your family's military history

father-drafted and served in vietnam war maternal grandfather-korean war paternal grandfather and great uncle-wwII

as you may imagine, my father pushed me away from any sort of military service. I never needed any pushing away but my mom often use military school as a threat when i was a junevile delinquent.

I think this may be an interesting question for an international site.

jonathan

"The Campbells Are Coming"

nuff said LOL

Uncle on mom's side was in the army, served in Vietnam. Uncle on my dad's side was in the Air Force, stationed all over the world: Iceland, Alaska, Perth, Las Vegas, amongst other places. Worked at Area 51 a bit, still won't talk about it

--some of my ancestors served in the revolutionary war (on the 'terrorist' side).

--my grandfather was a commander in the navy and served in the pacific in WWII. he was then head of the ROTC program for pennsylvania in the 1950s and 1960s.

--my uncle was a second lieutenant in the navy (naval intelligence) and served in vietnam.

--my cousin, fred, was in the marines (?) in vietnam and was killed in action in 1970.

--my cousin ralph was a marine and was stationed in thailand and england. i don't think he went to vietnam.

--my dad was a second lieutenant in the navy (also intel) and worked briefly for the secretary of the navy before being transferred to japan, where he was in charge of the chinese interpreters who would go on submarines and translate morse code coming from the warships above. he left the navy for a combination of reasons: a) he met my mother on the base (she was a DOD teacher) and didn't want to raise a military family, b) he was becoming disillusioned with the war, and c) he didn't like to give orders (he's a librarian--you can see the conflict there).

--my cousin, sean, is a marine and served one tour of duty in iraq. he is now training other marines at a camp in djibouti.

Paternal father : in the Navy. Narvik at the beginning. Then, joined de Gaulle in England. Took part to all the war in cojonction with the Royal Navy on a Free French destroyer (therefore he speaks English and still smokes Player's Navy Cut). Several medails : French, British and two American ones. Met his wife when the war was about to finish. Integrated Air Forces because my grandmother did not want to see him away. Sent to Indochina ! Later, served in Algeria. Last airbase was in France. His military life began with the Munich Agreements and finished with the Algerian's independance.

Maternal father : found asylum in France in the twenties. Become French in the thirties. So, no war for him. He was from this generation who was too young to take part in the WWI and too old to take part in the second. Been asked by Jews who were afraid to be deported to keep their goods instead of being spoiled by Nazis and Milice... Gave back everything, of course, from 1945 to 1951... Sadly, to more relatives than the ones he knew...

Two uncles went to Algeria.

And even if I never took part to any war, made my time (national service) in Alpine troops (where I have been asked wether I wanted to go to Sarajevo - said no). Finished my service in an office of the Ministry of Defence...

• I remember a sergeant by the Alpine Troops, who told me smoking hash late at night, this following sentance which was to be my motto : "In the Army, the only fact to think is already betraying"...

Somehow my ancestors' generations skipped wars. My great grandmother (father's side) was a sister of mercy though in 1915-17 before she turned into a Bolshevik activist in Central Asia. :)

My great grandfather's father (mum's side) was not a young man already when WW1 broke out, so he kept his civil job (architect designer).

So there weren't professional military men in my family (that's why I'm quite aloof to the topic). I had an ancestor, named Alexander Engelhardt, who was an army officer in late 1830s (so says an official order on his promotion).

Oh damn, how come could I forget my uncle who is just 7 years younger than me... He was drafted and served in 1988-90 (tank division) and took part in a chaotic ethnic conflict in the Caucasus Quite stressful.

He spent 'bout four years to get back to normal life afterwards. :(

this is a subject that is not much spoken about in my family. all i know is that my mother's father spent five years in ian's country after wwii. i believe that he was of that unfortunate age where he also saw service in wwi.

My Grandpa (my father's father) was brutally murdered in WWII.

Reckon I'll have plenty to talk about to my grandchildren too ha ha

Here are some pics from my family archive.

