This is an IHeart podcast.

And we continue here on our American stories.

And now it's time for another installment of the McClellan files,

where we go deep inside the life of Bob McClellan, someone you don't know, but whose life

and whose voice, well, you're sure to be captivated by. And today, Bob, who's a Marine,

shares a story about his dad, who also happens to be a Marine.

After getting my dad settled in the living room for a short visit after my parents' divorce,

my father and I sat on the couch to have a beer and watch some TV.

Sitting next to him, I noticed how much he'd aged.

His six-foot two-inch frame combined with his broad shoulders and chest gave no hint that he'd lost any of his power.

But he was heavier and softer. His hair was graying,

and the creases in his face were deeper. As he leaned forward on the couch to reach his beer and

cigarettes, I had to admire how formidable he still looked. He was aware of what was happening to him,

but he didn't care. He had no interest in prolonging a life that he felt had exhausted its excitement and purpose.

He'd become bored.

There were no more wars to fight, no more women to love or children to raise.

Left without these, his passion for life was diminished, and his interest in life had become lackluster,

so he saw no sense in prolonging it.

Life had become a still photo rather than a motion picture.

His coming to a visit instilled some real anxiety in me.

I knew what to expect from him. As the chain of command

drove the hierarchy in his house growing up, it would be like that here. He'd won it that way.

...