Thank you as well Lee for your very nice reply. All branches of our Military are worthy of respect, and to all Veterans, brave men and women who served and put themselves in Harm's Way more than once. Our beloved Lt. General Lewis B. Puller, nicknamed "Chesty" (also the name of our Bulldog mascot) is the only Marine, whether a NCO (as i was) or a Commissioned Officer, to have been awarded Five Navy Crosses over his long 30 year career in the Corps. America has been blessed with great Military leaders over her 200 plus years- among them: George Washington, Robert E. Lee, Nathan B. Forrest, John Pershing, William Halsey, Dwight Eisenhower and my favorite, George S. Patton Jr. However, it was our beloved "Chesty" Puller who summed up all of the essence of Military "leadership by example" in four short and to the point words: "Officers Always Eat last"!!
So you do not hunt, but enjoy being out and seeing the birds and Nature- reminds me of a 30 year old (perhaps) article in Field & Stream magazine written by Ted Trueblood- entitled: "Other Values" and he wrote about the other aspects of being out with a shotgun after ducks besides the shooting, and that has always stuck into my mind when I go out with shotgun in hand.
I apologize if I mis-wrote about your "late" father, glad he is still an active outdoorsman at age 75- seven years from now I plan to be the same.
