It’s a shame that threads like this end up with the children bickering.
My dad was called up at 18 and sent to Italy at 21 in 1944. He was returned home about a year later injured. As a kid I used to ask him what he did in the war and he would tell me he was a cook. But as I got older, and he let more bits and pieces slip on the rare occasion, the cook story didn’t sound right to me. Eventually I found out that he was actually a private that served in the frontline, saw some nasty stuff, and had some close calls. I figured that the cook story was just to stop his young son, who didn’t know better, from asking “how many germans did you kill dad”. I still remember asking him that. He never had anything to do with the RSA and used to say he wasn’t interested in going there as they were just a bunch of old buggers reliving the past and why couldn’t they just let it go. In the last few years before he died he started to tell me about a few of his experiences. It didn’t happen often but when it did I just shut up and let him go.
Today is his birthday.
The views expressed above may not match yours - But that's the reason my Dad went to war - wasn't it?
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, .... but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out,... shouting "man, what a ride"!!!
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