After recently finishing a book about WW II, which charted the life of a veteran from D-day till may 1945, I wonder how 'modern' day soldiers see, and are affected by, their time 'in action'.

The WW II soldier went in, not knowing when it would end, and without the added benefit of modern rotation. The veterans of the North African desert went on to fight in Italy, and on into Southern Europe. Some of those would have fought for a continuous five years. The D-day landing veterans fought a hard fight into Germany, and many (if not most) of their initial buddies didn't make it along the way.
From what I have read the WW II veterans became hardened, if not embittered, after the prolonged time of continues battle, and loss off life around them. As a consequents the survivors have been hesitant to speak about their experiences.

Add to this todays way and means of reporting on war, as well as the general publics opinion, has, and if so how much, a soldiers outlook changed?

Henk

Hoi Henk,
You have bought up an interseting topic,maybe if not that belongs in the Soldier Stories forum?This maybe a little off topic but still..
As for the veterans from previous wars,my Grandfather fought in the Second World War as an infantryman.
Unfortunately he was captured by the Germans and spent two years(i believe) in a P.O.W camp.
My father has said in the past that it was terrrible enough of what he saw an experienced in combat,but then to be thrown into a camp where life was hardly anything like "Hogans Heroes".
They were beaten,starved and some were shot dead..
During this time as a P.O.W,my great grandparents (who had already lost two sons in combat),recieved a telegraph from the Red Cross stating that there youngest was probably captured or also presumed dead.
Luckily the only decent things the Germans did at the P.O.W camp was pass on small letters or telegraphs,a small piece of relief for my Great grand parents.
Anyways,after coming back severley malnourished he tried to settle down back in N.Z with a wife and two children.He was never given any sort of psychological support of any kind,and found it difficult to hold a job.
He did however get a payment for being a veteran...a small consolation for what he experienced.
Less than half of that money was given to my Grandmother to pay for the house,food,schooling and clothing.
The rest was spent by my Grandfather at the pub,followed by his daily "sit on the sofa" with a flagon of beer or two at his side.
With his continual downward spiral into alcohol abuse,he needed more money so my father left school to support his mother and brother and his father's continual alcohol abuse.
As a young boy,i still remember the sight of my Grandfather at home in his chair with his large beer bottles.He ended up dying from liver cancer.
What he experienced left a lifelong impression on my father and to some extent on me..when i think about the war my grandfather experienced it's difficult to come to grips with or even understand.
But the psychological war and scars that were left on my father,grandmother and uncle by him have never gone away.
He was bought up in a generation that had already seen a war,it's aftermath and a depression.A generation of hardness that doesn't exist in todays standards.
My grandfather was one of the toughest b******s anyone would of come across,but he never felt bitter about what happened.One thing he did say was better to be locked by the Germans than the Japanese.
He volunteered and knew what could happen,and after the war didn't see the point in "whingeing" about it.
Hopefully the support given to troops has improved,but people should also stop to think about the families of these veterans,because the scars can run very deep,through different generations.
Cheers,Shay