College student Quote by Rick Atkinson
““Sergeant Samuel Allen, Jr., a former college student who had led his own swing band in the palmy days of peace, tried to explain in a letter home the flinty nihilism that made young men at war seem so old when they contemplated the dead. “We have found that it is best to forget about those friends, not to talk about them,” he wrote. “They don’t even exist.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Liberators, 2012
War erodes personal connections, prompting soldiers to emotionally detach from fallen comrades as a survival tactic.
In simple terms: Soldiers forget dead friends to cope with war.
Key Takeaway
Accept loss, but honor memories.
Themes
war
memory
psychology
survival
detachment
Mood
somber
reflective
Type
historical
psychological
literary
When to use this quote
- frontline letters
- post‑war therapy
- military training
- commemoration rituals
Key Concepts
nihilism
combat stress
emotional coping
Questions to Reflect On
- How does forgetting affect a soldier’s humanity?
- Can remembrance coexist with survival?
A Different Perspective
Denial can hinder grieving and long‑term mental health.
