Oh, @dfinney ! You articulated a little of what has been in my heart for the longest. My grandfathers were both military officers; for this reason, both my parents are in the military, and my older brothers were also in the military. They are all in heaven now, and I was 23 when a lost my Dad. I matured with the help of my sorority sisters. It is crazy, the sadness of it all, and I live out my years in such a normal and unassuming way. The untold stories of both my grandparents, and my parents, and brothers... all kept inside me. In my quiet self, there is patriotism like no other.