Certainly not that it’s more important than the life of that elderly woman, but imagine the guilt Gene Simmers walked around with all these years. RIP.
Some_Engineering_242 on
Heartbreaking, probably drafted into a war he opposed. Don’t think he intended to kill her, but it haunted him for 50 years
SFWworkaccoun-T on
Must have been some very bad nights of sleep, rest in peace Gene.
Tasty-Performer6669 on
He carried that guilt all the way to the grave
And now we have armed US soldiers in the streets of US cities
wearyshoes on
I know a guy whose brother was a TOW gunner in Iraq. During some chaotic battle in a city he fired a TOW missile at a building insurgents were firing from. The TOW went off course and blew up an orphanage. Kids and body parts scattered everywhere. Three years after he got home he still was torn apart by it.
He has his own grave too, the little grave must be somewhere else.
OfficialPotatoClub on
This just makes the excitement of IDF soldiers in Gaza even more stomach turning. Disgusting
vote4boat on
good to know he carried the guilt for 60 years
Major_Pain_43 on
I hope they meet in heaven and see eye to eye…
dark_knight920 on
Only death emerges victorious in a war.
Capable_Art_7773 on
I read in the comments people saying « rest in peace », and even that he was some kind of vet hero.
But the facts are: the guy killed an old civilian lady.
She deserves just as much honor as his act of asking for forgiveness…
OutOfSupplies on
Whether he went in supporting the war or not, it is clear that what he found had profound impact on him. Some comments have questioned how the killing happened, was it intentional or unintentional. Either way he has obviously carried the guilt to his grave. He answered his country’s call and it cost him dearly.
Many of the National Guard soldiers sent to Kent State also experienced trauma from the killing four people. You have to wonder what is in store for the soldiers now being deployed inside America.
VagueRumi on
Yeah and these US soldiers still keep doing it to this day. Now in Palestine.
shaftus-maximus on
She was just one of 2 million civilians killed in the Vietnamese war, where only 30k of the American invaders died
no_crust_buster on
I’m sure seeing comrades fall by their side, or even taking out a rival military person was traumatic enough. But taking out an innocent person like a grandmother, mother, or child… I can’t imagine the emotional scaring that does to a man.
TheDudeAbidesFarOut on
And the billionaires didn’t have to fire a single shot.
..
chaosbella on
I was unable to find anything about the woman he killed but did find this:
Simmers, 67, was drafted soon after he graduated from Granville High School in 1966. He saw a lot of combat in Vietnam.
He received a Silver Star for heroism and valor because of an enemy encounter on Feb. 9, 1969. Simmers was a medic with Company A 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry. The unit was on patrol. As they approached a bridge over a rice paddy near Mo Duc, the soldiers at the front of the line came upon a booby trapped mine.
Upon hearing the explosion,” said the official Army description, “Specialist Simmers rushed to the front of the company and came under intense sniper fire from scattered positions in the area. After taking momentary cover, he maneuvered through. The hostile fire and administered first aid to those wounded in the explosion.
“Despite enemy fire impacting all around him, he moved throughout the area to aid his fellow soldiers. His courageous actions were directly responsible for saving the lives of his comrades.”
When asked for his memory of the incident, Gene said, “I just knew I had seven guys hit, and I had to do whatever I could to keep them alive.”
Simmers got each man onto medical evacuation helicopters. Thanks to his actions, all but one survived.
“War’s a bitch,” Simmers said. “I was just doing my job and they gave me a medal for it.”
psycubi on
Gene it’s your country who is to blame most of all. It’s our fault- we put you and that woman in an impossible situation. I’m sorry my friend. Rest in peace.
Magazine_Luck on
War is really bad for the human brain. Which paradoxically makes me feel better about humans in general.
smclcz on
>Not only will America go to your country and kill all your people, but what’s worse I think, is that they’ll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad
The_Indominus_Gamer on
“Not only will America go to your country and kill all your people, but what’s worse I think, is that they’ll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad.” – Frankie Boyle
trupiranha2 on
I love how 75 percent of the comments are just shitting on him when he was drafted and didn’t really get a say
SparkliingEmma on
History isn’t just dates and battles, it’s stories like this that hit hardest
Attya3141 on
Redditors in their comfy suburban homes are real quick to judge people.
