My dad was a not-quite veteran. He was the second-youngest of seven brothers, and was just too young for the war. Germany declared war on the U.S. four days after Pearl Harbor, the same day as my dad’s 13th birthday. He joined the navy in 1947. He once told me that his ship, the cruiser USS Columbus, was the last American warship to leave Shanghai when the communist government took over.
Three of his older brothers did serve in the war, but like so many when I was young I just didn’t care. I never got to ask them about their experiences. Of course living three states away didn’t help either.