My father, Robert Cole, was a gunner on a B-17 serving with the 34th Bomb Group in England. He was a longtime member of Post 284 in South Bend, Ind. In 1968 he coached their baseball team to the state championship and to the American Legion World Series. His brother, Richard Cole, was a B-17 pilot wounded on his 12th mission out of England. Uncle Richard was a longtime member of Post 11 in Lafayette, Ind. My mom's brother, Robert McClellan, served in the Pacific with the 5th Air Force as an armament specialist on the A-20. Uncle Bob was a 65-year member of the Legion and past commander of Lafayette Post 11. I was a delegate to Hoosier Boys State in 1965. I was an Air Force pilot and Viet Nam veteran. I am a member of Post 18 in Bloomington, Ind.