This is the tale of an ordinary kid drawn into extraordinary experiences by the needs of his country in an all-out war. It began at the urging of my daughter, Ellen Doyle, by setting down a few personal experiences for the grandkids. It has grown somewhat but is still limited to a narrow timeframe involving a rather small number of people. Ellen provided more than inspiration, like converting my longhand copy to a computer record. With memory, the primary source and one thought triggering another, a rambling account is inevitable. So a rambling account is what you get and remember it's all as...

This is the tale of an ordinary kid drawn into extraordinary experiences by the needs of his country in an all-out war. It began at the urging of my daughter, Ellen Doyle, by setting down a few personal experiences for the grandkids. It has grown somewhat but is still limited to a narrow timeframe involving a rather small number of people. Ellen provided more than inspiration, like converting my longhand copy to a computer record. With memory, the primary source and one thought triggering another, a rambling account is inevitable. So a rambling account is what you get and remember it's all as...