We live in the stories of our family that came before us.
Unfortunately, social media and a constant stream of digital records did not exist in the time of either of the Great Wars.
Can you imagine a selfie taken from the trenches or from storming the beaches of Normandy?
Just because we can't see it, though, doesn't mean we haven't heard the tales, been swept away in the stories, the details, of one of the most horrific and heroic times in our collective history.
Because some of our family were there, and they told us about it.
Reddit user, AdInteresting3335, wanted to hear stories from the most harrowing time in history when they asked:
"Did anyone have stories from WW1 or WW2 passed down to them if so what’s the story?"
It's war, right?
Of course most of the stories are going to be tragic tales of loss and fear.
A True Hero
"One grandfather earned a Purple Heart during WWI because he went out out alone under heavy shelling to flag down an ambulance for his buddies. The physician who later treated him at the field hospital said his own leg was torn up so badly he shouldn't have been able to take 10 steps on it."
"Ultimately he didn't save any lives, though. And the ambulance got shelled too--killing the entire ambulance crew. He was the sole survivor."
doublestitch
"I can’t imagine being the sole survivor of all of my buddies, PLUS the dudes you were calling for help. Wow."
bananabugs
Too Young, Too Much To See
"My grandfather was in the US Navy in the Pacific during WW2. My mom would tell me about how when she was a kid he'd used to get really drunk and tell disturbing, graphically detailed stories about all the horrific sh-t he witnessed during the war. Stories about friends drowning or getting burned to death in raging fires, the terror caused by incoming kamikazes, etc."
"My mom was like, 8 or 9 years old at the time and being subjected to that understandably messed her up a bit. I never worked up the nerve to ask my grandfather about his experiences directly since it was obviously so traumatic for him. He eventually died due to complications from Parkinson's disease as well as being an alcoholic for decades."
"I sometimes wonder how different his life might have been if he hadn't enlisted as a fresh faced 17 year old. Given the timing, he might have been able to avoid getting drafted and stay out of the war entirely. Shoulda coulda woulda, I guess."
Prank_Owl
Stuff Stays With You Forever
"Completely different war, but my mom's father's father, so my great grandpa on my mother's side, was in WW1. Apparently, once a year or so he'd just sit in a rocking chair for several days on end falling apart and crying, wouldn't talk or move or eat, and my great-grandmother would just put a blanket on his lap and sigh and say he's thinking about the war and he'd be ok in a few days."
"This sh-t was so common ... Is still so common..... I'm glad it's less shameful and more people can get help these days."
WoodyAlanDershodick
Let's brighten things up past the typical doom and gloom.
What are some of the more outlandish stories from being in the war?
Out Before It Even Started
"My Grandpa's only WW2 story involves him arriving in France and proceeding to trip over a small hole in the ground and break his ankle on his first day there. It never healed right and he was sent back to the states. Walked with a cane for the rest of his life."
Herogamer555
"Don't take this the wrong way but he's a lucky man"
Python_PY
That Magic Of The Chocolate
"I've posted this a few times before, but my grandpa was a child on a farm in Germany during WWII."
"On of my favorites was while a bunch of allies were traveling by. A group of Americans broke off and came up to the farmhouse. Through the language barrier his family figured out they were asking for milk. They get some and hand it over never expecting to see it again."
"The Americans take it and kind of stand around for a bit. After a while they bring it back up and manage to convince all the kids to come up. They split it out the drink they made to all the kids."
"Turns they made chocolate milk."
"I doubt this is the only reason my grandpa moved to the US, but I suspect its part of it."
SteevyT
Secret Families And Secret Chickens
"While I have have several family members who died in action, here are the more interesting stories. My great grandparents (with 7 children) were living in Russia under nazi occupation, hiding a Jewish woman in their cellar. Their neighbors knew about it but none of them snitched. The entire family would’ve been gunned down if they did."
"Also, a bomb once fell on their house but everyone survived although my great grandfather was severely injured. Great grandma secretly raised a chicken for him to eat for his injury, as they were starving because the Nazis were raiding the villages for food. On one such raid, she denied having any food but they heard the chicken clucking. That’s probably the nearest the family got to being shot."
