I guess I hit the wrong button and lost all of what I had written before, but no matter, it is good that I get a second chance. It is sadly true most Americans dont know the full story of that period in our history. The Great Patriotic War engulfed the entire world, and the Russian people held the line long before anyone else did. Most of the people around here think that the war started in 1941, well I know that is not true. I told Uzbek about the deal with my father. What I did not tell him was that he was in the Merchant Marine until about 1943, he made six trips across the Atlantic going to Murmansk. He saw first hand the sacrifices that the Russian people were making. He was so frustrated that after his sixth trip, and one of them was almost his last thanks to a U-boat that almost took out his ship, that he left the sea that he loved and tried to join the Navy, but he was rejected for some reason, so he went in to the army and served out the rest of the war fighting in Italy. The only reason I know of this is the letters he left my mother. I was proud of what he had done, and he was proud of what he did, and he was proud of the Russian people and the way they banded together the likes no one had ever seen before, and the fought together to hold the line.

OK now I got off topic, but I am passionate about history, and to me history of the period in our history that engulfed our entire world, is not one that should be forgotten. Too many people both in uniform and out of uniform gave the ultimate price. This has been true in military history since the dawn of man, and armed conflict. If the Russians had not held the line at so many places, the outcome of the war would be I fear very different than it came out. The way I feel is this, we in this world all have our differences, for whatever reason, BUT when it really matters and we are faced with a common enemy, we do come together and we do function as one force to be reckoned with, we as a whole become an unstoppable machine, like the God of War, when all those barrels start to speak, everyone listens and everyone runs for cover.

Ok enough of this, I apologize for really getting way way off topic, now back to the mod. I have a couple of questions for you guys. First what does GZM stand for? Secondly I saw a couple of decorations that were "awarded" after the first two missions were complete. One of them is in the shape of a star with crossed rifle bullets over a Red Star in the center. Is this a Close Combat Award? and the second one is a medal with a gray ribbon and a yellow border, I have no idea what that one is. I am proud to say I have completed three missions, promoted to the rank of Major with a 100% sense of duty. I am happy.

I am going now to the BK Portal and place my comments about this mod on that one so more can read what I feel is one of the best mods to come out for our game in a long time.

Promise I wont go off like that again....

Max

I looked at the listings of the decorations, and I didnt see the ones that I saw. I will take a screenshot of them and send it to you. Like I said one of them looks like a close combat badge. the other one I dont know. I am going to play the game right now and before I get too envolved, I will send the screenshot.

Russia has a proud history. And lucky for the rest of the world that she fought like angry mother protecting her child.

Max

I am even more excited now! One of the links that you put up for the medals, also has something that I had been looking for for a long time. Music! Military Music. Now I need to see if they can ship to me here. I had not found very much in way of music from the Great Patriotic War. Only some of more common ones like Song of the Plains, Soldiers Chorus from The Decembrists. That is great. Thanks for that as well.

Oh man I am sending them an email now. There are quite a few shops that sell Russian Uniforms, weapons, field gear, helmets, all of that. But music was a different story. Thanks man this is great, a lot of good things have happend today!

Max

I thank you for that! I will ask more questions in that catagory in the forum. I am really looking forward to GZM-7 and can only imagine what it will have.

Max

Отредактировано panzerfaust54 (2007-09-26 07:55:29)

That is a good observation! Here is another consideration as well. You remember hearing about the movie The Patriot? The one with Mel Gibson and the American Revolutionary War? That movie was a fabrication as well. There was no record really ever found of a British Officer that commited the crimes like the one in the movie. The British people were quite upset about it. I looked and I did as much research as I could and I could not find one single reference to any officer like the one in the movie. I came to the conclusion that if you want the true story, you have to do a lot more research before you can say it is the truth. Or like the movie the Memphis Belle about the B-17 and its crew. What occured in that film did not occur on the same mission, they took all 25 missions, and put together a lot of the incidents and made it look like it happend all in the same mission. Hollywood is the worst source of wrong history in all of history.

I have a few more thoughts on history and what I have found at least on this side of the world that is not as it is written. I will post some of them in the other part of this forum. History is an elusive thing to hold in place, but it is a quest that needs to be done for the sake of our children. I dont remember who said that, but I agree, we should look for the truth and not what is the easiest...

Max

Sometimes the line between history as it really was and what Hollywood puts out gets confused, and too many people take the Hollywood version as the truth. Perhaps Hollywood should stick to only science fiction and leave history to the historians.

Отредактировано panzerfaust54 (2007-09-29 00:17:50)

It is true sorry to say that there are still some people that consider that Russia is an enemy. The majority though, are not feelling the same way. I think from the people I have spoken to, that a lot of people are feeling that Russia is not the enemy that we had been led to belive for so long. The odd thing is that the ones that feel that way for the most part are ex-military, and I dont mean the generals I mean the little guys that made up the military. For the most part, we looked at the Russian military with respect, and not someone that we really ever wanted to fight against. We have too much history together to have wasted lives fighting each other. This may sound stupid, but when I was active duty. The long nights we spent just sitting and waiting for someting to happen, we would eventually turn to talking about the Soviet Union and what the military was doing at the same time. One would ask, I wonder what the Russians are doing right now? The normal answer was, They are probably doing the same thing we are, wondering what the Americans are doing, and probably complaining about the normal things a military person complain about. Bad food, bad housing, bad pay, you get the idea.

I think that the way things are now a days with technology and being able to communicate instantly with people all over the world has done a lot to change a lot of atitudes. In 1963 this was unheard of! The only ones that had the benefit of communications like this were the political leaders, not the common person. I did not like technology like in the early 80's. I felt that as long as I had a pencil and paper I did not need computers or stuff like that. NOW? well I dont know how I mangaged without them. So this internet, and fourms like this, and instant messaging programs have done a lot to change a lot of atitudes, and I for one am glad, this planet is way too small to be suspicious of each other and look at each other as an enemy. We have a lot of future to live together.

Max

Отредактировано panzerfaust54 (2007-09-29 00:59:39)

True words that you have spoken my friend.

Max