pyotr filipivich fired this volley in
:

but I suppose that would be an interesting
question for another time: knowing then what you know now, and given
an honorable alternative - how many combat vets would rather just be
"a vet"? Or a "[conflict name] era vet."?

I've often had that very conversation with my wife. I came home with
only one small hole in me, and no lasting problems from it. A lot of
guys in my unit did not.

She's asked me, "Do you wish you hadn't done it?"

The answer is pretty simple. I wouldn't want to do it again (except) to
save my life. But I wouldn't have foregone the experience for anything.

Lloyd