The touching story of 'Deadeye Smoyer'

Robin Reeve

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Wow.
Thank you so much for sharing.
So many aspects of war that we should never forget : the innocents killed, the deep trauma inflicted upon so many soldiers, the fact that there were fine people on both sides (or at least normal ones) and that forgiveness and reconciliation can overcome conflict and guilt.
If only we could, at least, consider that war or violence is never a good way to solve problems, that it always generates terrible effects...
Some will say that war is sometimes the only way to solve problems, though.
But one can also try to avoid to reach the point when that conclusion seems unavoidable.
 
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Tom Morin

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This story was on CBS This Morning today, including actual footage of the incident. Very sad indeed. War is not a pretty thing, and it devours all, including the innocent.
 

jtsjc1

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Thanks for posting this. I've seen the B&W film of the M-26 and the Panther but have never seen the other film these men watched. At least both soldiers were able to put this part of their past behind them.
 

KhandidGamera

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From reading the story, sounds like even now after resolving the woman's fate, Smoyer still has the bad dreams. Probably hard to fully appreciate the millions of people that lived and are still living with the trauma of that war. I came to feel after watching the story arc of E. Sledge in the Pacific that even the "un-wounded" are made casualties by what they saw and had to do. I think that's got to be part of the rememberance and what the sacrifice is.
 

Justiciar

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On that topic...folks might like to read "Achilles in Vietnam," by Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD. It is a very interesting analysis of PTSD in the age of "The Iliad" and "Vietnam."
 

Aaron Cleavin

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On that topic...folks might like to read "Achilles in Vietnam," by Jonathan Shay, MD, PhD. It is a very interesting analysis of PTSD in the age of "The Iliad" and "Vietnam."
The use of ecstacy in the treatment of combat induced PTSD is also something well worth the time spent looking at clinical results, essentially reliving events causing PTSD while in an "altered state" has considerable clinical evidence as effective treatment for many PTSD cases
 

bendizoid

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Strange how when Smoyer met the German gunner (years later) the German confessed he was haunted by the same nightmares of this civilian car with a woman who they both shot at in the confusion.
 

Mike205

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Here is a link to a trailer of a German documentary made about the 'duel' between Smoyer's Pershing and the Panther from Pz. 106 or 9 PzD.:


If you've got Amazon prime, the doc is free to stream, it covers the incident with the civilian car and also take an interesting look at how some of the combat footage in Cologne was staged as well. A friend of mine who was a 104th ID vet always swore that the panther had been towed in front of the cathedral for propaganda purposes, and the documentary confirms this. Some of the translation and editing aside it provides a good overall narrative of the capture of Cologne and pairs well with Spearhead.
 
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