re: My great uncle gave his life to the country he loved.

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He actually wanted to be a pilot but had some medical condition (maybe too tall? My grandmother said that but I know if that's true).

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It's possible. The problem was that the pilot's parachute was located under the seat. Neal Boortz's dad wanted to be a fighter pilot but was too tall. He agreed to fly with no parachute so that it could be removed from under the seat and the seat lowered. They took the deal and he flew.