# 'Why the hell would I kill this kid'?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [November 9, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519 "2013-11-09T18:05:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519/1 "2013-11-09T18:05:54Z")

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Remembrance Day is on Monday.

[Here’s a story](http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/11/08/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid-one-canadian-veteran-remembers-the-horrors-of-war/) that’s worth reading. And remembering.

I’d like to think that, somewhere, there are grandkids, and great grandkids, weddings, birthdays, graduations, winning goals, and loving winks that trace back like rays of sunshine to that single, sublime act of kindness.

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**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519/2 "2013-11-09T21:33:47Z")

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Probably not bar mitzvahs, though.

Regards,  
Shodan

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**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2013, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519/3 "2013-11-09T23:38:26Z")

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Good story. One of my uncles was killed on Dec 8, 1941 flying off a carrier in his Dauntless.

Another uncle was a foot soldier & walked / fought from N Africa to Italy with nothing but some time off from the front line back near the medical people. No R&R for him.

Tough & good people back then that I think were good role models.

YMMV

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519/4 "2013-11-10T17:11:03Z")

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[Another moving Remembrance Day story](http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/11/10/three_men_in_a_raft_in_the_middle_of_the_mediterranean.html). Worth your five minute investment.

ETA: He mentions [Dieppe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieppe_Raid). There were 3500 Canadians killed, wounded, or captured. Nine hundred dead in a few hours. Think of losing 9000 US guys, in 1942 mind you, with the smaller population, in one day.

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**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\
**Post date:** [November 10, 2013, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hell-would-i-kill-this-kid/673519/5 "2013-11-10T17:19:41Z")

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Screwed that up under time pressure.

What I meant to say was given that Canada’s population in 1942 was one-tenth the US’s, 900 men dead in a day for Canada was, in some sense, like the US losing 9000. And, given the population changes since, more like 18000 today. In a few hours.