People die - combatants and the civilians who get caught in harm's way.
And that is unfortunate.
But it is the history of the wars that fascinate me, especially the most horrific conflict in human history - World War II.
As a student of modern American history, I'm fortunate to receive access to the Military Channel and the remarkable documentaries that are presented on that TV station.
I enjoy watching and learning about the real-life struggles of the people caught on camera - in real time - more than sixty years ago.
And I appreciate the fact that I can tune in to the Military Channel any time I want.
And when I do, I watch in complete awe as remarkably brave soldiers risk everything while they attempt to defeat their enemies.
Observe just one of these incredible documentaries and you are likely to be amazed at the up-close-and-personal combat film footage that exists today so many years after the battles took place.
What is amazing, of course, is that unarmed "combat photographers" shot their film in real fire zones.
It was not staged and it was very dangerous.
Many of the photographers who went with the troops to islands such as Iwo Jima or Saipan, for example, or who raced through Italy with Patton's army did not survive.
Their bravery, under fire, is legendary.
I often wonder, as I watch footage of Hitler, Churchill, Stalin, an ailing FDR and General Eisenhower what it was really like for these men in those tumultuous times.
Every decision they made impacted the lives of so many others.
I wonder, as well, what went through the minds of soldiers in landing boats as they approached an island where enemy fire awaited.
I know that they knew what seems so obvious now: many in those boats would not live to see another day.
Would I have been brave enough to disembark from one of those landing craft as bullets whizzed all around me? It's difficult to say.
One thing is clear to me: the combat soldiers of WWII have been recognized as "America's greatest generation.
" Thanks to the access I enjoy to networks such as the Military Channel, I have been able to see and understand the dangers they faced.
Author: Frank Bilotta