Has Anyone Ever Been Triggered By A Film?

My father was one of those veterans who never spoke about his service — ever. Any questions to him about his time during WWII would be quietly deflected or ignored.

When we buried him at Arlington in 2017, I was finally able to obtain and look at his military records. He had survived both the battle of Leyte Gulf, and the battle of the Coral Sea, with two of his ships sunk out from underneath him and his shipmates. The Battle of Leyte Gulf alone was horrific, with 16,000 US soldiers and 7,200 sailors killed, and 420,000 deaths on the Japanese side. 34 ships went down.

When I was 13 in 1975, I remember begging him to take me to see JAWS. It was the first big summer blockbuster, and of course - all of my friends were gabbing about it.

Anyhow, we went to the film and he walked out of the movie two thirds of the way through. I thought he was in the bathroom, buying popcorn, or having a smoke - but later, I just found him sitting in the car. I think he might have been crying. I quietly asked him why he had left, and his terse answer was "I didn't like the movie".

It took me 42 years to figure out that Quint's speech regarding the Indianapolis had really upset him.

On a brighter note - he led a happy life as an English professor almost up until his passing. He loved to teach, and loved his students dearly.

Miss you dad. 💗

Submitted July 26, 2023 at 11:48PM by TheZippoLab https://ift.tt/5TzxJMO