A man I first knew when I was 18 served in WW2. He had to rescue, clean out and put back in to service damaged tanks. He was always close to the front lines and came under fire. He was only a
few years older than me when he served.
Considering what he saw in the battle damaged tanks he basically got what we would probably describe as PTSD today. Of course there was no support or treatment when he was sent back to rural UK after the war.
He became very involved in the local twin towns committee and very vocal in welcoming visitors from German towns. His view was that we needed good and solid friends who knew and understood each other to stop it all kicking off again.
I recommend this film (The Railway Man): www.imdb.com/title/tt2058107/
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