Greetings from Spockgirl Musings, where logic rules, but the frailties of
human nature, genetic inadequacies and hormonal imbalances wreak havoc.



Friday, March 11, 2011

Sgt. Rock, a bee in my bonnet?


Well... I started to write a segue into this post relating to the way my memory works, but it became much too convoluted and I had to start again. Let's just say for now, that I have very limited memory from my life at any given time. Some memories are just visual snippets and some are just tidbits or items as if drawn out of a hat. Today, the snippet is a memory of my brother's comicbooks... and more specifically ... Sgt. Rock. I vaguely remember the artwork... I definitely remember seeing machine gun ammo slung over some soldier's shoulders, that there were German words in some bubbles, "achtung" and maybe "schnell" being among them, and I remember Marie of the French Resistance... but not really anything more specific than that.  To be honest, that is how my memories of life go as well.... I remember a person or a place or some thing, but not everything. It is rather sad, but it makes for a lighter load on the brain I suppose. Anyways, Sgt. Rock popped into my head a few times last year, one in particular when I saw this photo from here.

World War II held a venerated spot with this little kid here, and Sgt. Rock, although a comicbook character, was a part of that, as odd as it may sound. Over the years, WW I began to be more part of my sphere, but either way, both were regarded with great esteem and respect.  The other day on a blog I read called "This Ain't Hell", there was a story about a veteran that truly tickled my fancy...  Here is the original story and video:


YouTube link.

7 comments:

thormoo said...

Sgt Rock was one of my favorite comics...I read it religiously along with several other WWII related comics whose names now slip my memory. I still have a bunch of them in a box in my storage unit including some of "The ROCKS".

Sarge Rock always had a cut off shirt w/bulging muscles and the bandoleers of Ammo as you described across his chest...

There was another comic about a tank crew and their leader was named Jeb Stuart after the Confederate Calvary Leader in the American Civil War. The Ghost of the original Stuart was always with this tank crew.

You are right...WWII loomed large in my childhood as well...it was not at all unusual for a dozen neighborhood kids to "play war" all through out our neighborhood block. Can't picture THAT happening today!

Thank you for the wonderful memory! I needed some feel-good stuff tonight...

Spockgirl said...

T:
Yup... I remembered the ammo slung across his shoulders... I have no idea why.

And now that you mention the other comic with the ghost of Jeb Stuart and the tank crew... it sounds a little bit familiar.

Hope you are holding up ok.

thormoo said...

I'm going to look that up and I'll let you know. if he was reading Sgt. Rock then I wouldn't be surprised if he was also reading that one as well...they were always side by side in the sore...

thormoo said...

The comic I was reffering to was G.I Combat: The Haunted Tank it ran from 1961-1987! I had no idea that it ran all the way into the 80's, whoa. Heres a link to it's Wiki Page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunted_Tank

Spockgirl said...

Thanks T! Yes... the Haunted Tank title sounds familiar now...

Ralphd00d said...

Great video!

Spockgirl said...

Ralphd00d:
When he was getting ready to take the 1000 yard shot, you could see how the humble, self-effacing aged man with his voice cracking and shaky stance became young again for a moment in time. You could see it in his eyes and his composure. That's what I liked.