Ok-Armadillo-1171
You don't know what happens in the heat of war, in the midst of chaos and bloodshed, but you know that decisions have to be made, choices must be followed up on, and some people earn the title of "The Greatest Generation."
Wait For It...
"My grandfather was one of the soldiers that stormed the beaches of Normandy. I didn't hear about that particular portion of his story, but i do know that he was under fire and jumped into the trench only to land on a dead soldiers body. The corpse still smelled of a cologne called 'Evening in Paris' and when grandpa came home to the states he couldn't stand the smell of Evening in Paris - it caused severe ptsd flash backs for him."
"I wish i knew more of his story but he's been missing over 20 years now and is presumed dead."
Objective_Ranger_587
You Kept Items From The Men On The Front Line?
"My great grandfather was in the trenches of WWI. His wife sewed him a coat because, well, trench warfare. The salvation army was running a program where they would get care packages from the states to soldiers in the war, so she handed the coat over to them to get to her husband."
"A month later she saw some admin from the salvation army walking around wearing the coat. He called her a liar when she said she made the coat for her husband, at least up until the policeman overseeing the argument was convinced to cut a seam to reveal the letter and hidden money she sewed into the lining."
"The salvation army also charged my great grandpa for hot coffee while the red cross gave it to the soldiers for free."
"Yeah, my family doesn't donate to the salvation army."
Astramancer_
See? This Guy Gets It.
"Great Grandfather earned his commission during the Battle of Flers–Courcelette. He was company Sergeant Major 25th CEF. During the battle his Major and platoon commanders were either wounded or killed. He took charge of the company and after storming and taking the village he continued to lead his men until another hundred yards of German trenches were captured and held for two days and two nights. He fought at Ypres and The Somme and several other battles during WW1. (I have his uniform, medals, walking stick, battle field maps, field binoculars, photos etc)"
Errol-Flynns-Ghost
fake shoot a shark...
"My uncle was in the Navy and served in the Pacific theater. He always talked about how they'd see sharks and shoot them. He got kind of a giddy story telling face and ka pow, fake shoot a shark. He had an old school, shark with X eyes tattoo. He didn't really talk much about battles, which ship, or why he hated sharks. Bit as I'm older, I think it had to do with ships that sank and people he lost."
NorthKoreanJesus
An Action Figure
"This is WW1. My Gran’s grandad (we’ll call him George) was performing an attack with the rest of his regiment over no man’s land. He was being shot at quite a lot, he was shot in the left part of his chest, the bullet did not go into his body, it landed in his cigarette tin and did not harm him. He saved that bullet and it has been passed down the family - my dad even used to play with it as a toy with his action figures."
45110_Medusa
The Ring Collector
"Grandpa was in WWII in Germany. Said war was atrocious and was very antiwar due to what he saw. It took years, but I was finally able to get a few stories. One of the worst was how allied forces would cut the fingers off German soldiers in order to collect/keep their rings. He said that alone made him question war and what it does to young people."
peeklay
Run Away
"My grandfather jumped in an empty foxhole at the same time a Japanese soldier did and they startled each other so much they both immediately jumped out and ran away."
schnit123
"My father had a similar experience with a russian soldier. The both walked around a corner from different sides and literally smacked into each other. Both ran off."
DocSternau
Civilians
"Japanese pilots would fly very close to the ground and shoot civilians who would try to hide under trees. This sometimes resulted in the pilot crashing his own plane into the tree too. My great grandmother was a victim of that. She dodged the bullets and the pilot crashed into the tree and blew himself up for nothing."
The Rescue
"My maternal grandfather and his siblings stealthily rescued their dad, who was found hanging upside down, from the Japanese when they invaded the Philippines (he was only around 12)."
