Do you have a military history in your family?

[buster poser]

In my family, every man my age and older served, plus my girl cousin was in the USMC and ofc Mrs Poser, who did the full 20 in the AF.

Adding a notable one I recently confirmed. Through accident of a conversation with a TDPRIer about geneaology and a distant cousin's personal website covering the topic for our family, I was able to confirm a longstanding family tale about Nathan Hale being a relation. You may know his (surely apocryphal) quote, that he regretted having "but one life" to lose/give for his country.

Nathan Hale - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Nathan Hale (June 6, 1755 – September 22, 1776) was an American Patriot, soldier and spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He volunteered for an intelligence-gathering mission in New York City but was captured by the British and executed. Hale is considered an American hero and in 1985 was officially designated the state hero of Connecticut.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Are the odds pretty good that at least half of us are descendents of Genghis Khan?

 

[P Thought]

While I never served, and looking back often more than not I wish I had.

Yes, me too. My draft number was 253, and I let it go at that, but both grandpas, all my uncles, and my dad served in the military. I think the experience is valuable for most people who survive it, and--I know this now--statistically most people survive it.

 

[BigDaddyLH]

Yes, me too. My draft number was 253, and I let it go at that, but both grandpas, all my uncles, and my dad served in the military. I think the experience is valuable for most people who survive it, and--I know this now--statistically most people survive it.

For the good of the country, I didn't serve

 

[mbapcpppmd]

At least back to the Civil War, most all of the men in my family have served, including me. My daughter was the first woman to serve, enlisting in the U.S. Navy out of high school.

 

[rghill]

Maternal grandfather served in the US Navy around 1920. One of his deployments was in mainland China. He also talked about the USS Arizona when it was commissioned.

His younger brother served in the Army during WW2.

My dad was in the US Air Force and was mostly in Korea and Japan during the Korean conflict.

My son was in the US Marine Corp more recently.

 

[P Thought]

For the good of the country, I didn't serve

I know just what you mean. "Service" might have been a misnomer if I'd done it, too. My dad in his dementia often thought he was in the Army, and his adventures then didn't match with what I knew of his actual duty, which was as a corporal in an office in occupation Germany.

My maternal granddad served on a submarine, and my paternal one on locomotives in France, both during WWI. Most of the uncles I mentioned served during WWII. Dad was younger, Korea vintage, and mom's youngest brother, my Uncle Jack, was stationed in Puerto Rico in the late '50s.

I think all of us are fortunate to have lived in the United States through the longest peace time--I know the term's debatable--in its history.

 

[raysachs]

My Dad was in the Navy for WWII and Korea. Saw some really heavy action in WWII in he Pacific. During Korea, he was mostly in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, nowhere near action. I don’t think either grandfather served - I never knew either of them. My brother dug up a digital copy of my Dad’s Dad’s draft registration card from 1917 - kind of a trip because I was named after him, so seeing my name on a 1917 draft card stirred up some stuff. My brother dodged Viet Nam.

I was in that window of being too young for Viet Nam and already married with kids before Desert Storm. I think most of us who didn’t serve sort of wonder how we’d have done if we’d been in the middle of it, but are mostly glad we never had to find out. I’m basically glad I was never called to serve, but hope that if I had been, I’d have stepped up. I’m grateful to all who have…

-Ray

 

[Keithr41]

Both grandfathers. One flew bombers over Germany in WWII. The other was an officer in the Merchant Marines. His ship was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Madagascar. My father was on the USS Idependance during Vietnam. I did 12 years active duty Air Force then after a break joined the Army National Guard. I’m now a infantry company 1SG and looking forward to retirement.

 

[Chud]

I think that is a fairly common reaction serving in peace time. I felt the same way really until deployed to combat zones. Those experiences change you a lot in regards to your connection to your unit, your comrades, and your patriotism. It all gets wrapped up into one after that where your comrades (those injured or killed) become the same thing as the flag or your branch to you. It is especially true after seeing the flag draped over your buddy at his funeral and one handed to his family.

I still never got a tattoo or joined any VFW / American Legion / etc. groups after discharge. I rarely wear any branch identifying clothing or have bumper stickers, but I do fly flags at my house every day and always will.

