My grandfather never talked about WW2, even after I joined the Navy. Not one story, nothing. When he passed I learned my grandmother held it against him for being drafted! When he finally got home from the European theater she wouldn't let him talk about anything that happened during his service. I got to go through his military papers at his funeral and he had 2 bronze stars and a purple heart (the purple heart we knew about, mortar fragments in his leg). Turned out he was a squad leader that led night patrol, while closing in on Berlin in the closing weeks. My grandmother tossed the flag from his coffin on the table and said "what the hell am I supposed to do with that"! I picked it up and told her I knew. I've still got all his records, ribbons, medals, uniforms and the flag. How many times I wish I could have talked about it with him.
