[roma]

aww, man-o-man...... so bitter-sweet at the end.... loved again, the focus on facial expressions as the characters/men register information (news about the German surrender, watching the Okinawa tape, the final news about the war ending)...
I had never spent much time watching Shifty in the first viewing, and, I think, his goodbye to Winters is what just broke me up... his vocal cadence is solace and calm--and when he doesn't have the words.. jeez...getting teary... it's so good. I like how Winters just watches him...and doesn't cut him off to either express understanding or to dismiss him-- and tells him what a good soldier his is (i know i don't have to summarize for you all, but it's just so good--so bitter-sweet :D

that softball game... i like the epilogue bit, and I think D. Lewis did such a good job at the voice-overs ( i liked his better than E. Bailey's)...

I have to admit, i was sad to see Malarkey go, even though he got a sweet deal.

I like the theme (Apell8's??)-- the idea of Points--Grace--Justice--) a whole essay in that theme.

Side note--I got an e-mail from a former student who told me he wrote his final paper for some college class on BoB--using the characters as an explanation of the hero journey (call to glory--reluctance to be called--leaving the world of Known--mentors--helpers--challenges & temptations--the Abyss (death & rebirth) --transformation--"gift of the goddess"--world of known--return home transformed) I don't recall right now if he used just one or two characters, or the Company as a whole, but he said the paper turned out really well....

ahhhh.

thanks for all the insights here.
And thanks so much, Gino, for this forum. It's a preservation and a validation that I think has helped a lot of people.

[roma]

Oh--forgot to add... that hotel they go to in Berchtesgarten--at the beginning... My dad said that we went there when he was stationed in Germany, we went to Berchtesgarten...I think it's called Patton Hotel now...and it still looks the same--or did in 1982 (minus the Hitler bust--) but the old wood, etc.

I went furiously to my old photo albums and found a bunch of old polaroids from when we lived there when I was in elementary school.... the hills and lakes of Austria...the streets in Berchesgarten... the long-distance shot of the Eagle's nest...the (frescoes??) artwork on arches in some downtown place in B-garten... crazy that I still have all this... and go glad.

(is there a way to preserve 20-year-old polaroids???)


--jonelle

[appell8]

Jonelle, first class comments. I love it that your student used BoB for an essay. I would LOVE to have a chance to teach BoB as a seminar in, I dunno, English lit, film studies, military history, pick one.

I almost completely missed Shifty the first time around, and I have really appreciated him this time. "Sweet" indeed. Southern. Ingenuous. And gentle, while being the most effective sharpshooter in Easy. "I hope that horse got away OK. I'd hate to think something happened to it." "Well, those Germans and we coulda been good friends . . ." Most affecting.

Appreciate the thoughts, Jonell. y.o.s., Doug

[ladymadonna]

roma, on Jun 5 2002, 01:06 AM, said:

(is there a way to preserve 20-year-old polaroids???)


--jonelle

Jonelle,

scan them and upload them to the gallery, I would really be interested in seeing them.

Great story about your student doing his paper on BOB!

Donna

[psumner]

Jonelle,

Please take the time to scan and post them to the gallery if you get the opportunity. That's one sure way to preserve them.

Paul

[homefront41]

Jonelle, I'm with them -- scan them. What was your dad's unit? It's time we found you an avatar. BK

[ToeKnee]

Thanks for the answers/explanations, folks. I haven't gotten to rereading the last few chapters of the book, nor read the HBO boards for this episode yet, and I'm sure some of the answers can be found there.

BK - thanks for the answer about the soldier who kills the camp commander. Skinny is another one of those characters whose face I still haven't learned to recognize yet. Thanks also for the interesting additional info about Shifty.

I agree with Paul - it would have been nice to hear about more of the men's post-war lives. And on a related note, I agree with Doug in that I don't mind at all the fact that Martin was ahistorically (thanks for that word, Doug) shown to stay with E Co. all the way to the end of the war.