My great grandfather's parents (ca. 1900):

And my great grandmother in 1914:

Cool photos.

My Grandad was in the Navy in WW2 and I was in The Gulf in '91 and Northern Ireland in '93.

We're a pretty conflict-free family... I think a great uncle was killed in WWII... Apart from that it's all peace and love round here...

Snorri xxx

Okay on my fathers side- my grandfather was in the Brittish navy, im not sure of the details but i think he joined in Argentina, or was posted in Argentina, they made a trip to new york around 1918? not sure, but he jumped ship and stayed.i have a cool picture of him in his uniform and you can just read the ships name on his cap, it was the sutherland. my dad was in the army, duing & After WII, and was stationed in germany, although i think he missed most of the combat he was more in the cleanup phase. his older brother was in combat in WWII he survived, but died later in a car accident on his way to Pennsylvania. their younger brother was a marine, not sure he saw combat.

my mothers side

my grandfather was a in the Army and a prisoner of war in WWII, was feared dead for about 2 years but Came home fine after the war

as you can tell my Dad was a lot older than my mom

i thought about sighning up when i was like 16(i just watched full metal jacket or something) but quickly changed my mind

We Ebars (Guevaras) have slacked since WWII. My grandfather and his two brothers served in the USAAF, two in the 9th AF and the youngest a P51 jock in the Pacific. Their uncle was one of the federalis that chased poncho Villa.

Another branch of Ebars that did not leave Spain fought with the Blue Division against the USSR, specifically the battle for Leningrad.

My maternal great Uncles served with distinction, one as an army scout in the PTO, the other as a FAO in ETO. The latter was in the Battle of the Bulge and was ordered to guard a road. He recalled the night a jeep came down the road and his buddy shot the driver twice in the head. They were SS disguished as US.

My step grandfather (maternal) served in the army in the Pacific. Guadalcanal. He witnessed his CO getting fragged by the company hardcase when the ship hit the beach. Quite a gentle person, he rarely talked of the horrors he saw.

Since that war nobody has served. I was going to join the NG after HS and did take the test but declined after receiving a scholarship. I would have gone to Germany. I regret this. Mom was afraid I'd get sent to Elsalvador since Reagan was POTUS.

I forgot to say that I was in The Royal Army Medical Corps; just in case anyone thinks I'm an ex-gun toting loon!

OK... I may be a bit of a loon, but that's all...

Erm...My Grandad was in the RAF in WWII

And 2 of my great-uncles died in WWI

you all guys have a really great military stories, here is mine: my grandfather was killed fighting against SS squadron in Monte Cassino, Italy, trying to get the fookin hill with old abbey-fortress, WWII.

Grandad..James Windom Brown in the army ,Combined British Forces champion boxer in 1930's(AKA Jack Brown)Bit of a legend in the Brown clan..

The story goes...He battered a Seargent with a couple of well aimed digs, who liked to pick on the milkman that delivered to the barracks each day..The Colonal was a boxing enthusiast who promptly put him on the boxing team and Grandad never looked back...turning pro upon leaving the army,ultimatly fighting for the European Title,fighting for the last six rounds with a brocken hand and losing,still on his feet after 15 rounds.A hard Bastard,but lovely man

Spotnick wrote:

In fact I think I've never met anybody who had been in the army.

But you know me.

Anti Air Defence 2001 - 2003

Never again, ta very much

Maya wrote:

Spotnick wrote:

In fact I think I've never met anybody who had been in the army.

But you know me.

Anti Air Defence 2001 - 2003

Never again, ta very much

me too 1988-1990 with 21 days in a jail, I was a bit naughty as a soldier, hehe

Maya wrote:

Spotnick wrote:

In fact I think I've never met anybody who had been in the army.

But you know me.

Anti Air Defence 2001 - 2003

Never again, ta very much

you was Anti Air Defence? that makes it sound like you were against Air Defence.Like you would sabotage the attempts to thwart atttacks from the air.

