The Band of Brothers

So I subscribe to Netflix. I’ve got about one free night a week to devote to pursuing care free frivolity. Since I don’t have cable or internet at my house I figure that this is my best shot at getting entertainment that I actually care about. I typically go for a comedy, documentary, or some big budget movie that I wasn’t willing to pay $10 in the theatre to see. This time I broke rank and tried something new, I decided on “The Band of Brothers.”
I don’t casually watch shows like “Saving Private Ryan”, or “Patton”, or even “Lord of the Rings”. They are exceptionally rewarding but very consuming. I know that if I am going to watch one of these shows it will require a lot of attention and I will be very affected. It’s a lot easier to watch Fletch on a Wednesday night instead of a show depicting the horrors of war.
It seems like the closer you get to experience the extremes of life the more affected you become. The “Band of Brothers” chronicles the actions of the 101st Airborne’s Easy Company during the European invasion of World War II. It has most of the same elements of most war shows- the battle scenes, the drama, etc… But the part of the show that really got to me? The human element.
Through the course of the show- 10 episodes- you get to really know the characters wearing the fatigues. You see them as humans, for better or worse. This allows you to relate to them. It makes you wonder how you would have responded in such dire circumstances.
Let me describe one of the more poignant scenes. It came from the end of the war and the last episode. By this point the 101st was occupying the last German stronghold and the war was all but over. The Germans were being round up and set into POW camps. As expected there were scenes of US troops taunting and mocking the defeated Germans, and who can blame them. This was right after the concentration camps were discovered and I am sure that the US feelings of hatred towards the Germans were only amplified. Despite being defeated most of the Germans still marched in order and carried a semblance of dignity.
One of the defeated generals asked permission to speak to his troops, it was granted by the commanding US officer. His wounded and dispirited troops stood at attention as they were addressed. The general then spoke words that really put things in perspective. The US forces had an interpreter there as well and were similarly affected. The general, almost in tears, shared his gratitude and honor for having served with such men. He said that this experience forged within them eternal bonds of brotherhood. My heart broke and at that moment I wished that I could have been there to hear that speech in person.
The movie did such a good job of humanizing the war. War isn’t a “Risk” board with two opposing forces hungry to occupy territory and resources. War is good men being compelled by either a good or bad cause to do extraordinary things. The poor men, both Allied and Germans, were far from the decision makers that brought them there, but they were nonetheless the ones shedding blood. They did it because they believed in their cause.
These men became infinitely better people because of how they responded to these difficult circumstances. Sometimes I wish that we had a similar refiner’s fire to force me into extraordinary things. We live in relative peace and prosperity, far from these horrors. But you can’t help but think that we’ve forgotten these sacrifices. And in doing so, we’ve lost some of our capacity to become a better people. For that reason I won’t soon forget watching “Band of Brothers.”