Our  neighbor Mark Washburn, a columnist at The Charlotte Observer who lives in the McConnell neighborhood, writes that he’s been going to his dad’s Navy reunions for years. But it has only been late in his dad’s life that the real stories emerge – like the one about the role his dad’s ship played in World War II. Mr. Washburn wrote about it in a Friday column titled “Veterans’ stories come to light as their sunset nears.” One of our readers was struck by the column and suggested a link. Here it is.