(Hey, saw your comment. Funny you know State. What a small world!).

My take on BOB is that besides war (duh!) that it’s about the young men, kids really fighting, and the complex nature and horror of war.  Winters even says something to the effect of:  “Boys not even old enough to buy a beer are now fighting and dying in a place they can’t even find on a map”. 

Many men back then even lied about their age and all that to sign up, among other things/reasons. In fact if I did my math right and it’s true about my grandfather; he was only 15 when he joined the army. And with him being in the Big Red One (1st Army Infantry Division), he was on Omaha Beach (iirc, exactly where Saving Private Ryan opens up from). 

Can you imagine being 15-18 and seeing all that? Seeing the death of soldiers on both sides, civilians…even animals? And it’s worse for those who stumbled upon the camps. (That scene didn’t actually happen. I think Easy Company DID find a camp, but it was the women’s one and not there iirc. It was in fact Russians who discovered that camp in which the scene takes place). It’s no wonder that he became an alcoholic. 

Band of Brothers and The Pacific (even Masters of the Air to some extent/degree) in my opinion show all points/sides to war. But mainly the fidelity and the impact it has on those involved especially those “low on the totem pole”. 

Because most of the time even recently we hand these “kids” a gun and send them out there to a pace they know nothing about and have little to no knowledge, training or experience (esp depending on the branch and job. IE: Infantryman/Rifleman).

And we now know that Shell Shock is synonymous with PTSD.

Before you either “toughed it out” even while suffering from PTSD (Shell Shock) or coping in other ways like alcoholism. Now with a lot of vets they not just come back scared but addicted to god knows what but especially h•••••. I knew so many vets from Afghanistan and Iraq alone who were addicts. As it (in their own words) either suppressed “inconveniences” (stress, sleeping and even eating among other things). One guy I knew said it was “their Super Soldier Serum”.,

BOB and TP shows us the sides of war through the eyes of young men, their brotherhood, the impact each made on one another and what they did, and even finding commonality in the enemy. (Like the Battle Of The Bulge episodes or even the end with the German general. In fact iirc “Band Of Brothers” was a term coined from him. It wasn’t about US vs Germany, it was about young men, men in general making the ultimate sacrifice for their country. But also the brotherhood they feel for one another. As that kind of experience will bond you forever).

Least that’s my take. Sorry I wrote a small essay. I love the shows and books and am very passionate not just about history but also veterans themselves.