28 Comments
Certainly not that it’s more important than the life of that elderly woman, but imagine the guilt Gene Simmers walked around with all these years. RIP.
Heartbreaking, probably drafted into a war he opposed. Don’t think he intended to kill her, but it haunted him for 50 years
Must have been some very bad nights of sleep, rest in peace Gene.
He carried that guilt all the way to the grave
And now we have armed US soldiers in the streets of US cities
I know a guy whose brother was a TOW gunner in Iraq. During some chaotic battle in a city he fired a TOW missile at a building insurgents were firing from. The TOW went off course and blew up an orphanage. Kids and body parts scattered everywhere. Three years after he got home he still was torn apart by it.
https://preview.redd.it/fhgcdg7tjllf1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c7538ba212dda365334569314c146aff11ca503
He has his own grave too, the little grave must be somewhere else.
This just makes the excitement of IDF soldiers in Gaza even more stomach turning. Disgusting
good to know he carried the guilt for 60 years
I hope they meet in heaven and see eye to eye…
Only death emerges victorious in a war.
I read in the comments people saying « rest in peace », and even that he was some kind of vet hero.
But the facts are: the guy killed an old civilian lady.
She deserves just as much honor as his act of asking for forgiveness…
Whether he went in supporting the war or not, it is clear that what he found had profound impact on him. Some comments have questioned how the killing happened, was it intentional or unintentional. Either way he has obviously carried the guilt to his grave. He answered his country’s call and it cost him dearly.
Many of the National Guard soldiers sent to Kent State also experienced trauma from the killing four people. You have to wonder what is in store for the soldiers now being deployed inside America.
Yeah and these US soldiers still keep doing it to this day. Now in Palestine.
She was just one of 2 million civilians killed in the Vietnamese war, where only 30k of the American invaders died
I’m sure seeing comrades fall by their side, or even taking out a rival military person was traumatic enough. But taking out an innocent person like a grandmother, mother, or child… I can’t imagine the emotional scaring that does to a man.
And the billionaires didn’t have to fire a single shot.
..
I was unable to find anything about the woman he killed but did find this:
Simmers, 67, was drafted soon after he graduated from Granville High School in 1966. He saw a lot of combat in Vietnam.
He received a Silver Star for heroism and valor because of an enemy encounter on Feb. 9, 1969. Simmers was a medic with Company A 1st Battalion, 20th Infantry. The unit was on patrol. As they approached a bridge over a rice paddy near Mo Duc, the soldiers at the front of the line came upon a booby trapped mine.
Upon hearing the explosion,” said the official Army description, “Specialist Simmers rushed to the front of the company and came under intense sniper fire from scattered positions in the area. After taking momentary cover, he maneuvered through. The hostile fire and administered first aid to those wounded in the explosion.
“Despite enemy fire impacting all around him, he moved throughout the area to aid his fellow soldiers. His courageous actions were directly responsible for saving the lives of his comrades.”
When asked for his memory of the incident, Gene said, “I just knew I had seven guys hit, and I had to do whatever I could to keep them alive.”
Simmers got each man onto medical evacuation helicopters. Thanks to his actions, all but one survived.
“War’s a bitch,” Simmers said. “I was just doing my job and they gave me a medal for it.”
Gene it’s your country who is to blame most of all. It’s our fault- we put you and that woman in an impossible situation. I’m sorry my friend. Rest in peace.
War is really bad for the human brain. Which paradoxically makes me feel better about humans in general.
>Not only will America go to your country and kill all your people, but what’s worse I think, is that they’ll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad
“Not only will America go to your country and kill all your people, but what’s worse I think, is that they’ll come back 20 years later and make a movie about how killing your people made their soldiers feel sad.” – Frankie Boyle
I love how 75 percent of the comments are just shitting on him when he was drafted and didn’t really get a say
History isn’t just dates and battles, it’s stories like this that hit hardest
Redditors in their comfy suburban homes are real quick to judge people.
Wow. That hit hard.
Is that what actual PTSD is
All deaths for nothing gained.
https://preview.redd.it/n2ncqueuqllf1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=678e9cf9baab3df8b284832d295bb1c46063a898