ed_benoit_ama

"If I was drafted into the service and they said, 'Ok, you're going to Afghanistan', I'd say, 'Ok, find me in Canada.' It's such a pointless war. We're doing nothing but hurting our young people and their country. And our young people can't afford to go to school, but we're pouring billions of dollars into this war. It's like Iraq: it's a long, pointless war. And in the end, who wins (between us and the terrorists)? They do. We're hurt and innocent people are hurt."

"Appreciate it, man!" (laughing, he had a real hippie work for him on one of his golf courses and loved the fact that he called everyone "man". My grandfather: "He's gonna turn around to his family, 'Hey, everyone, this old geezer just called me 'man!'")

"No, I don't think so. You've gotta remember that when the war broke out, I was in High School and dropped out to go into the service. You've gotta remember that at the time we felt that we'd been attacked, and that we had to protect our country and, more importantly, our families. And all the young American boys thought that was the best thing today. Today, I would hesitate greatly before going into the service, because I feel as though the warfare going on is doing our families nothing good, and it's doing a great deal of damage to families that are coming home in pieces or not at all, and like Vietnam we have nothing to show for it but casualties."

"Throughout the South Pacific theater, mostly in the Bismarck Archipelago, through the Philippines, the coast of New Guinea...all over!" And on his service: "Well, what I see today of my grandchildren made it all worthwhile (:'))"

Going through: "Well, I was young, I was ten years old, but I do remember...I was one of seven, and I remember people bringing baskets of food to the house, and it embarrassed my father and mother so much, it was the first time I saw my father cry (laughs). But we lived through it, because our parents never let us know that we were going through hardships. You know, they never sat down and told us "Listen, kids, we don't have enough money for food." We made do. We farmed most of our vegetables and ate our own food. But I was one of millions who went through it, and there were a lot worse off than us. Many didn't have facilities to grow their own food."

And, "hey, there!"