Re: [OT] We Were Soldiers

That happens during wars as well. During the American Civil War there 
were numerous instances of Union and CSA troops trading Northern coffee 
for Southern tobacco, making arrangements regarding sentry posts (CSA 
territory by night, Union by day; the troops would leave a load of 
firewood and a pot of coffee brewing for the next "shift"), and 
impromptu 'converts' given by regimental bands on opposite sides of a 
river. Similar events happened during lulls on the Western Front during 
WWI, although this died out towards the end of 1915.

As far as I have been able to determine these friendly acts happened 
when the soldiers on both sides considered the conflict to be a 
politician's war, not an ideological sruggle (which would require 
indoctrination a la NVA/VC) or a war for survival (Germans vs Russians 
in WW1 or WW2). In such conflicts the "soldiers like us" attitudes come 
out after the war, possibly long after.

Please be gentle with replies, this is still a rough concept of mine. 
I'm still roughing out the terminology.

K.H.Ranitzsch wrote:

>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Brian Bilderback" <bbilderback@hotmail.com>
>
>>>Interesting story, worth seeing movie. Especially
>>>notable in that it didn't seem to villify the North
>>>Vietnamese.
>>>
>>The author, in the forward to his book, took a similar stance.  His
>>
>attitude
>
>>was "They were soldiers just like us."
>>
>
>That seems to be the stance most soldiers adopt when a war is well and
truly
>over. Have heard similar comments from WWII vets.
>
>Greetings
>Karl Heinz
>
>