M.A.S.H., Have TV shows helped you after Deployment?

2015-02-13T09:57:11-05:00

I remember when M.A.S.H. came out in the '70s. I thought is was a funny show. I enjoyed the slap stick humor, it was great.

I got home from Iraq in March 2004. It was the following year M.A.S.H. came every evening and I started to watch it, but now it wasn't funny. Now I really saw the show for what I'm guessing it was meant for. I was deployed not as a combat front line guy, but in the rear, like the show. As I started to watch the show, by the time it was over I had tears in my eyes. I watched the show about Radar handing out mail and remembered what it felt like to get a letter, and how good it felt to pull it out of my pocket a few days later and reread it.
I watched shows where they talked about the food and remembered eating the MREs and after I got to Balad, all we had was breakfast T-rats.
I remember the boring times the characters went through and remember the slow times we had.
I saw the show where everyone was missing their families and remember missing my family.
The shows where they got shelled or shot at, even though they weren't combat troops brought back memories.
I could go on and on. Almost every show had something I related to. It turned out to be one of the best therapy shows for me. Living in Denmark I have no other vets to talk to. For a couple years I watch the show almost every night and never had a dry eye after.

I was just wondering if any other shows have had any good therapy on any of you and would enjoy hearing if any good has come to you from them.

Response by SFC Collin McMillion made Feb 13 at 2015 9:42 PM

2015-02-13T21:42:13-05:00

Now I will speak only for myself. I truly enjoyed the show MASH for two reasons.......1-It did show us and tell us of the horrors of war which are present daily, but 2-It also showed us that poking fun at ourselves or others, in a friendly sort of way was a good way to relieve some of the stress and tension that we battled everyday. Like I said, this is just me and the effect or the way they viewed this show may be and have been different.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 13 at 2015 10:05 PM

2015-02-13T22:05:21-05:00

I'm not a combat vet, but am a part of AMEDD. People ask what it is like to be a part of AMEDD, and I tell them "It's M.A.S.H. without Klinger." The attitudes of the Soldiers, the feelings and the way things are handled....it's M.A.S.H.

Some of the feelings I could relate to on Mob, some were not. Hogan's Heroes have had some comic relief....although nothing felt like M.A.S.H. Among other shows that are military themes that had comic relief, MAJ Payne and Down Periscope are some of my favorites that provide me with military humor. Both are good, and contain very little "serious" subject matter.
v/r,
CPT Butler

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Feb 13 at 2015 10:48 PM

2015-02-13T22:48:20-05:00

I suppose that MASH was the best of all TV shows based on war. Although its theme was antiwar, its humor masked the message. The ensemble cast as well as the writing were always of the highest quality. Few shows have ever matched it.

Interestingly, while in Vietnam, our favorite show on AF Television was Combat with Vic Morrow. I think that it appealed to us because it was about the war we all wished we were fighting rather than the sordid little affair in which we found ourselves. Indeed, when the Arab states attacked Israel in 1967, the consensus among the troops I spoke with was that we wished we could pack up and march down the Gaza Strip singing "Onward Christian Soldiers" and help defend Israel...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Feb 13 at 2015 11:05 PM

2015-02-13T23:05:11-05:00

I used to think M.A.S.H. was great as a kid until I learn it was an anti-war show about Vietnam. Half the actors where a-holes. Here's an interesting read on the show. http://www.hollywoodstories.com/pages/hollywood/h25.html

The Ironies of MASH

Hollywood Stories, Walt Disney Audiobooks,Hollywood Audiobooks, One Minute Radio Show, Speaking Engagement, ToursOf Hollywood.

Response by CPL Aaron Cottingham made Feb 14 at 2015 1:02 AM

2015-02-14T01:02:38-05:00

Thoroughly enjoyed Tour of Duty (?) Only have two of them, still searching for the third season.

Response by CPL Aaron Cottingham made Feb 14 at 2015 1:07 AM

2015-02-14T01:07:24-05:00

Been doing research of these types of show seasons. What was China Beach?

Response by CPT Sarah Persinger made Feb 19 at 2015 7:56 AM

2015-02-19T07:56:51-05:00

M.A.S.H. has always been a favorite because they can actually laugh at their situations and it shows how people deal with crazy deployments. When I deployed in the 90's, it was a lot like that show! I don't watch many war movies - don't feel comfortable yet with that.

Response by SrA Matthew Knight made Feb 19 at 2015 9:43 AM

2015-02-19T09:43:37-05:00

M*A*S*H was and is a great show, been watching it on Netflix and even have the 'Martinis and Medicine' collection. Even though much of it was anti-war it still had great actors and they did a good job of conveying the feelings of being at war. It probably helps that numerous members of the cast had military service themselves, short as it may have been.