I think us Marines are a little more fanatical in general about being Marines, and that either keeps us a lot closer or pushes us way far away after we’re out. After all, once a Marine, always a Marine…so why reenlist

 

[BluesMann]

The first of my family on my fathers side came over in 1859. Settled near Milwaukee, served in the Wisconsin volunteers in the civil war before he was eligible to become a citizen. He came from Bavaria. Then years later, WW2. Grandfather is a master carpenter. He joins Navy and becomes Sea Bee. Rebuilds airstrips during the Island Hopping Campaign from Guadall Canal to the Philippines. My father gets drafted during his junior year studying chemistry so they stick him in the chemical corps. He decides that’s not for him. He can become an officer in the Army Air Force because he had two years college, so he becomes a navigator flying in B-24s. Flys 32 missions right up to a few days prior to D-Day. Rotates back to states starts training on B-29s. After months of training on the B-29, their unit is heading to San Diego to pick up their B-29s to head for Japan in August 1945 when word comes the Japanese have surrendered. Grandfather goes back to carpentry, father makes 29 years career out of the Air Force. I register for draft for Vietnam, but I can’t serve in any branch due to fallen arches. So I went to work for support contractors supporting the armed forces.

 

[middy]

Yes, but thankfully they were all in the States in training roles during WWII and Vietnam.

 

[loco gringo]

My dad in Viet Nam, 1970 or 71. He's the skinny one with the map.

He was in Korea, too. He joined in 1949. He survived both wars, lung cancer, and a heart attack that required a multiple bypass surgery. Alzheimers got him in at 87 years old.

 

[1955]

Back to the Revolutionary War. My ancestors on both sides came to VA in the 1600’s. I came close to enlisting decades ago, but something still didn’t feel right about it. Sad to say, but I don’t regret that decision now.

 

[HoodieMcFoodie]

My father was in the army and served in New Guinea during WWII.

My maternal grandfather was at Gallipoli in WWI.

 

[dspellman1]

While I never served, and looking back often more than not I wish I had.

No you don't.

I served in Vietnam (enlisted, not drafted), earned some medals, did some things I'll never be proud of, killed some people and watched friends get killed.

In the end, I felt it was perhaps one of the biggest wastes of my time and a compromise of what I believed in. Since then we've sent people to die in other pointless "wars." We're constantly finding that there were no WMDs in one war, that the people who destroyed lives and buildings in Manhattan were neither Afghanis nor Iraqis but Saudis, that the people who hid the villain were our "allies" (Pakistan), and that little was accomplished other than the rearranging of contracts for oil processing (in the favor of a Texas company who removed themselves to Dubai).

You didn't miss much.

 

[WireLine]

Dad in Army 32 yrs…I was born in Army hospital, lived most of my childhood/early-mid teens on army bases…graduated from high school on any army base.

Served 15 years myself.

Other than that, no connection

 

[Kandinskyesque]

My father in law done his national service with the Royal Signals, which has left the very sprightly 87 year old with envious self discipline, in sharp contrast to my own father who missed out by being born a few months after the cut off.

My paternal grandmother lost 2 older brothers in WW1 while serving with the Leinster Regiment.

My paternal great-grandfather was involved in the Irish Civil War, I'm not sure on what side and his son (my paternal grandfather) was in the Irish Socialist Volunteers fighting against Franco in the Spanish Civil War.

However, my father and my uncle are very reticent when pressed for information by myself or my cousins about the rather chequered history of their "commie" father.
They only revealed recently that he was a Partick Thistle (Glasgow soccer) supporter and tea total.

 

[CCK1]

I never served, I was among the first generation of young men in a long time that had no draft card, or selective service status. I turned 18 in 1975. But as Jimmy Buffett says, I’m the “son of a son of a sailor”. My father and grandfather both proudly served in the United States Navy. Grandpa in WW1, and my father in WWII.

 

[elihu]

My maternal grandfather was a Marine in the 1920's and was sent to Nicaragua. He told a great story about shooting a giant snake hanging from the rafter in somebody's house using a Thompson 45 caliber sub-machine gun. Then he was assigned to the USS Langley in the 1930's.

My Dad joined the 82nd Airborne right out of high school (only one of two accepted in Council Bluffs, Iowa that year) as a Pathfinder. After that he transferred to the Air Force, flying B-36's and then B-52's. He served 5 tours of duty in Viet Nam. At 68 he passed from cancer that the oncologist ascribed to Agent Orange exposure. And he never talked about Viet Nam until the very end. The thing I remember is him saying that he "knew he was dropping bombs on some poor peasant, his family, their cow and their rice paddy."