Ina, I had no idea...so many in your family…and your son. Bless your heart, Ina. You must be proud to have so many heroes in your family for generations. You come from good stock, Ina. Very special people. And what a handsome husband he was.
My dad was in the USAAC during WW2. He served as a mechanic and was stationed at Mendlesham base in England, along with his brother. Just wondered if you were familiar with that base.
I served from 1956 til 1962, but my hero is my Dad who fought on Iwo Jima. He is still with us and will be 100 next May. Here he is, on right, after Iwo relaxing in Hawaii.
Dave, thank you for your service and you are blessed to have a Dad you could call "My Hero"…and deservedly so! Iwo Jima and now age 99 1/2 leaves me speechless! All I can say is I'm so grateful for my freedom and our brave men like the two of you.
Thank you for sharing this in another thread @Corie Henson . He is a very special father-in-law and I was touched by your story.
Anna is adorable. You must be so proud of your good-looking sons. I was hoping people would share their photos here. Thank you.
It is, indeed, a good day to visit your Veterans thread, Lara! I was drafted into the Army in 1964 and served two years, State-side. My heroes were my Dad, and older Brother, who served in the Army, and my Uncle, who served in the Navy. They never talked much about it. Let's remember all the young lads and lassies, who never came home, to live their lives, and grow old.
All the males except my youngest son were in the military for the last four generations. So I thought this picture said it all.
I was about to forget the military woman in my family. My grandmother, mother were in the Army, and sister and niece were in the Marines. Here is a picture of both my parents. They married just after WW2.
So many heroes in your family Ina. Thank you for posting both #15 on previous page and this #26. You have good genes Ina.
This thread reminds me of my surprise on the military service as required by the US government of young men to augment their forces in the army and navy. Once celebrated case that I remember is Elvis Presley. Some of my brothers were die-hard Elvis fans so I would hear them talking not only about the music of Elvis but also issues surrounding their idol. I couldn't come to terms at the time why a popular singer like Elvis would be forced to join the army. Why don't they give him an exemption since the guy is contributing to the heritage of the country with his performances. And as an offshoot of his army service, Elvis has made the movie Girl Happy which was shot in Germany. Another case is that of Cassius Clay, the heavyweight boxing champion in the 1960s (when I was born). He chose jail over serving his country as a soldier. That is unfair to Cassius and also unfair to the country. In that jail term (I think it was 3 years) Cassius Clay was converted to Islam and sported the Muslim name Muhammad Ali.
I'm sorry to be writing behind you again Corie. Believe me it's not my intention to follow you but this time I must correct your information regarding Ali. Cassius Clay changed his religious status in 1964 and was drafted in 1967. He was supposed to report to Co.C-4-2 at Fort Polk, La. in that same year for basic training. A deal was offered, even if denied by some sources, that after basic he was to represent the U.S. Army as a pugilist and in a promotional support status. Ali challenged the draft and did go to court whereby he re-enforced his position of being a conscientious objector. At that time his lifestyle nor occupation merited that status and the jury did offer a guilty verdict. He appealed and eventually won (1971) after losing his ability to fight in the U.S. and loss of passport which he later regained. He never served a full day in jail before his conviction nor did he serve any time during his appeal. IMHO........Even though Ali had two very deadly weapons attached to his body and used them to make huge sums of money he stated that he was a conscientious objector. Viewing the number of people who joined the Army as I did, and the number of people who died serving our country at the time........to me he should have been set out from our shores and emulated the sentence of "a man without a country."
It's funny that you should have this post for we are looking at old photos for my Uncle who passed that was in WWII in the 100TH infantry, to give to his son who helps my Mom. We're going to see my cousin on Nov. 23 for a doctor's request of a blood test to be done that my cousin is going to take my Mom for and we'll give him the pictures of his dad the Veteran of WWII. It brought back nice memories of the times we spent together as a family. My Uncle was the party giver in the family too so we miss him a lot. Sorry I'm not home so no pictures.