GoldburstNeo
"I have family that was in Cebu during WWII, and I always wonder what it was like for them there. There is a large divide between my family that immigrated and stayed, and the family that moved back to the Philippines before the war. I also had family in Hawai, and my grandma watched the Japanese planes fly overhead before hearing the bombs."
bananabugs
The Criminal
"A patient admitted he was a Nazi war criminal a few days before he died. Took part in massacres of Jewish shtetles. 'I'm a murderer, it's all I am.' We had talked about being in the army ( I was too, of course not ww2) and he just let it all out. He knew he was dying, I feel like he never told anyone that but me. Seeing him with his wife and kids and grandkids at his bedside while he was slipping away was more surreal than most other times I've seen it."
Joey42601
Belfast Blitz
"My Grandad was a kid during the Belfast Blitz. Left their shelter after a particular heavy night of bombings to see the roads lined with bodies covered by sheets. Street after street with rows of corpses waiting to be collected. A sight that stayed with him his whole life."
Baron_Meliadus
Burned Out
"I remember being around 6 or 7 when my grandfather who was a tanker in the war describing to me and my cousins in great detail watching the special tanks with flamethrowers roll up to Nazi bunkers to burn the Nazis out. People might hold on as long as they can against shells or bullets but not fire."
Siegfried262
It's been over a hundred years since the first World War meaning those stories are all now coming secondhand.
The farther we get, the fewer stories we'll hear firsthand from those who were there in WWII.
Listen, if you get the chance.
It's a gift.
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Hard as we might try, not everyone is meant to be friends with one another.
Sometimes, people have just basic compatibility issues that prevent them from ever becoming particularly close.
Which doesn't mean they necessarily dislike each other... most of the time.
In some cases, people find others so resistible that the word "hate" comes swiftly to mind.
When asked why people hate certain individuals or types of people, however, they find themselves at a loss for words as to why.
Likely owing to the fact that they don't have a single justifiable reason.
"Who do you irrationally hate for no good reason?"
...Oxymoron?...
"Nobody. I have good reasons for everyone I irrationally hate."- PrudentOwlet
You Meet All Kinds...
"People at the airport."- slapmewithabrick
Might Pose A Problem In The Office
"Sandra from HR."- Waste_Drop8898
Feedback Hr GIF by Wintershall DeaGiphyThere Were Literally Two Possible Answers!
"People that make an easy yes or no answer into a long conversation."- Gods-little-mistake
Driving Too Slowly Is Also Dangerous...
"People who walk or drive slightly slower than my preferred speed."
"Especially if they cut me off first."- Dragon_wryter
All Those Years In Bed, He Could Have Been Working...
"Grandpa Joe."
"I hate him."
"And not just because he went to the chocolate factory."
"He was an a**hole from the beginning to the literal end of that movie."
"Every chance he had not to be a d*ck, he was a d*ck."
"Smoking while your family eats cabbage water?"
"Complaining about cabbage water?"
"A kid falls into a river of chocolate or turns into a blueberry?"
"F*ck that get 'we getting all that chocolate.'"
"Got caught for stealing, and his solution is to go to Slugsworth."
"I mean everything this dude did was so f*cking selfish."
"I have been ranting about this for 20 years and can through the movie point by point."
"All the f*cking around he did and this dude NEVER found out."
"Nah he just got to live on a chocolate factory, still smoking and still rent free."
"I hate him with a burning, fiery passion."- Strange-Courage-8602
willy wonka and the chocolate factory fainting GIFGiphyIs That The Only Speed They Come In?
"People who talk really really slowly."
"No idea why but it SCRATCHES MY BRAIN to the core when someone talks slowly or takes FOREVER to get to the point of their story."
"Need a fkn fast forward button."- Kittypie01
They're Probably No Better At Wordle
"Wheel of Fortune contestants who buy the last vowel 'I’ll go ahead and buy the A'."
"Why, you dummy?"- firematika
Sidewalks Are A Shared Space
"Slow walkers or group walkers, like move you fkn idiot."
"Ppl have places to be."- Heretoconfirmrumors
Walking Boss GIF by Ariana GrandeGiphyNot A Word
"Those who say 'irregardless'."- TaxidermiedToddler
Either No Self Worth, Or Way Too Full Of Themselves
"Nearly everyone on any of these shows."
"Married at first sight."
"Love Island."
"Big Brother."
"Bachelor / Batchelorette."
