“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II (1984) Introduction + Bob Rasmus, rifleman

Bob Rasmus's war stories hit me as very exhilarating, compelling, and to me it showed bravery within him. He talked many times about going to battle or into enemy country's in the front line as a rifleman. He said that he knew they likeliness of him dying at battle and yet he still had to guts and man power to go to battle, fight, and survive. Many times when i read stories from war vets i think about whether i think i would be able to do what some of these men have done. While reading this interview, i knew that there would have been no chance that i would have been able to go to the front lines and try to defeat a well trained enemy. As i was reading, i was also emotionally hit when Rasmus said that he had to leave his platoon because he had the flu, and later on they were hit hard and died. For myself, knowing that the flu kept me from dying in battle would make me go crazy. Then i thought, would i rather die by in a platoon with my friends at the Battle of the Bulge, or die in a different platoon in a big battle such as D-Day? After pondering this question, i could not come up with an answer. But, i do know that im thankful for the soldiers who fought in the war becuase i would rather be safe, and alive at home.