The way my dad tells his stories catches me up in the action. I never tire of listening.

At 18 he signed up to fight for Uncle Sam, ultimately becoming an Eighth Air Force flyboy in WWII. Assigned top turret gunner and flight engineer on a B-17, the legendary Flying Fortress, he earned the Air Medal for 35 successful bombing missions (although he flew at least 50) over Germany.

Almost 70 years later, he will still proudly show you his uniform, dog tags, and medals safely ensconced in the original box in an army green trunk.

He tenderly carries an impassioned love for his fellow crew members, literally beaming as he talks about them. The other day I heard of one exception:

"We got a new ball turret gunner. That guy was so skittish and afraid. He’d fire on our own planes. I was in the top turret, so I could see what he was doing.”

And then Dad was transported back in time, re-enacting the moment. “What the #*@ are you doing Gunny? You’re firing on our troops. Those are OUR planes!” he bellered.

He calmed down for a few seconds; memories flooding back, he went on. “I remember once, the cockpit was on fire from flak. I was flight engineer, and it was my job to get the fires out.”

Back in time again, his voice loudly reliving the urgency of the moment — “Howard, we’re burning up in here!”

“That #*@ ball turret gunner was blocking my way. He was sitting right on the escape hatch getting ready to bail.”

Then Dad pulls his leg back and feigns a swift kick. “I kicked him right back into that ball turret and made my way to the cockpit to put the fire out.”

"When we got back to base, nobody said anything about it. We were in a war. And we were back on the ground.”

It may not be by everybody’s standards, but we’re a military family. Proud as heck. One of our sons earned the Navy Achievement Medal for meritorious service on the USNS Comfort during Operation Sea Signal. Another son was awarded the Purple Heart in Iraq and a year later did another tour in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne. Our son-in-law served in Iraq with the National Guard.

How are we privileged to get men like this? — … men of whom the world was not worthy. Hebrews 11:38