"Despite my passion for my men, I cannot better explain why I cannot honor them- the heroes who didn't retreat- by remembering their names. I know it painst me harsh and distant. It has its price. It is a regret that I cannot resolve but will wander the ghostly battlefields of Italy, in my mind, and will always visit me. I do not welcome these memories, but I do not shun the responsibility of carrying them. We did the best we could- and a hell of a lot better than anyone believed we could. We fought fiercely and proudly for a country that shunned us, and we kept fighting because we knew the price of allowing Nazi fascism to rule was far greater than even what we endured. Every time I see a child smile, get to listen to a symphony play, or freely choose a book to read I know we made the right decision. War, however, is the most regrettable proving ground. For the sake of my nineteen comrades, I hope no man, black, white, or any color, ever again has the opportunity to earn the Medal of Honor. War is not honor. Those who rush to launch conflict, and those who seek to create heroes from it, should remember war's legacy. You have to be there to appreciate its horrors. And die to forget them."