The History Channel

My dad and I love the History channel — before it turned into nationalist, patriotic propaganda. We would spend hours on hot summer days sitting on the couch watching the History channel. In grainy black and white footage we’d watch offensives, defensives, counter-offensives, charges, ambushes, bombardments, bombings, blitzes, and death. 

As a young teenager, I loved the stuff. It was real, but it was distant. It was a reminder of what life was like, what life could be like, had the world gone down a different path. My dad would always joke that the wars in the Middle East were nothing compared to Vietnam, nothing compared to Korea, and a far cry from the death and destruction of World War II. And, after spending most of my childhood watching war footage, hearing veterans and historians hash out the details, I couldn’t help but agree.

But what did become apparent is how much thinking war started to require. When battle lines are drawn, the rules seem clear. But when everyone and no one could be a fighter, thinking became required. 

I wouldn’t realize that until the Ukrainian offensive in the Winter of 2022. There we were, a bunch of NATO schmucks on the Polish border watching Russia’s shit hit the fan and spin everywhere. And we just watched, hoping none of it would land on us. Was this going to be like the footage I watched with my dad, sweating through the couch cushions? Or something much harder? Neither? Both? All of the above.