Disney and the Nazis: The Unauthorized Book Disney Doesn't Want You to Read: Disney in WWI
Disney in WWI
To understand WWII you have to first look at WWI. Many historians consider WWI to be merely the precursor to WIII or the two wars to be one war with a temporary cease fire. Walt Disney would take part in the war to end all wars and it would have a huge impact on him for the rest of his life.
At a young age Walt Disney was patriotic. While in high school Walt would draw patriotic cartoons for his high school newspaper. It is not surprising then that would want to join the war effort.
It may seem odd in modern times that people were so eager to go to war but we have changed as a society a great deal since then. The history of man is often changed by technology and in modern times the technological changes happen so rapidly that studies show we are not actually able to keep up but are behind what technology can do. This has changed us a great deal. Throughout history however war has been glorified and was a means to gain wealth and power. This idolized view of war was still very much a part of the culture at the time. It would take the advances of technology and the devastating destruction of modern war to cure man of his great thirst for war.
But Walt lived in a different time. His patriotism at least was laudable. Walt's older brothers Ray and Roy had both joined branches of the military. Ray had been drafted by the army and Roy had enlisted in the Navy. Walt was only 16 at the time and 17 was the minimum age they would allow you to join. Walt was initially turned down by the Navy and would have been taken by the Canadian army but a friend of his who went with him was rejected for health reasons. Walt did not want to work without his friend.
Since he could not get into any branch of the armed services he decided to settle on the Red Cross. But to join he needed his parents' signatures. His father refused to sign fearing that Walt would be killed. Walt's mother knew the determination of her son and tried to convince her husband it was better to let him go then to have him run away and go on his own. He said he would not sign but she could sign for him. So Walt's mother signed for his father. There was still one problem: the paper work still showed Walt being one year too young. This was an easy thing for the world's greatest animator to fix. Walt changed the date and enlisted claiming to be one year older then he was in 1918.
Walt would get sick before even leaving and be sent home to recuperate. Finally he would return to his training where he would meet a young Ray Kroc who would later become famous for creating the McDonald's empire. Ray considered Walt to be strange since he spent all his time drawing and not having a fun time in the town like the rest of the boys.
Before Walt could make it to Europe the war ended. However this was not the end of the work to be done. A small group of men were selected to go to Europe and help out. Walt was one of those men.
Walt's trip to Europe would have a strong impact on him that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Walt would visit towns and villages that looked like they were out of fairy tales, the same fairy tales that he would later turn into animated films. Walt learned to be self-reliant while in Europe. He also was able to get lots of practice drawing. When not driving ambulances or chauffeuring dignitaries Walt would be drawing. He was even able to turn it into a small business venture making drawings for other service men for a fee.
While Walt Disney would not fight and was not in Europe for the actual war he would still get to serve his country in some way. This service would pay back dividends for years to come. Years later Walt would regret that he was too young to join the first WWI and too old to join the second WWII. He regretted he never had the chance to serve in the military for his country.
To understand WWII you have to first look at WWI. Many historians consider WWI to be merely the precursor to WIII or the two wars to be one war with a temporary cease fire. Walt Disney would take part in the war to end all wars and it would have a huge impact on him for the rest of his life.
At a young age Walt Disney was patriotic. While in high school Walt would draw patriotic cartoons for his high school newspaper. It is not surprising then that would want to join the war effort.
It may seem odd in modern times that people were so eager to go to war but we have changed as a society a great deal since then. The history of man is often changed by technology and in modern times the technological changes happen so rapidly that studies show we are not actually able to keep up but are behind what technology can do. This has changed us a great deal. Throughout history however war has been glorified and was a means to gain wealth and power. This idolized view of war was still very much a part of the culture at the time. It would take the advances of technology and the devastating destruction of modern war to cure man of his great thirst for war.
But Walt lived in a different time. His patriotism at least was laudable. Walt's older brothers Ray and Roy had both joined branches of the military. Ray had been drafted by the army and Roy had enlisted in the Navy. Walt was only 16 at the time and 17 was the minimum age they would allow you to join. Walt was initially turned down by the Navy and would have been taken by the Canadian army but a friend of his who went with him was rejected for health reasons. Walt did not want to work without his friend.
Since he could not get into any branch of the armed services he decided to settle on the Red Cross. But to join he needed his parents' signatures. His father refused to sign fearing that Walt would be killed. Walt's mother knew the determination of her son and tried to convince her husband it was better to let him go then to have him run away and go on his own. He said he would not sign but she could sign for him. So Walt's mother signed for his father. There was still one problem: the paper work still showed Walt being one year too young. This was an easy thing for the world's greatest animator to fix. Walt changed the date and enlisted claiming to be one year older then he was in 1918.
Walt would get sick before even leaving and be sent home to recuperate. Finally he would return to his training where he would meet a young Ray Kroc who would later become famous for creating the McDonald's empire. Ray considered Walt to be strange since he spent all his time drawing and not having a fun time in the town like the rest of the boys.
Before Walt could make it to Europe the war ended. However this was not the end of the work to be done. A small group of men were selected to go to Europe and help out. Walt was one of those men.
Walt's trip to Europe would have a strong impact on him that would stay with him for the rest of his life. Walt would visit towns and villages that looked like they were out of fairy tales, the same fairy tales that he would later turn into animated films. Walt learned to be self-reliant while in Europe. He also was able to get lots of practice drawing. When not driving ambulances or chauffeuring dignitaries Walt would be drawing. He was even able to turn it into a small business venture making drawings for other service men for a fee.
While Walt Disney would not fight and was not in Europe for the actual war he would still get to serve his country in some way. This service would pay back dividends for years to come. Years later Walt would regret that he was too young to join the first WWI and too old to join the second WWII. He regretted he never had the chance to serve in the military for his country.
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