Irish Rover, there is no need to apologize. It must be very hard for someone who has had to live with these types of memories to sit by and listen to a bunch of folks who live far away from it all discuss it as if they understood. I can tell you from my experiences during the Vietnam conflict that it is very frustrating to have people speak, whether they are empathetic or accusatory, as if they understand how the experience affected me. That is not to say that they can't discuss the ethics of the conflict, take a position on who was right/wrong, etc. In fact, that is one thing that, as an Irish American, I defend strongly. I hate it when my Irish cousins act like Yanks have no business discussing the troubles. Of course we do, we are here instead of there because of them. But we have no right to suppose that we understand the anguish that the people that live it day to day face. Your reaction was justified and once again helped give me insight into the problems in the land of my Grandparents. Thanks for sharing.

All the best,

Mick