Sen. John McCain diagnosed with brain cancer

[Belsnickel]

(07-20-2017, 07:01 PM)Nately120 Wrote: Interesting.  My father didn't talk about it much but he was always angrier at the people who self-righteously sent him over there than anything that happened when he got back.  He died of brain cancer, too so double points for relevance in this thread.

Then again, I do recall a certain Vietnam vet who ran against Bush getting lambasted by people.

My father is an odd duck. For all of my youth there was not much discussion about it. He didn't join any organizations for veterans, he was much more like what you describe as your father. Then he was diagnosed with CLL and it was linked to his time in the service. For 15 years this upcoming Thanksgiving, he has joined groups online and off, wears a Vietnam Vet hat all the time, etc., etc. He has 100% disability from the VA, and I have a feeling that this change in his attitude towards his time in service is an effort to make himself seem less like just another sick old man. He never used to be proud of his service, but now it gives him a sense of worth in an effort to make up for physical limitations.

Now, he didn't experience the type of return home that some of the others he knows did. He had the benefit of not flying into a civilian airport when he came home. But I've heard enough stories from others at the meetings to know that these things happened when they got home.