damn wars. They psychological wounds are even more problem than the physical.

If only circumstances were such that this story, and others like it never needed to be written.

The ghosts of yesterday, sometimes he load is almost more we can bear

But we do and move on

Bloody Good.

HP

six of our men had been wounded, and three were dead,

They had five dead and eight wounded.

Those eleven dead men and fourteen wounded

Exercising my formidable math skills, I count EIGHT dead.

You write such readable prose, but just don't seem to grasp that DETAILS MATTER!