My dad was in Vietnam and saw actual combat. Army sergeant, two tours, came home with a Bronze Star. He’s talked about it twice ever.
My grandfathers both served navally in World War II. My mom’s dad was in the Royal Canadian Navy. Short guy. Served on a submarine. My dad’s dad served on a ship in the Pacific in the US Navy. He apparently knocked out an officer–or officer’s kid, I can’t remember–with a nightstick for not showing ID at a checkpoint at port. He got thrown in the brig for that. There was also apparently something involving local girls in Hawaii, but I was never old enough for that story. And he was apparently the best boxer in his weight class on his ship.
My parents had the good sense to have been born in 1934, so that they were soldier age in the late 1950s and early '60s, during peacetime. They were exactly the right age to fall into the crack between Korea and Vietnam. My dad was in ROTC in college and served 2 years in the Army in the late '50s… but he spent the whole tour of duty in San Francisco, and had a really nice time in a cool city with no war. Smart dad.
My parents were born in the early 60s, so they weren’t adults for any really major wars. But my grandfather signed up to fight in WWII right after high school and was literally on the boat to go fight in Japan when the A-bombs dropped. As my mother likes to tell it, we would probably have never been born were it not for the nukes.
My dad graduated from St. Michael’s Catholic High School in Henryetta, Oklahoma in 1942.
I mention that because Catholic boys’ schools were known at the time to teach short hand and typing (I would guess typically thought of as a female task at the time).
Anyway… to make a long story short; my dad was drafted; never went through basic training; was made a general’s aid in the army; and spent his entire military commitment working in the Pentagon wearing civilian clothing.
During WWII, my father was a tail gunner in a B-17 (Europe) and a tail gunner in a B-29 (the Pacific). He was later grounded for flying fatigue and served as a corpsman on Truk island where he earned a bronze star. He also had to bail out once in each theater, fortunately, over the airfield.
He came home sober and sane. I have no idea how he managed to do that considering what I’ve read about flying in a bomber. He was a quiet bad-ass.
Civil War
Great grandfather on mom’s side volunteered for a Wisconsin regiment. Took part in Sherman’s March to the Sea.
WWII
Mom: librarian, AFAIK.
Dad: not entirely sure. I know he was in the South Pacific and spent some time between Orange, TX, a destroyer escort (on which he was in fire control), and a troop ship.
Uncle (Dad’s brother): aircraft carrier, no idea in what capacity.
Vietnam
Eldest sister: public relations for the Marines, Quantico.
Eldest brother: Army border patrol, Berlin.
Dad was an infantryman in the US Army. 35th Infantry Division, served in some of the bloodiest combat in the Pacific Theater in early 1943 in Guadalcanal. Came back with a Purple Heart, but unfortunately did not come back with all of his parts. He left part of a lung, two ribs, and a kidney, on the surgeons table. Also left a big part of himself there, in that he came back to the states in constant pain, and was an alcoholic for the rest of his life.
War took a lot from him, and from our family as well.
My grandfather (like the rest of West Point’s class of 1944) was commissioned on D-Day and shipped off to war shortly thereafter. He was in Europe with the 70th and 78th Infantry Divisions for the tail end of WWII. He was in an administrative posting in Washington and an instructor at Fort Benning during the Korean war. During Vietnam, he was the XO (I think) of the 1st Cavalry (Airmobile) Division, chief of staff of I-Corps (still in South Korea at the time), and then CO of the 82nd Airborne. He retired in 1979, and passed away about five years ago.
My dad went to military high school in Wisconsin. After graduation he went into the Army in the Finance Corps, he made sure everybody got paid. He was stationed in Germany in the early 50’s, not a bad gig honestly. I wasn’t able to understand the details, but apparently he was involved in the black market when the currency changed over. He was able to buy the expiring currency from the locals for next to nothing and he had the contacts to get the correct exchange rate before the old script expired.
My Dad was USAF during Korea but spent most of his time in Iceland. He was a Weatherman. His childhood best friend was Army and never came home from Korea.
My Grandfather was Merchant Marine in WWII and very near the front often. Once while in Italy they were strafed while at the dock. One Great Uncle was Army Air and never came home 4 more uncles were Merchant Marine.
I was Navy but was only Inactive Reserve by the time Desert Storm took place. I had done my 4 years active earlier but many of my friends were still on the USS Ranger that was in the Persian Gulf.
