While at San Diego State University in 1965, I failed the hearing test for advanced Air Force ROTC. Upon graduating in 1967 with a biology degree, I did not meet Navy OCS standards. I volunteered for the draft in the fall of 1967, fully supporting our country's role in Vietnam. But more than anything, the legacy of my uncle Walt - a staff sergeant in Company G, 184th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division - walked beside me. He died during the assault on Kwajalein Island on Feb. 4, 1944.

James Anderson, 20th Transportation Company, Cu Chi, Vietnam