Eerily similiar to my dad and my relationship with him. He was also a John Wayne loving hard line conservative and staunch republican. He was a fan of Reagan and daddy Bush. He was racist. My mom is liberal, but never discussed politics with my dad.
I never agreed with my dad's views, but I understood why he had them. He was born on a military base, raised hard. He was his fathers doppleganger. He served in vietnam until he got shot.
I was too my father's photo negative. He used to call me his clone, but as I learned from him and my mother, and looked at the world with my own eyes, I decided on what I felt was right, and more than often that clashed with views of my father. I too made my peace with my father as he lay on his death bed. Cathartic indeed.