Because of my interest in military history and modelling, my wife jokes that I am a reincarnated soldier.
Now I don’t believe in reincarnation, but it’s interesting to think where and when I might have fought and died through the years…
I based my answer on my areas of interest and also family history. My line goes back to France, + interest in Napoleonic warfare could mean I was killed during the Napoleonic wars.
At this point I can embellish it and say I was killed in the advance of the Old Guard at Waterloo. Hey, if I have to go, it will be in a blaze of glory.
Now I know a lot of people won’t have European roots and are interested in Waterloo. I’m also interested in Gettysburg but I didn’t die there…lol.
My family left France mid 1800’s for Australia. I think my next soldierly incarnation may have been WWI. For this I would say the Western Front.
For WWII, possibly a Hurricane pilot.
So here’s my (wierd) question…If you are a reincarnated soldier, in which battle(s) were you killed?
If nothing else this has sparked an interest in tracing my French line further back which could be very interesting.
While I don’t believe in reincarnation, it’s a fun question to ponder.
With my luck, I would’ve been the guy in Hannibal’s army who was backed over by an elephant as they positioned it for a charge. Or ran to fast downhill at Hastings and tripped and broke my neck. Or died of an accidentally self inflicted wound to the buttocks while cleaning my gun prior to Bull Run. Perhaps a cave in when I grabbed a supprt in my bunker in WWI asking “What’s this do?”
I know I dang near did die in Somalia sticking my head around a corner wondering “is that guy still there?” Gulp. He was! [;)]
I dont know if believe it or not, because in this years nearly all is possible. i think that maybe i was soviet sniper in WWII, because i admire that guys, and i knows a lot about them. i designed a bolt action rifle, so i think that in an earlier life i could be a weapon designer. one never knows[:)]
I had an amazingly realistic dream once where I was a Civil War soldier, Union if memory serves, and my unit was pinned down in a giant crater created by mining and explosives. That got me thinking after I had it that perhaps in another life…
Except reincarnation is an idea I think would be nice to believe in, but I just don’t.
somewhere along one of them battles fought in one of those gazillion dynasties in China, where I probably knew kung-fu or some other forms of ancient arts allowing me to fly from roof to roof wielding funny impractical flexible swords…
Although I have had some pretty heart pounding dreams after reading a story about enduring battle, where I’m in a trench with mud up to my chest, waiting to take my last breath, or on the deck of a 19th century warship waiting to take a snipers shot or wood splinter through my groin, or in a B-17 wondering what its going to feel like to be trapped in a aluminum bomber thats spriraling out of control to the ground, or in a submarine going through a depth charging, and I count my blessings and thank all veterans with my life, for never having to experience war. I grew up in a houshold of veterans, listening to their agony of going through the nightmares and violent mood changes, and now I witness how the personalities of my freinds, family, and co-workers who have gone to the Middle East have changed because they had to face the realilty of actually knowing that every second, every move they make, may be their last, yet never openly aknowledge it.
I try to put myself in the place of the soldiers and sailors of the subjects I model in order to give my subject some feeling, but I never want to actually have to be in the position of dealing with the realities of death that they had to face. I know when I do research, talk to vets who flew missions in bombers over Germany, read letters of sailors who worked and fought on the sailing ships of the 18th and 19th century, I get a who new perspective on the subject, and on life in general, and sometimes feel a little ashamed of not actually been given the chance to experience battle. However, they went to fight in order for me to experience peace. They had their time of horror and honor so that I could enjoy my time of peace.
Since I hate heights, that would be perfect for me.
I’ve had many a dream of fighting the Russians on the Eastern Front as part of the Whermacht. Seems like I’m always going bezerk and doing these suicidal charges with an MG-42 ala Rambo. Scary thing is I always seem to survive, though I remember being shot. If I were bite it, it would be to freeze to death on the Russian Front.
I dont belive in this stuff either, but Now that Im thinking…
I had a dream awhile back that I was a Southern soldier defending a town from invading yankees. Lots of hand to hand in that dream, I belive I woke up right before I was gonna die. Perhaps I was a confederate soldier and that has brought my current interest today in the Civil War, particularily the south.
I would have been the guy that tripped on something coming out of the sh*thouse in 'Nam and fell on a pencil and died! I’m a natural born clutz, I guess its a good thing I can’t join up [:D]