A lot of interesting posts and thoughts. For sure the men, boys and women of that era are our Greatest Generation.
My father was a senior in high school when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. If I remember correctly, all the boys in his class (except one. He had an illness of some kind) enlisted before graduation. It was a very small school in northeastTexas with ten or so boys in his class.
He said when in basic training (not sure it was called that back then) he heard paratroopers were paid $10 more. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne and shipped to England after completing training. Dad didn't jump on D-Day but did jump in the Market Garden operation and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.
He didn't talk at all about the actual fighting or killing. Story he did tell was on his jump he landed in a tree and got tangled up. Dropped his knife trying to cut the lines. A buddy came by and cut him down. Shortly after they saw several German troops in the area. Can only imagine what happened. Only other thing I remember him saying was how damn cold it was.
Hearing and reading the stories of the WW-II vets are most interesting and always makes me feel like I'm peeling onions. God bless them.
btw. Dad died at 59yrs. Wish I had tried to learn more.