Why was the father away for 5 YEARS?

Well, there are several ways you could look at it. Like that he was somehow unable to give any notice (which lead to everyone believing he was dead all those years), or it could have been that he actually was dead, and that scene only showed his 'symbolic' death (in that his wife consummated the marriage with another man).

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They blew up Congress!!! HAHAHA!

My theory is Captain Walker was in a mental institution, where he went either during or shortly after the war, with problems similar to those Tommy suffered. His wife Nora wrote him off as dead and told Tommy he was dead. Captain Walker returned, with enough of his marbles to have broken out of the institution and obtained a uniform, to have it out with Nora for not helping him recover, only to find her in bed with another man. Tommy's shock was at least in part from being lied to and betrayed by being told his father was dead, then seeing him killed "again" and told it never happened. I do believe that Frank and Nora disposed of Captain Walker's body and Tommy couldn't handle living with killers and liars. A bad dream or merely symbolic death wouldn't result in that level of trauma, though Tommy later connected to his father in a symbolic way.

Another possibility is Captain Walker was missing, presumed dead, but actually wandering about in a daze with full amnesia, or partial amnesia, so he was able to get to England, but not back home. Then one day he was wandering around downtown and saw a secondhand store, costume store, or dry cleaner's with a uniform like his, came to himself, put it on and headed home. He acted all shocked and betrayed when he saw Nora with Frank because he didn't realize five years had passed. He didn't see Tommy and if he had might not have recognized him as his own son. In fact, I might write it like that, Captain Walker actually sees Tommy and is like "who the heck are you?" and Tommy goes into shock and trauma as much from that as from seeing him killed.

For that matter, why wouldn't Frank and Nora institutionalize Tommy if he was that bad off? Because maybe they were afraid he would regain his senses and talk. They sought help years later when they figured he either wouldn't remember or any memory could be dismissed.

I think the implication is that he suffered mental shock, and possibly lost his memory. That could easily last for 5 years.

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I don't think they did.

When they took Tommy to the Doctor (i.e. Jack Nicholson) they were rich and able to afford to see the best specialists.

No doubt they took Tommy to their GP or whatever when it first happened, it just wasn't necessary to show it in the film, just like they must of all gone to the loo several times a day but that didn't get shown either...






May you not rest as long as I am living. You said I killed you - haunt me then.

Ok. we know from the timeline given that Tommy was born either on VE or VJ Day. Track back, that would have meant that Gp Capt Walker went MIA in about Sep 44.

Btw, the MOD telegram is all there in the lyric- he is missing presumed dead along with his entire crew. She is told to not hold out too much hope, as at the time Hitler was doing scorched-earth.

Most likely a pow, or having to make his own way back.

I've heard something along the lines of 20,000 British / American soldiers and airmen that went missing in Europe and are still to this day unaccounted for. Some might have died or been murdered in Nazi concentration camps and no records of them were kept, but others might have been recaptured when the Soviets overran Eastern Europe towards end of the war. The Soviets simply had no interest in returning allied troops home after WWII ended, in spite of the fact they were technically on our side during the war.

My guess is Captain Walker was trapped in Eastern Germany for 5 years, and somehow found a way to escape to the west.

I might add that many ended up in the Russian Gulag system never to be heard from again.