Doug- good points about why the lottery was rigged in Shifty's favor. I can buy that, even though it was fictionalized. (I'm still not too sure about the theory that Web was trying to get Lieb off that Patrol, though :) )

Jonelle - add me to the list of those who would love to see your pictures. Also is there a way you could get an electronic copy of your former student's paper, and maybe post it on this site? I think many of us here would be interested in reading it.

Finally, two more observations after last night's viewing:

As E Co starts to head up to the Eagle's Nest, some of the men are running up the mountain, and they scream "Hi-Ho Silver!" An homage to Capt. Sobel? (More like a mockery, I'd say)

I agree with all of the posts that have been made here over the last several weeks that praise the British actors for doing such a good job with their American accents. However, watching that softball scene it was very easy to pick out which guys were British. No offense, but Dexter Fletcher (Sgt Martin) can't throw and Shane Taylor (Doc Roe) can't swing a bat! :D

Tony

PS I'm surprised the none of the women have commented on Malarkey's biceps! :P

[roma]

ahhh, yes, the biceps episode....just wallowing in nostalgia. hmmmmmm :D

and even if those guys couldn't throw or catch or slide into home base... well, Donna, Sue, BoBQueen...are those skills needed in a foxhole?

ok, you guys, i have to admit my ignorance... i don't have a scanner... and I don't know how to get them on the gallery site... i'm going to ask my dad if he's got a scanner at work that i could use... that will be my project. sorry for my lame-ness....

oooh, yeah, i'd love an avatar. I'm suffering from serious avatar-envy! my dad was in the 82nd engineer bn...that's all i remember...but i'll ask him.

i'll see about those pics.

--jonelle

[Daffie]

Roma,

I think we have to keep the biceps discussion at the other board. Might be very confusing for all the man to keep running into comments about our foxhole buddies :D

Daphne :)

[roma]

you're right, daffie... :D keep a centralized location for our occupation! :)

[roma]

oooh--oooh--- STAFF sgt! that's good, right? heehee! :D

[Daffie]

Congrats Jonelle, you made it :D
Keep up the good work and someday you will be at the top.

Oh well, off to bed now, it's getting very late here.

Daphne :)

[hooper117]

Staff Sgt. Jonelle :) I don't have a scanner either and I wouldn't know what to do with it if I had one. :D
I echo everyone else though, I'd really like to see those pictures.
:P
Sue

[cat]

Hi all,

This is my first post on this site but just have to say first of all that I love it. Someone I can't remember who it was exactly, sorry, said that they contacted Sobel's son from the HBO board but he didn't reply. I did the same thing but he did reply to me. Here's what he said :Thanks so much for the interest. I really don't know much about my fathers WWII experience. I do know however how he was as a father. I was dismayed
to see how he was portrayed. Nobody could have had a more loving caring and attentive father. He was loved by all, never used profanity, and didn't have a malicious bone in his body. He absoultely adored my mother. I guess from a historical point of view the author is guilty of omission. My father began his military career at Culver military academy, and retired honorably as a lieutenant coronel, and although I don't have his military records he was given the purple heart. I find it difficult to believe that anybody who performed as he was alleged to would have reached that rank. He had in excess of 20 years military service, and continued in the reserves regularly. Perhaps his portrayal is accurate, although my mother also has a hard time believing it. If that be the case, I am certain my father did what he felt was necessary to steel the men in easy company for the war experience. From the point of view of all family members he was everything a father could be. He and I did have differing views of American policy during the VietNam debacle. He was torn knowing that the war was unjust, and he had two of three sons draftable. I was an active protester in college. This weighed heavily on his psyche. Thanks again for your interest in my father. I will acquire his records, and hopefully contact some of his comrads.
Aloha,
Michael H. Sobel (second son of Herbert M. Sobel)

I hope this helps some. Sorry it's such a long post.

Kel

[hooper117]

Hello and welcome Kel. Thanks for posting that reply to your letter. That certainly puts a different spin on what we know of Sobel.
Supposedly when he died, none of his children, nor his wife/ex-wife?? attended his funeral.But from his son's letter, that seems really strange.
It is nice to hear something positive about Sobel.I hate to think he had such a sad life as everyone had thought.
:D
Sue