Just was talking to my BIL, a Vietnam veteran.

[dflprincess]

10. My dad was a WWII vet as well

and also only told the funny stories.

He was in the Pacific theater, Army Air Corp, a rear gunner on a Mitchell bomber & went out on 56 missions. Never a word about them - except the start of the 57th mission when they were called back to base not long after take off because the war was over.

Men who saw a lot of combat tended not to speak of it - they knew there was no glory even when the "cause" appeared just. My dad swore my brother would never go to war & he told a neighbor's kid to go to Canada rather than Vietnam (and that was before Vietnam got really hot).

He supported John Kennedy in the primaries (over Hubert Humphrey) beause he hoped a fellow combat veteran would know enough to keep us out of the next war.

There was a high rate of early heart disease among Pacific Air Corps vets - Pop was one of them and died young. Turns out the flight crews used to get pumped full of speed - did it cause the heart disease or just aggravate a genetic tendency? Does it matter at this late date, not really - except it does establish the pattern of a disregard for soldiers' long term health. Just another link in the Agent Orange, depleted uranium chain.