I finally came to understand why they were so uncomfortable being called heroes. Heroes are something we created, something we need. It a way for us to understand what is almost incomprehensible, how people could sacrifice so much for us.
But for my dad and these men, the risks they took, the wounds they suffered, they did that for their buddies.They may have fought for their country, but they died for their friends, the man in front , the man beside.
And if we truly wish to honor these men, we should remember them the way they really were, the way my dad remember them.