Any Veterans Or Heroes Here? Know/known One?

In 1967, my brother was serving in Vietnam, U.S.M.C.
My family did not have a very high opinion of Clay/Ali. And if anyone's familiar with his quotes on the subject, they're not quotes of a conscientious objector who's morally opposed to war.

 

My dad served in WWII in the Field Artillery. Was a farm boy so worked the mule teams that pulled the artillery guns through Austria.

One of my wife's uncles was killed when his bomber crashed in Germany 10 days before the German Army surrendered.

One of my uncles was killed in the Korean War. We weren't close to that family and I never heard the circumstances.

Our son is career Army. He served combat missions in Iraq with the 82nd Airborne. Loves jumping out of perfectly good airplanes and running marathons. Now with the 5th Special Forces Group out of Fort Campbell, KY. One of the most decorated American Culinary Society Chefs currently serving in the military. It's a long story....... My wife and I will visit his family the second week in December to celebrate and late Thanksgiving and an early Christmas... if he's not deployed. Seems to have this "sudden disappearance" thing going since being assigned to the 5th. :>)

 

That's interesting, Will. You have so many relatives who have served….all over the world. That's incredible. I'm very grateful for their contributions. Thank you for telling us.

 

I had a few in the Civil War, including my mother's grandfather who met Pres. Lincoln, and an 18-year-old ancestor who was captured and died 5 months later at Andersonville prison;
Paternal grandfather & his brother served in WW I;
During WW II, my father was a medic on a hospital ship, his youngest brother & my mother's youngest brother were stationed at Pearl Harbor when it was bombed, another uncle was an MP in Panama;
My oldest brother served in Vietnam, youngest brother served stateside;
The youngest of my kids is currently in the military, and so are two of our cousins.

 

I have been researching my ancestry for the past few months and realized that my grandparents had more sons that daughters all of which had served in the military. After my mother past away I was left with all her photos she had cherished over the years and I found this one of my uncle Donnie. I don't know the history but it looks like when he may have been in training when this photo was taken. He died several years ago. I have a niece who is serving in the Airforce and nephew who is now in Afghanistan as a military policeman. My husband is a veteran of the U.S. Navy.

 

Oh Von, what an amazing photo…an incredible find. I love the character marks of worn edges and folded marks but I also love the beauty of the photo itself. A professional can repair all of the lines that weren't part of it originally, maybe enlarge it for you, and then you could frame them both….the original and the restored one.
Good for you to research your ancestry and find this invaluable heritage of military service.

 

Thank you Lara. I often wonder which was taken first.

 

…maybe the same day

 

One of my aunts, serving as a nurse in the Pacific, was interred for two years by the Japanese. I saw the keloid scars on her back. Amazingly, she held no hatred in her heart. She was my role model in many ways. Part of the reason I work with vets, is to honour her memory. RIP ma belle.

 

That's very touching Sacheen. She was a very special lady.

 

Thank you so much Lara.

 

30 months in Viet Nam CWO on Huey Gunship, later a K9 handler after injury, father WW2 Army, uncle WW1 Army

 

Me, too, although a couple years later. I enlisted in 1970.

 

Just a vet. 1968-69, U.S. Army 82nd Airborne UH-1C, UH1-D door gunner attached to the 191st Assault Helicopter Co. Bin Hoa, wounded, grounded and transferred for the remaining 4 months to the 195th Assault Helicopter Co. Long Binh Vietnam as an Aircraft Electrician.