> z"Hadn't originally intended to write an essay on this"K

You remind me of my grandson, who is a history buff. He would sit all day and listen to WWII vets talk. He also likes Civil War history. He and his dad collect military rifles from the 1940's and earlier. They have some that are about 100 years old.

Your grandfather must be a little older than 70, unless he joined the Navy when he was a small child. My wife is 70 and she was not yet six when the war started and 10 when it ended.

I know that smoking kills people, but I have an aunt in California who has been smoking about 75 years. She recently turned 90 and still smokes. Her immune system must be a dandy.
Howard