I knew that these people on their way to work or home or dinner had no idea what it was they were supporting. They did not have a clue as to what war was like. What it made people see, and what it made them do to each other. I felt as though I didn't deserve their support, or anyone's, for what I had done. No one should ever support the activities in which I had participated. No one should ever support the people who do such things. (..) They were uninformed but good people. The kind whose respect we would welcome if it was based upon something true. It was when we were around them that we had to hide the actual truth most consciously. It wasn't enough to not mention the war or being a veteran, because they'd bring it up. The civilians we were most anxious around, and therefore tended the most to avoid, were exactly those good citizens who thought they were helping us. Jessica Goodell
About This Quote

The quote above is from "A Soldier of the Great War" by Max Hastings, about his experiences of the Second World War. It's an incredibly moving personal view on the topic of war written by one of the men who fought it. The quote is about how it's more important to be safe than truthful, and that even though you don't deserve respect for what you did, you still want to be around people who do respect you for it.

Source: Shade It Black: Death And After In Iraq

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