My paternal great-grandfather, Charles C. Crane, nearly lost his life during World War I. I can still recall as a child him telling me his haunting stories of war. My paternal and maternal grandfathers, William C. Crane and Leonard W. Ready, served in the Army and Navy, respectively, during WWII. My father, Jerry Crane, was also an Army man of the Korean War era. I have made my share of mistakes and poor choices in life, but one of my very few regrets is never having served in uniform.

Thankfully though, in wartime as well as in peace, there are several million Americans who have served in our U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, National Guard, Coast Guard, as well as the Merchant Marine, and an increasing number of special forces within those service branches, and I guess now also including the U.S. Space Force.

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Bill Crane is a syndicated columnist based in Decatur. He has worked in politics for Democrats and Republicans, respects the process and will try and give you some things to think about. Your thoughts and responses to his opinions are also welcome, bill.csicrane@gmail.com.

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