War experience: We both appreciate we can never really feel - "I still keep his "electric strawberry" patches in a close spot when II try to channel the fear and anger he must have felt." what those in war must have felt. Like those in war must feel now. Of course there are some who enjoy it, but you being you, your dad could not have been one of those. Yesterday, someone said something like. 'It's hard to imagine war much like the trench warfare of WW1 is being repeated in Ukraine today.' Understanding humans as we do it's not really that surprising though:
Wondering now because of your "Do you think the first neanderthals went home and cried in the cave that some other dude hit him with a stick? Fuck no, he didn't get hit with a stick in the first place if he didn't act like an asshole and supported common decency. Otherwise two assholes probably fought each other to death with sticks, but here we are. " whether or not back then there were as many different personalities among the populations then as there are is now.
Much less outside influence so am guessing they were more the same. Still you'd think some would be more peacemakers than others, even back then. ;-) That's for another time.