"Nearly everyone called an 'influencer'."- Loose_Sun_169
Old Grudges Die Hard...
"It started a long time ago, but that doesn't matter."
"Just thinking about him still pisses me off."
"Dan from 8th grade."
"Maybe it was just his hair, or that stupid look on his face."
"I don't think we ever said one word to each other."
"Doesn't really matter."
"FU, Dan! "
"I hope your cats attack you and your dogs are all incontinent."
"I hope geese angrily flock to your every approach."
"I hope your wife likes spicier food than your soft weak midwestern palate can comfortably tolerate."
"I hope you get a mild case of food poisoning every time you travel so that you become subconsciously averse to the idea of traveling beyond whatever sad little town you call home."- PeteyMcPetey
Scream GIF by OriginalsGiphySome people are just impossible to comprehend, for reasons we just can't quite put our fingers on.
But rather than try and figure it out, sometimes it's easiest just to say "I hate them", and leave it at that.
Sometimes we can all be a little oblivious.
The signs are there, and so are the red flags.
For instance, women are brilliant at throwing out subtle hints.
I feel like it's actually an art form they've mastered, and I've studied for my own villainous choices.
But for anyone interested in getting to know a woman, Reddit has got your back.
Redditor Sleepwithsockson7 wanted all the gents and ladies to fess up to the signs they were oblivious to, so they asked:
"What was the most obvious hint a girl gave you that you missed?"
I'm bad with signs.
I always miss them.
Think Hard
Think Winnie The Pooh GIFGiphy"She said that she was feeling different about me and that she couldn't stop thinking of me."
"My answer was 'Are you mad at me?'"
NotCopernicus
No Thanks
"I was on a hiking trip with my college, you paid like $40 and they gave you all the equipment and you spent a week or so with 15+ people and a few guides. We went to a hot spring, my tent got ripped, the guides had a spare but we hadn’t set it up yet. A lady sat in the hot spring with me, at night, and decided to go naked while I was in the spring with her."
"She then asked if I wanted to stay in her tent rather that put up the spare one. I said 'nah I can put up the spare one, I’m okay.' Took me 3 months to realize that she was literally naked and asking me to sleep with her."
Woodhouse_20
Oh Rochelle
"Back in college I was working with a girl named Rochelle. We both got off work around three am. I always walked her out to her car. One night she invited me to come to her apartment for 'pancakes.' Told her I appreciated it but I wasn't hungry. I didn't understand the weird, hurt look she gave me until years later."
JacksEmptyWallet
"It's 3 am after a long shift. I wouldn't have blamed you for being kind of dumb from tiredness and just wanting to go home after that."
LazarusKing
Broken
"I had this little penis dinosaur thing a friend 3-D printed. I had a girl over for dinner and she was playing with it and broke the tail. I was like 'you broke my penis!' And she said 'if only there was another one I could play with' she finished dinner, I walked her to her car, and I went inside. The moment my head hit the pillow I realized."
peter_piper_pecked
Seriously?
Los Angeles Hello GIF by LA ClippersGiphy“'You know, I’ve never kissed a man with a beard.'”
My literal response was 'Yeah, me neither.'”
_Bearded_Dad
Wow. Really?
Perfect Loss
Let It Flow Fran Healy GIF by TravisGiphy"We were at a sleepover and she played with my hair for like an hour and I woke up in her arms."
aUwUreliyasss
Just a Smile
"She ran after me to introduce herself at the end of class. The only interaction we had before was an across the room smile. I'm such as idiot."
"Also, during my first job, the boss made me check that the restrooms were clean. Well, one of my female coworkers decides she wants to 'help' me. She entered the men's restroom with me, making sure we were alone."
"I fumbled both times. Both of them were cute too."
Avix_34
Idiot
"I used to drive this girl to school. She lived on the other side of the district. Had to go past the school to pick her up everyday. Prom was coming up. She kept ‘complaining’ that she didn’t have a date. I told her not to worry, that she was really pretty, and someone was bound to ask her. I’m an idiot."
drink-beer-and-fight
Comfort Level
"Went to her place after a night out at the bar with a big group of friends. I thought she was just being nice and offering me a place to sleep closer to the bar, as it was winter and my house was far away."
