That's unfortunately too common. I've spoken with vets of my grandfather's

crew. Two loved telling the stories, possibly embellished a bit. The
copilot became angry when I suggested the notion that B-17s were ever NOT

olive drab, (the surviving '96th plane is bare aluminum), and the pilot
won
the DFC, served in the Berlin Airlift, flew in Korea and Vietnam and
after

he died, when I spoke to his daughter, I discovered he'd told me more
about
his service on the phone one time while waiting for my grandfather to
come

to the phone than he had ever told anybody in his family.

Similarly, I found out recently that my uncle is a retired Sgt. Major and
he
won't even discuss which units he was in. Bronze stars from different
wars,
PHs, we know he was captured by the Germans and escaped twice, and his
wife
says he has two old footlockers filled with photos he took in Anzio or
somewhere, but his adult children have never seen them.

Sad, but, I figure they've earned that right if they choose to bury all
of

it.

-c



Agreed again Gatt. Having never served myself, I nevertheless think it is
despicable that people have the audacity to criticize a soldier's actions
in combat. My dad was just a kid when he served, and I can't possibly
imagine the horror he witnessed and endured.

He earned the right to take whatever he witnessed and participated in,
privately, to his grave. Even though I only indirectly understand the
effects that combat can have on a man, I can do get upset with those that
try to use their military service for political opportunism, and would
never vote for such a person. McCain, to me, does not fit into that
category, from everything I've read about the man...