I remembered Independence Day on the 1st of July this year. I happened to be at the Roseburg Oregon VA Hosp. to pick up a new med prescription. While waiting inline, a 91 year old Korean Vet came in behind me, and several others. We all gave up our places to bring him to the front of the line. While we were seated, waiting on our prescripts to be filled, we talked. He had on a Navy Korean Ballcap, and told us he was a pilot of one of the landing crafts that unloaded our Boys to go into combat with the North Koreans and Chinese.
The beach landing was unlike the one at Normandy, where they stepped off to be under fire from the Germans in the bunkers. There was no firefight at the beach. Sort of like a day at the office. But, on the return trip to pick them up, he said it was a different story. They were bringing home some of the wounded, and dead bodies of the young men he had earlier dropped off. There were 5 or 6 of us listening to his story, and he talked loud because he was nearly deaf himself. Not a dry eye in that room! He and others like him know exactly what Independence Day is all about.
