My father in law went in through Normandy on D-Day +4. He was in the group that would eventually be commanded by Patton - and he said the guys he was with would follow him anywhere and do anything, and I believe it. He had some great stories, none of which I remember anymore, a few having to do with inconsequential battles in towns I’ve long lost memory of, but most of the stories were about the typical GI complaint of “hurry up and wait”. He met a French girl he wanted to marry but his father wouldn’t allow it - that’s what society was like back in the 40’s - so he came home, took over his father’s junkyard business, married a local, got thrown out of the house, divorced, and had an otherwise uneventful life.

My father was on a ship in the Pacific, and he did not want to talk about it, which is/was a shame because I have always been fascinated with World War II. The Great War, Civil War, Revolutionary War not so much, and Dad was there for “The Big One” (he did tell a few Kamikaze stories) but didn’t want to talk about it.

Shame.