A Sabotuer?

Johnny "Two Sheds" Jackson wrote:

Like you would sabotage the attempts to thwart atttacks from the air.

Correct

... or is it Air Force and Air Defence or whatever you call it ...

I know a lot about rockets and stuff but shhhh can't tell, it's a top secret!! hee hee

I dunno about you but the thought of Maya armed with anything more dangerous than a paper plate scares the bollox out of me :D

Steve Campbell wrote: I dunno about you but the thought of Maya armed with anything more dangerous than a paper plate scares the bollox out of me :D

I'm staying quiet, don't want to upset her again! :)

Snorri xxx

arek p. wrote:

Maya wrote:

Spotnick wrote:

In fact I think I've never met anybody who had been in the army.

But you know me.

Anti Air Defence 2001 - 2003

Never again, ta very much

me too 1988-1990 with 21 days in a jail, I was a bit naughty as a soldier, hehe

yeh but it was my job, not a call to duty

Interesting; when I visited the village in Italy where my grandfather was born, there was a monument to all the men in the village who had been killed in WWI. Noboduy from my family. Makes sense, because afterwards, I did some research, and discovered that my two great uncles emigrated to America just a few months before WWI broke out. Coincidence? I think not. My paternal grandfather was too young to serve, but the two brothers who were just the right age for military service somehow ended up abroad when war broke out.

My maternal grandfather was just the right age for service in the U.S. military WWI, but somehow never served.

Too old for service in WWII.

My father was just the right age for servcie during the Korean War, so his mother enlisted him in the Coiast Guard, far away from any bullets, stray or otherwise.

A long tradition of staying alive in my family. :D

Anyone a member of the KISS Army??

arek p. wrote: you all guys have a really great military stories, here is mine: my grandfather was killed fighting against SS squadron in Monte Cassino, Italy, trying to get the fookin hill with old abbey-fortress, WWII.

Very well known battle here. What did your grandfather do there ? I thought it was French army of Nothern Africa which had been "butchered" there...

great stories here of the enlisted 'just doing their job. wow. have a ton of respect for anyone involved. any history is a few generations back- & mostly w/ WWI. some Navy service & a field surgeon.

Great-grandad killed in WW1. Er...that's it, as far as military history goes, apart from some great uncles in WW2. It was the drink that killed him - he drank so much he couldn't hold down a job so decided to volunteer just for the steady wage in 1914. Perhaps not a smart move in retrospect. Got shot by a German sniper at Ypers. He was Irish and I don't think he even liked the British that much - great grandma was certainly of Irish nationalist persuation.

Well here we go:

Supposidely Gen Sherman, of the civil war Union side, was my great-uncle. Not sure how valid, but have been told that by my father.

Grandfather was a Marine and stormed the beaches of Iwo Jima for WWII

Father was a capt. in the Marines during Vietnam, but never deployed.

Uncle was a Marine, deployed in the eighties, but forgot where. Think it Beiruit.

I've been a Marine for 9 years, been over in Ar Ramadi, Iraq for a 9 month deployment.

Other than that not too sure as I'm not too good at our family history.

JHC

I lost an uncle in WW2. My father also fought in WW2, North Africa and also helped train Tito's troops to liberate Croatia from Nazi occupation at the end of WW2 with my Dad's SBS squad.

my brother saw service in the Falklands, in the 1st gulf war and latterly in Iraq. my grandmothers brother was in the RAF bomber command and got shot down in Germany. I went to vietnam for a holiday in 2002 and it was jolly nice.

My great grandad, Captain T Dorrell was born in 1874 and was awarded a Victoria Cross for saving the lives of his colleagues in a trench in WW1.

He went on to father 22 children by the same woman; bizarre character all round.

