Veteran's Day 2010

This is a story my mom told me about her father. I'm not sure it's ever seen print. In late 1942, Grandpa was getting ready for college. He also played baseball on the Yankee farm team in New Haven Conneticut. Notice came that he had been drafted. He said goodbye to my Grandma, then pregnant with my mother, and headed to Fort Knox, TN for training as a tank driver. Upon completion of his training, he and the six men he had trained with were informed five of them needed to report for duty on the European front. Their commanding officer left it to them to decide who went. The men decided to draw straws with my grandfather drawing one of the two short ones. He stayed on at Ft. Knox to train recruits in tank operations until he was honorably discharged. Not one of the five men who went to Europe returned which troubled him the rest of his life. Being injured and a new father, his baseball prospects were over. Needing income, college was set aside in favor of a trade school and an eventual career as a master tool and die maker. My grandfather's service is one our family is proud of. I've known many guys and a few girls since high school that have enlisted. Some have served in battle, some in other capacities, but all with honor. Unlike many, I've not had to mourn the loss of a loved one while serving the country. On this November the 11th, I salute all veterans of the United States Armed Forces. I'm forever grateful for your building the path to freedom and keeping it clear for roughly the last 375 years. (If my aunts and uncles find errors in this story, keep it to yourselves!. Just kidding! Please add or clarify is what I meant).