The dad was a former United States Marine and a veteran of World War II. He fought in the Pacific campaign, including the bloody battle on Iwo Jima. He knew by name the soldiers who raised the flag on Iwo Jima, a scene that was later memorialized in a statue that now stands in Arlington Cemetery in Washington, D.C. He believed in America’s cause in the war and was proud to serve his country. To this day he flies an American flag on the front porch of his home on Independence Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

            He married his high school sweetheart after the war. He got a job at a factory, bought a house, and settled into the comfortable and predictable life that came to characterize middle-America in those days. In 1948 his wife gave birth to their son.

            The dad loved his son very much. He wanted the boy to have a good life, and to appreciate the things that the dad thought was good. The dad taught his son about faith, patriotism, honesty and courage. Every year on the Fourth of July, dad and son would raise the flag together.

            In 1966 the son turned 18. He was eligible for the draft but did not wait. Following his D

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