"'Are you sure you wanna sleep on the couch? My room's more comfortable.'"
"'I'm good on the couch.'"
"Stupid me..."
PreviousTea9210
Figures
"Ages ago I was looking for a rare action figure and I asked this really hot goth sales clerk if they had it. She was totally into the line of toys as well and told me they usually get one per shipment so call on their delivery day to see if they got one. We then spent like 15 minutes talking about various comic and anime things before I had to leave."
"She stopped me and said 'if you call the store you might not get me so call me directly' and gave me her phone number. This was before cell phones so it was her home number and clearly would be useless for having her check if something was in stock.
"I found the figure the next day at a different store so I never called her."
DeaddyRuxpin
It's ME!
Pick Up Hello GIF by The Drew Barrymore ShowGiphy"One day, in class, a girl I was friends with told me there was a girl in her class that was into me."
"She said if I could guess who it was, she’d tell me. I proceeded to list just about every girl in her class before she caved and said 'Me! It’s me you idiot!' Maybe a normal person would have caught on before naming the 15th girl, lol."
TheCyrcus
Oh people. Open your eyes!
Have you ever missed a super obvious hint? Let us know in the comments below.
People are crazy on dates.
The words I have heard uttered could send shivers down a dead person's spine.
Which is so mind-boggling.
Shouldn't we be putting our best foot forward?
Or maybe it's best when they just give you the whole crazy upfront to weed people out.
Is there such a thing as being too comfortable too soon anymore?
Redditor batmanstitty asked:
"What’s the worst thing a person has said to you while on a date?"
I once had a guy tell me he owned me.
Because of a Cosmo and a steak.
It wasn't even the temp I wanted.
You Know
Brits GIF by BRIT AwardsGiphy"'I don't mind that you're... you know.' Waves hand vaguely at my body."
StrangersWithAndi
Flawed
"'I can tell you are an only child because you have major personality flaws.'"
OliveVizsla
"OH MAN. My parents had just the 1 kid. But to some ppl, I guess that marks me as some kind of socially demented freak. I don't think I'd be wrong in saying that is the very start of the very social problem they're talking about--and those vain pieces of trash are welcome to stay out of my orbit."
myflippinggoodness
Just 2?
"Wistfully after 2 wines... 'God, you are so amazing, such a shame you look like that.'"
bonjelascott
"I don't understand why people go on dates with people they aren't physically attracted to. Hell I don't understand why anyone stays in a relationship with someone they aren't physically attracted to."
juukkkkekr
"Blind dates, tinder dates where they don’t look like their pictures, dates where you love the personality so much that you assume over time you won’t care about physical attraction anymore."
S7WW3X
Over
"We had a fun night having a personal date and then we pull up to his house for his birthday party, where I’m about to meet his family for the first time. He turns to me and says, 'Oh btw my parents don’t like Mexicans.' I am Mexican."
"I was like, What do you want me to do with that information? He was like, just be yourself. I was like, no sh*t. I can’t be anyone else?? It was wild. They were polite but patronizing AF. Needless to say, that ended quick."
LosNava
"Been there before. Her dad looked at me like I was gonna rob the place. Didn’t last long, turns out it was just a rebound thing."
tuotone75
Maybe after dinner...
Bye Bye Peace GIF by Cappa Video ProductionsGiphy"'So, aren't you going to invite me to your place? I bought you lunch. You kind of owe me.' from a guy I met ONCE and had breath so bad I am surprised it didn't melt the fork."
randommusicfan
There is no lunch that requires payment after. Bye.
Lies
Will Smith Smh GIF by The Academy AwardsGiphy“You know that cancer is a hoax perpetuated by big pharma and the government preying on the uneducated, right!?!?' He says to me, a cancer survivor who’s life was f**king derailed by cancer."
AccomplishedCow9133
No big deal...