Since then, fuck all.

im actually related to col bob stewart,current media fave with the brit press when asking for quotes ect,cousin in fact. but on a cooler note i actually own a ww1 frying pan which some poor sod from the 13th inf had to lump around with them in the trenches. best pan ive ever had,copper handle though so it does get a bit hot,ouch.

to add to before: my mother joined the department of defense as a teacher. she hadn't thought much about the vietnam war because she felt disconnected from it. however, her favourite cousin, fred, had joined a few months earlier. he wanted to do a tour of duty before he entered college. she didn't think much of it.

when she was in seattle preparing to leave on a military plane to tokyo for her assignment she called her mother to say goodbye. her mother was clearly upset. word had just come home that fred had been killed in action.

she sat on the plane for 12 hours no longer feeling detatched from the war and suddenly questioning her upcoming work for the department of defense--even as a teacher.

i'm glad she went though, as she met my father and they spent two years in japan, after which time they were married and moved back to the states as a civilian couple.

68 Pontiac wrote: I've been a Marine for 9 years, been over in Ar Ramadi, Iraq for a 9 month deployment. JHC

You're the most unusual of NO fans. I understand you were doomed to be in the military due to your glorious family tradition but it's hard for my mind to embrace these facts with a dark English band from Manchester :) Absolutely astounding

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote:

68 Pontiac wrote: I've been a Marine for 9 years, been over in Ar Ramadi, Iraq for a 9 month deployment. JHC

You're the most unusual of NO fans. I understand you were doomed to be in the military due to your glorious family tradition but it's hard for my mind to embrace these facts with a dark English band from Manchester :) Absolutely astounding

Curious to your meaning. Is it that everyone else "wants to turn it on by laying in bed?", or are NO fans more likely to be war protesters than being involved in one?

Interested in your thoughts

JHC

Twist, singer of the Blessing Way wrote: Anyone a member of the KISS Army??

mum was in the brownies.

da was in the cubs. he got cub of the month twice. he served for four years and toured mainly north wales and shropshire. His main fighting was done in the food tent each morning over the baked beans pan. He discharged himself after getting the big panda badge. His service to God and the Queen was now complete.

:)

68 Pontiac wrote:

|| | ||| 6217|| 8 || 3 wrote:

68 Pontiac wrote: I've been a Marine for 9 years, been over in Ar Ramadi, Iraq for a 9 month deployment. JHC

You're the most unusual of NO fans. I understand you were doomed to be in the military due to your glorious family tradition but it's hard for my mind to embrace these facts with a dark English band from Manchester :) Absolutely astounding

Curious to your meaning. Is it that everyone else "wants to turn it on by laying in bed?", or are NO fans more likely to be war protesters than being involved in one?

Interested in your thoughts JHC

It has nothing to do with "war protesting", I believe it's more with life style. It's hard to hit clubs, buy records, etc., when you face a front.

Aaahhhh. I understand. Yeah, I can see that. Actually most of those in the military listen to one of three things:

1. Heavy Metal
2. Country
3. Rap

Alternative, NO; Smiths; Cure, type stuff is rare. If I ever meet up with one, we become almost best friends almost immediately.

JHC

J.A.K wrote: mum was in the brownies.

i wore my brownie, then girl scout, uniform to school proudly. beanie and all.

you've still got it, havent you?

Uncle Liam wrote: you've still got it, havent you?

i left the girl scouts after i became a junior (that's about age 8-9 if i remember correctly). i've no idea what happened to my uniforms. my cousin is in his 40s and is still in the boy scouts. he's the head of some regional center in portland. that's devotion.

AgentWood wrote:

Uncle Liam wrote: you've still got it, havent you?

my cousin is in his 40s and is still in the boy scouts.

It's hard to judge him

I had one Grandfather joined USMC and served in the Pacific during WWII while the other was drafted into the Army and served in the European Theater.

My Dad was career Army and served in Vietnam.

Me...Lets just say I have parachuted into quite a few countries as a member of the U.S. Army.