I was five, the oldest of four kids, when my father died 58 years ago almost to the day.

He served in the Pacific in WW2, in New Guinea and the Philippines. His father was working on a house (they were all carpenters) when one of his brothers was drafted. My father volunteered in his place. He also served two stints in the Triple-C.

After he received the skull fracture from which he eventually died on the job the State of Illinois didn't want to pay Workers' Comp. It took two years to eventually collect it.

I remember asking him, when North Korean invaded South Korea, if he'd have to go to the Army again. He laughed and said "No, this time they'll have to come and get me." When the current mess in Iraq started I asked my nephew, who is named for my father, if he was likely to be reactivated by the Marines. He laughed and replied, "I gave them five years; this time they'll have to come and get me."