Jack - You are right in that those who paved the way for todays military service have some very interesting tales to tell.
When I first met Linier, I was in the company of two other WW11 vets. One was a retired AF Sgt who was stationed at Hickman Field during the bombing of Pearl and then walked across Burma with Merrills raiders to join up with the Chinese. The other one was a Newfoundlander who had served with the RAF, was stationed in Singapore when it surrendered to the Japanese and was in a POW camp in Nagasaki when we dropped the bomb. This along with Lanier who I sarcastically say went swimming in Placentia Bay in the middle of Feb. For once I kept my mouth shut and just listened to them talk about their experiences. It is a moment I will never forget