18 Comments

First comment.

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I loved this! Great little cautionary tale about pride and sensibility, at least how I read it!

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Well done. It made me want to read more of the story and vivid enough to place me there.

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Thank you so much for reading!

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Oh, this is good. The rearguard line was hilarious. The next time they read from Isaiah 58 in Mass and I'm there and there's an audible snicker in the audience and Father Chandler asks why, I'm gonna blame you though. ;)

1. Favorite war movie: That's a toughie, as I haven't seen all that many. Midway's a good one. I have seen Casablanca, but that might not count.

2. YES. Very much so.

3. I haven't, but I really want to.

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I wasn't familiar with Isaiah 58--do you mean this bit?

"Why have we fasted, and thou hast not **rear-gaurded**: have we humbled our souls, and thou hast not taken notice?", Isaiah 58:3?

Glad you liked the story! I'll accept Casablanca, war was a backdrop to that movie IIRC. I like when they tell stories around stories like that. Have you seen the recent (probably remake?) of Midway?

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No, I was thinking of verse 8, same chapter:

"Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your wound shall quickly be healed;

Your vindication shall go before you,

and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard."

I have not seen the remake of Midway; I admit this is because I have so much respect for the original (Charleton Heston! Henry Fonda!) and a good deal of nostalgia (watched it with my family more than once) that I haven't quite reconciled that a remake exists.

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Mar 26·edited Mar 26Author

The remake is disappointing but I only recently learned that it was indeed a remake. Will investigate the original and watch in short order! Pacific-theater ww2 movies are incredible!

Re: Isaiah 58, I was looking at a translation that doesn't say that! "the glory of the LORD shall **gather thee up**" is Douay Rheims. I wonder what word was used originally! I see how it fits both translations.

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Loved this. The guy staying behind seems the obvious hero, even a bit cliche with his bravado. But then the ending wherein his empty pride is ultimately useless…. Brutal.

1. Probably Master and Commander

2. Yes. Got a degree in history, taught for bit. Still study it constantly.

3. Yes, once. I thought it a very strong film.

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Oh man, Master and Commander is a great answer. That is a really good period war piece.

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Sry to spam a second comment but what’s the premise for a Crunch? Time limit?

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Crunch is 250 words, Stretch is 500 words, Relay I am given the first sentence, sprint is time limit! Using "exercise" language because these are writing "exercises"--I do mostly crunches but you've given me the idea to do a month of some other exercise!

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AND THEN WHAT!?

1. I's say I'm between The Pianist and Saving Private Ryan.

2. I do enjoy studying history.

3. I haven't watched 1917 but I want to.

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Mar 28·edited Mar 28Liked by Scoot

This was great! A lot of draw and impact in very few words!

1. Saving Private Ryan

2. I love WW2 era history

3. Yes, it was a really well done film. Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins did a great job bringing that era to life. It’s definitely less of a story and more about an immersive experience but in no way does that really diminish the film when I say that.

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I decided to write something for this Crunch. Check it out. Thoughts welcome, as always!

https://open.substack.com/pub/ericfalden/p/a-small-story-a-small-update?r=3ecd72&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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Ah!! Eric i was traveling when this posted, only just saw it!

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No worries. I put it in the same post as (my) GWC announcement to my subs.

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Many of my favorite movies have a war as the backdrop of the film. For instance, Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivargo. I love historical movies and books. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre. And yes I did see 1917 a very moving film.

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