Bill, I deeply appreciate your addition to this thread. I am the son of a WW II veteran, China Burma Theater - B25's, and I served 29 years in the U.S. Army. I thought Ken did a masterful job and I am glad to hear someone who really was of that generation comment on it.

In Dec of 99, I was loving life as the Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of the 4th Infantry Division. Just before Christmas, I received a call from an old mentor, Rick Shinseki, who was Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, asking me to come to Washington to act as his Chief of Legislative Liaison. He is a truly remarkable figure, which history will treat well. At the time he was engaged in a bitter struggle with a new SECDEF who was determined to draw down an Army which was no longer "relevant" in the post cold war era.....a SECDEF who was convinced that SPECOPS and "Shock and awe" would win all future wars. Shinseki was determined to preserve a ten division force and I was privileged to play a small role in that effort on Capitol Hill.

Rumsfeld's strategy was to ridicule and discredit Shinseki - an effort which failed largely because of what Shinseki represented and the point of this digression. A Japanese American, Shinseki was born to a family under local detention. He earned a commission, and eventually two purple hearts and three bronze stars with V devices in Vietnam. His mentor was a man by the name of Daniel Inouye. Senator Inouye lost his arm and gained a medal of honor during WWII. Those of you who saw the Burns series, saw him. He is every bit as remarkable an American citizen as Shinseki. The environment which produced such men needs to be remembered. I deeply resent the notion that it is somehow politicaly correct to do so.

And though I did not serve at Normandy or Mogadishu, I have at least been shot at, and I have been responsible for the deaths of quite a few of my country's foes. I do know four of the Delta operators and Rangers that responded to that downed Black Hawk. From a professional perspective, it is pretty well done - which is why both Delta and the Army supported the filming. My colleagues who were there, universally agree. As for as SPR, how could anyone not be moved by that movie? Other than a couple of nits regarding the weapons and tactics, this is a superb study of small unit combat. The Army leadership, all combat veterans, presented Spielberg with an award of recognition when the film was released.

History is, by its very nature, the interpretation of events through the prism of the time in which it is written. It is also different as viewed through the prism of those experiencing it. For instance, I have yet to read a "correct" account of the Battle of Medinah Ridge - at least as how I experienced it. These are not issues of Political Correctness, but rather, issues of perspective.

Great thread, however off topic.