Tom Hanks was instrumental in raising funds for DC's WWII Memorial when Congress appropriated only 10 percent of the fun

[Dem2theMax]

14. After watching just one episode,

I had to dig out my dad's old 'Army days' photo album. It's amazing looking at those pictures and then watching what I saw in the first episode. I can't believe how accurate it is. My dad's photos could have been taken from that episode!

He was in the Philippines, on New Guinea and Leyte Island. May have been elsewhere, but my memory isn't as great as it used to be. I know he went into Occupied Japan after they dropped the bombs.

He was part of a reconnaissance group. There were 21 guys on his team. Directed by one sergeant. They all survived the war because of that one sergeant, as far as my dad was concerned. They did such a great job of bringing in intelligence, that the higher-ups, most likely guys sitting behind desks somewhere, sent out some mucky-muck to observe them, trying to figure out why they were so good at what they did. (The sergeant, of course.)

Anyway, the sergeant told the mucky-muck that he had to do every single thing the sergeant said, and the sergeant said he would come back in one piece. So of course the guy didn't listen to the sergeant and he was shot. Lived, but he was the only one who was ever wounded (out of that team.)

Dad did tell me some of the stories. Saw some of those coming to life in that first episode.