My uncle Phil. I remember him as the cool uncle who drank rum & coke, got a new Cadillac every three years, and always brought the fireworks.
Phil spent time in Vietnam. He was behind the lines as a supply clerk, back when the Army had such things. I have a whole stack of letters from him during his time in Vietnam. He writes about normal stuff – money, his car, how his family is doing. I guess much of life is universal (even before the internet).
He was the uncle who always gave me money for my birthday, which I loved. He died three days before my 7th. He was 45, the same age I am now.