When I was a kid (mid-1960s) I went to see a doctor. I always was the talkative type, so I asked him where he went to college.
Doctor: I went to the University of Pittsburgh. That was after my time in the army.
Me: My father was also in WW II.
Doctor: I was in WW I.
When I was a kid, maybe 12, I came to know an old man across the street named John. He was a scary looking guy who was actually quite kind. He fought in WWI. Taught me about the 40 and 8 train cars. 40 men or 8 horses.
I don’t remember much of our conversations except that they were interesting.
I’ve had the honor of knowing some WWII vets who had very interesting experiences. One was UDT who swam into Normandy the night before the attack to plant munitions to clear the beaches, then swam back to the ship.
Another was a B-24 pilot.
I had a great uncle who earned the Silver Star. I don’t know what for. He was an officer on a bomber buried somewhere in France.
Another Great uncle was a member of a destroyer crew. He’s still alive. I think he was at the tail end of the war and didn’t see much if any action.
I had a friend who wanted to go but as a skilled machinist, he was required to remain stateside to build the mighty war machine.
I very briefly met a man who was in the OSS.
Ever one who participated was a hero.