I've heard that how unfamiliar most of civilian society is today with the military leads to a lot of disconnect, alienation, and misunderstandings that make it harder to return from clmbat duty (which increases ptsd, depression, and other emotional difficulties). Was this different when such a huge percentage of the country was involved in the war effort (as military, family members of military, or just through civilian war efforts and rationing)?
My father and uncles we're WW2 vets. They stuffed their feelings and didn't talk about it. Shielding the family and getting on with life was the goal. A genealogist, I learned that one uncle survived the Bataan Death March. He suffered with malaria and had general poor health. My father was in Anzio post slaughter. He was 65 when he told me about it and cried.