When Nora's dad died, she lost his stories — the ones that she’s not sure she can quite remember right, and the ones she never knew ... like the stories from his time as a Recon Marine in Vietnam.

Nora decides to look up some of the men he served with. What unfolds is Nora discovering a story about a single day — September 20, 1968 — and the patrol where two men were killed. Nora’s father was on that patrol. It was one of his first. As Nora learns about those men and that day, she discovers that it had a profound effect on shaping everyone who was there.

If you have a veteran in your life (and you do), you should sit down with them and ask about their experiences. And, if you can, you should document it. The Story Corps project has a great app that can help walk you through interviewing, recording, and submitting your oral history interview to the Library of Congress.

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