I have not seen any of this documentary, but I will catch what I can of it.

My dad is eighty years old. He speaks very softly and slowly now, much different from when he was a young man. His strong voice kept three kids in line. He never raised a hand to us. He enlisted in the Navy after graduating from high school in 1945. The war was almost over. He never saw combat. He was in the reserves and was called up during the Korean War, too, but didn't see combat there, either.

I am visiting him quite regularly now. With so little time left, I want to hear all the stories. Navy stories, back home stories, family stories and anything else. I want to pass them on to the family. I have probably learned more about my dad in the last two years than I ever knew before. We still have a lot we can learn from this wonderful, elderly man.