Having watched the Remembrance coverage I was very impressed with Sophie Raworth who I thought had real empathy with the WW2 veterans. One of the old fellas, Henry Rice said the most telling thing that hit the nail right on the head,
"I survived, I got away with it,"
And there's the rub for me, it's not a question of training, courage or toughness ... just pot luck.
The difference between life and death was whether or not your footstep landed on a mine, if the incoming mortar round exploded or failed to go off or whether you hit the beach at the precise moment the German machine gun nest was changing the belt.
My Dad escaped all of that but never recovered til the day he died ...
... I wish I could talk to him now and tell him how proud I am.