[Dottore]

Since we're telling war stories - my dad was drafted into the Wehrmacht as a kid and sent to fight in North Africa under Rommel. At night the Yanks and the Brits and the Germans would sneak into each others camps and drink and sing Lili Marlene together. Then before dawn they'd sneak back to their lines and then spend the day shooting at each other. Bizarre - but this went on for a long time and underscores the real absurdity of these conflicts.

He was eventually captured by one of Monty's units - who treated the Germans like ****. Starved them, burned them with cigarette butts etc. The Brits then turned them over to the Yanks - who shipped them all to a POW camp in Clinton Mississippi where the Germans were treated extremely well for the next four years. They had movies and beer - and were even allowed to use the public swimming pool. My father started a little theater troupe, and they were regularly given weekend passes and a truck and performed in small towns all over Mississippi. Hard to believe - but true.

For my father, who claims these were the "best years of his life", this was the beginning of a life-long love affair with America. At the first opportunity - in the 1960's - he brought the family over to the USA, lived the American dream and built a very successful life for himself and his family.

His favourite phrases are "American largesse" and "generosity of spirit" - and he still rolls these out all the time when talking about the US of A.

So hats off and respect.