"First date from a dating app. I could tell he was maybe a touch too desperate based on the texts we exchanged. However, he was also whip-smart and almost finished with grad school, so I still agreed to go out. We didn’t have a spark, which I noticed immediately. On the other hand, he was oblivious to it. No big deal. Then, he suggests a walk after dinner. I agree like an idiot."
"On that walk he proceeds to tell me that his ex girlfriend cheated on him, that he thinks he’ll always love her, even though she cheated on him with his best friend, and she gave him an STD. And the worst thing I ever heard on a date was, 'But don’t worry- it’s one of the ones that clears up on its own.' NOPE."
thedivinemissemm
Trash Talk
"Not exactly a date, but at a dance when I was a teenager, I sat down for a breather after I'd been dancing for a long time. Right then a slow song started, and a couple girls came up, one of them introduced me to her friend and asked me to dance with her because nobody had asked her to dance yet."
"I felt really bad for her and said heck yeah, everybody deserves to dance. She spent the whole time talking about how I'm such a piece of garbage for sitting down when there are girls like her who haven't been asked to dance. I kept trying to change the subject, she just ignored me and kept trash talking me, so I walked away mid-dance."
ParkityParkPark
Wow, romance certainly as easy as they make it look in the movies!
Do you have any stories to share? Let us know in the comments below.
People Explain What They Would Do If They Instantly Got $30,000
Many of us have come into financially hard times, especially since the pandemic hit and the economy took a turn.
"Depression food" and "suffer food" have become popular topics on social media as people attempt to do more with fewer ingredients, and that's for good reason.
It makes perfect sense that people would want to daydream about what they would buy or invest in if they suddenly came into some money.
Pondering, Redditor positive-oceans asked:
"What would you do with $30,000 cash right now?"
Feel the Relief
"Get eight full hours of sleep."
- iDrGonzo
Looking Forward to That Taco Bell Order
"Pay off my credit card loans and maybe go get fast food for the first time in five years."
- Cautious-Marker-3131
Care for a Mother
"I'd help my mom out so she wouldn't be losing her home."
- Randyh524
A Slight Indulgence
"Buy 30,000 worth of bean burritos."
- Disastrous-Purpose-8
Back in Order
"Sadly, erase all my debt and move to a cheaper rental house. Yeah, that's pretty much all it would take to set everything back in order."
- SuperJohnBravo
Finally Debt-Free
"I have roughly 30k in debt between my car and student loans so that amount would be pretty awesome for me. I’d be debt free for the first time in my adult life."
- silverr90
Beat Cancer
"Get a reliable vehicle, stock up on stuff for the house, and not worry for a bit while I beat cancer."
- sugarandspice27
A Perfect Balance
"$15,000 on my mortgage, $10,000 into my savings, $5,000 on petty indulgences."
"Invest, save, treat yourself. A perfect balance."
- TheMightyGoatMan
Private Home Care
"Pay off my house and pay for a nurse for my dad who is dying on a ventilator so he can come home."
- DickeTittenn
Keep It Simple
"Save it."
- ZiggyStardustEP
Time to Downsize
"I'd put new windows and siding on my very large, 100-year-old house, sell it and buy a much smaller house. I live alone in this place and I never even go in half the rooms."
- OrwellWasRight101
Financial Security
"Pay off my debt and put 5K in savings so that I can finally be financially comfortable and never make the same financial mistakes (that I made in my twenties) ever again."
- DrewDiggles
Providing for Children
"Give it to my son so he can pay off his debts. The kid never had a break and he deserves it."
- Jealous_Resort_8190
Dental Makeover
"Get a dental makeover, had an accident as a kid and broke several grown teeth and while I don’t look too bad I still feel self-conscious about smiling."
"The current crowns that I have were put on in Guatemala, I know that traveling to Latinoamérica is cheaper but it’s hard especially when you have two little ones and a full-time job. Maybe when the little ones are older and more independent, I will give it another go in Guatemala, funny enough the dentist I saw there was a USC graduate."
- PauPauMoe
While it's fun to talking about winning the lottery and buying a million-dollar mansion, most of our needs and wants are far simpler.
Based on this thread, people just desperately want some financial security, less debt, a little more sleep at night, and maybe some occasional tacos or burgers.