George Bailey got 4F and didn't have to serve combat role in WWII.
He didn't have to go though the horrors of war zones and suffer PTSD.
Does anyone else think this was a good thing for him?
His brothers served in combat roles and returned as decorated war heroes, but likely at the price of getting PTSD.
Well, many people who wanted to serve weren't able to because of health issues or such. They felt guilty and felt like they were letting their country down, even if they everything they could at home to help. I.E: scrap drives, rubber drives, paper drives, war bonds, air raid warden, etc. etc. I'm sure the horrors of experiencing war first hand are horrible beyond comprehension, but the self inflicted guilt of feeling like you let your country down can be very detrimental too!
shareGeorge had to stay home and deal with our own Hitler--that Pig Potter.
shareThe greatest irony is that in real life, Jimmy Stewart killed more people in World War II by far than any other Hollywood actor who was a veteran. He commanded a heavy bomber squadron in Europe. It's impossible to know how many individuals were killed by the bombs actually dropped from the B-24 Liberator he piloted, but as a squadron commander who led more than 20 missions over Nazi Germany and Nazi-occupied Europe, the body count for his squadron on those missions had to number in the thousands or maybe the tens of thousands.
Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier (including the Medal of Honor) of the war, who got into acting after the war based on his wartime fame, comes in a distant second with an estimated body count of 250 as an infantryman.
Think about that next time you watch IAWL. Both Jimmy Stewart and Audie Murphy had PTSD that they kept quiet about during their lifetimes, but there's a recent feature in a fan magazine where Jimmy's daughter reveals how he drew from his PTSD in the scene where George is about to jump off the bridge, and the whole movie project was a catharsis for him.
His brothers served in combat roles and returned as decorated war heroes, but likely at the price of getting PTSD.
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You're right. When I was a kid in the '50s and '60s almost all of the men I knew were WWI, WWII, or Korean War combat veterans. It was no big deal, and nobody went tiptoeing around them or lavished them with maudlin praise. They didn't regard themselves as heroes; they just got on with their normal lives and supported their families. Between my grandfather, my dad, and my uncles (all combat veterans), and all their friends, acquaintances, and co-workers who had also served in wars, there was only one guy who they said had "shell shock" (what we now call PTSD), as a result of being trapped in a mine field unable to move for a couple of days. He always seemed kind of nervous, but he still led a normal life, made a living, and didn't make a big deal of his military service or expect kid-glove treatment.
shareMy grandfather was 4F in WWII due to epilepsy, and while he never discussed his feelings with me directly, the family gossip is that he always felt inferior because of it. Yes, he missed out on the death in combat, horrific injuries, or PTSD that were so common among men who became soldiers, but he also missed out on the chance to prove himself under fire, and he didn't participate in the defining experience of his generation. What can I say, young men are fools who don't understand war before they experience it, they think of it as a game or free travel or some sort of adventure, or a way to experience the heights of human experience while the depths happen to someone else. If they understood the reality, they'd haul off to Tierra del Fuego instead.
I don't think this is something a young man like George Bailey would think rationally about, he'd feel rejected and inferior because a physical defect made a difference in the course of his life, and made him officially inferior to his peers. That's what'd matter to a young man who lacked self-esteem.
PS: The Marvel film "Captain America: The First Avenger" addressed this subject surprisingly well, I think.
A lot of people who didn't serve in the military during WWII still did a lot to help the war effort. My grandfather was 34 when Pearl Harbor was bombed, certainly of age to serve. It so hairbrush that he was a very skilled mechanic and it was determined that he could better serve the country by being sent to munitions factories to trouble-shoot problems.
shareGeorge would not have been drafted. He was a married father and business owner. He certainly could have volunteered, but I don't think anyone would have thought less of him if he didn't volunteer. I guess we are to assume he did since he is designated 4F, but as a prominent member of the community, he would have likely been on the local draft board.
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