You know one of my favorite things about B.O.B?

The Malarkey interview on the last disk, "We Stand Alone Together."

In it, Malark is talking to the interviewer, (the real Malark, not the actor) about the shelling the Company took in the woods above Foy. During the shelling, two of his best friends were killed, two more gravely wounded, and his platoon commander sent to the rear. Malark looked at the interviewer and said "I handled it well, was one of the ones that handled it well in the field, but I suffered... Greatly... In later life." At the end of his quote his lip trembles and his eyes fill. And here's an old man, a hero, reduced to tears over post trauma that happened over 60 years ago. (at the time of the interview.)

I seriously don't think there's ENOUGH of the combat fatigue, in EITHER series. The episode showing Lecke before Peleliu, where he has to go to the hospital and runs into the kids from New Glouster (sp?) I DO NOT consider a wasted episode. The parts of the Okinawa campaign, where Sledge investigates the house he had shelled the day before, that's NOT wasted. These are REAL aspects of combat that deserve the light of day.

Imagine a remake of "To Hell and Back" that deals with post trauma. Imagine "The Big Red One" with accurate post trauma indicators. Imagine "Patton" as he slaps the soldiers. As much eye candy as the combat, front line scenes are, and as much as every one of us LOVES the camaraderie of the platoon, units, companies within these stories, that camaraderie and that esprit d'corps comes at a cost.

I don't consider it a liability at all, I consider it one of the series' greatest strengths.