In my day, it was summarily assumed that survival was compensation enough. It is not surprising that war veterans like myself cringe at newly coined phrases such as ‘Post Gulf War Syndrome’. As I recall and record the events that have haunted me for most of my life then, I am left wondering why survivors of both World Wars were deprived of monetary compensation, psychological counselling or even recognition for their immense sacrifice. The evils of human warfare have tainted my life, scarred my personality and maimed me emotionally. Why should I have been spared to tell my tale when so many others perished? For me then, war signifies the oppression of the weak by the strong, the manipulation of the masses by the few, futility, human hatred, jealousy and greed. This knowledge however, does little to neutralize the ongoing guilt that being a survivor engenders. Aggression, strife, maiming and killing are as history confirms, an inherent facet of the universal human condition. I have seen destruction beyond human comprehension. I have seen at first hand the reality and actuality of human hostility, ideological, political and physical conflict. This suggests to me that even the succinct superlatives embedded in a language that propagates a love of crown, flag and Empire, cannot define the scarred psyche of those like me who witnessed one of the greatest conflicts of the modern world. But how can one survive the emotional, spiritual and psychological angst that is manufactured in the theatre of war? The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary dedicates almost an entire page to the implications of war, yet, despite explicating the many adjuncts of war, it ironically fails to define the persona of ‘war victim’ or ‘war survivor’. My only real claim to fame is that I managed to survive the experiences and repercussions of World War II and I feel that it is now time to share my war experiences with my family. SUMMATION OF THE SALIENT EXPERIENCES OF RICHARD WILLIAM GOULD DURING WORLD WAR II – 1939-1946Īs the year 2003 draws to a close, I reflect on the events of my life with the sagacity of an eighty-two year who has lived a full and colourful life.
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