Autobiography

incredible courage that it took to endure those
90 missions.
In the army it has often been said that
decorations come up with the rations;
suggesting that soldiers, sailors and airmen
understand that bravery is commonplace and
that it is usually circumstances and other
factors that create a gallantry medal moment.
Duty is a word that we don’t hear much
anymore except in the legal “duty of care”
context and in customs and excise duty.
Chambers Dictionary defines it as:-
Something one is, or feels, obliged to do; a
moral or legal responsibility, or the awareness
of it.
In a world of individuals pursuing their own
goals and looking for ‘self realisation’, duty
gets in the way. When ‘there is no such thing
as society’ then there is no obligation or moral
responsibility to it, so duty becomes an
outmoded concept.
Yet, there are people who take duty seriously
and even shape their lives around duties of one
sort or another. I am proud that four members
of my family did their duty in World War II. I
am proud that these four Jews, contributed so
gallantly to the war effort.
I only wish I could have been as proud of my
father as I am of them.
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