BF2S Forums Remembrance/Veteran's Day - Your family's military history.

My great grandfather was on a convoy routed from Reykjavik to Murmansk with supplies, he was captured and put in a Nazi POW camp he and lots of other POWs were released for some reason in 1943 IIRC.

That's all, unless you count my madman ancestors that ran around with axes killing each other around the year 1000. (Fly Agaric ftw!)

near the end of wwII my dad was a yoeman on a heavy crusier in the pacific. He always wished he had seen more action but served his contry well.

I became second generation american and navy, hell i was born a navy brat. I served briefly in viet nam in the us navy seabees, my biggest regret was coming home to face an ungrateful and hostil nation. it took years, no decades before i got over that but given the choice again, i would go and not come back.

My father was a member of the irish army up until 5 years ago. He did 4 tours of duty in Lebanon(2) cyprus and the Congo. He was 16 when he joined (lied abut his age to get away from his mother) and experienced a ton of fighting in the Congo where he saw a lot of his friends killed. Plus we used to take care of an gentleman who was a member of the IRA who fought with Connolly, Pearse and the lot at the GPO on that faithful day of 1916. I love listening to my dads tales and Old Franks(god rest his soul) story of what happened that faithful day.

We have it far too good these days. These men are and were REAL men.

C.I.P.

in my family we haven't done shit. except hide weapons from the Germans during ww2

WW1
My Great Great uncle Patrick who joined the Black Watch (lied about his age, he was only 16 when he enlisted)
My Grand Father

WW2

My Grand Father & his Brothers - George was Shot down over Hamburg and Died, Rupert I believe was severely wounded, I never met any of these people in my life, but am eternally grateful for the gift of the future they dreamed for, and bequeathed  me, and, laid down their lives for..

The green Fields of France -

Well, how do you do, young Willie McBride,
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside?
And rest for awhile in the warm summer sun,
I've been walking all day, and I'm nearly done.
And I see by your gravestone you were only 19
When you joined the glorious fallen in 1916,
Well, I hope you died quick and I hope you died clean
Or, Willie McBride, was it slow and obscene?

Did they Beat the drum slowly, did the play the pipes lowly?
Did the rifles fir o'er you as they lowered you down?
Did the bugles sound The Last Post in chorus?
Did the pipes play the Flowers of the Forest?

And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind
In some loyal heart is your memory enshrined?
And, though you died back in 1916,
To that loyal heart are you forever 19?
Or are you a stranger without even a name,
Forever enshrined behind some glass pane,
In an old photograph, torn and tattered and stained,
And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame?

The sun's shining down on these green fields of France;
The warm wind blows gently, and the red poppies dance.
The trenches have vanished long under the plow;
No gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard that's still No Man's Land
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man.
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned.

And I can't help but wonder now Willie McBride,
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you "The Cause?"
Did you really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.

Last edited by IG-Calibre (2006-11-11 11:37:28)

My Great Uncle was with the Army in Italy fighting in WWII
My other Great Uncle was a POW during WWII and lost most of his toes during torure and being frozen
My Grandfather fought in Korean War
My Dad was almost drafted into the Vietnam War

I couldn't post about my relatives in the American Civil War if I didn't bash someone's country...

my grandfather on my fathers side served in the navy in WW2, he was on three seperate ships that were sunk. He was also on the Rodney when they sunk the Bizmark. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_bat … ck#Sinking
I dont know much else about his participation in the war as he does not like to talk about it.

My grandfather on my mothers side was involved with tanks in europe, not sure exactly what his part was.
I never met him, and never got to ask him.

My grandmother on my mothers side was living in hollad during the war, apparently when the germans came to her house to search for jews she spit in the soilders face.

Oh wow. Phew, this is an overwhelming thread.. It also amazes me that people from all over the world fought in those wars, not just americans or british. Even little neutral sweden had its heroes; here are some

My grandfather (still alive 85 years old) joined the finns during the winter war to fight the commies, yet he had to watch the swedish-finnish border, so he never saw any actual action.
My other Grandfater (he's alive, 87 years old and danish) fought as a resistance fighter during WW2 and he wasn't that old but he did participate in a few raids and such. His uncle on the other side single handedly captured the Nazi in control in Denmark in the last days of may 1945. Im really proud of him. hes dead tho

My stepdads father (died last year, hes swedish) fought (and its true) in the pacific he was in the USMC and he helped retake the phillipines, and last year when his wife moved from their big house we found an intact japanese uniform in their garage including an Ariska type 65 (i think) rifle. Really cool, even though I dont think it's operable today.

Last edited by Sh1fty2k5 (2006-11-11 15:31:29)

Uncle Merlin, drafted WWII, landed in North Africa, Italy, France, fought his way into Germany.  Died of his wounds when his Jeep hit a land mine during the crossing of the Remagen Bridge. 

Uncle Frank, served in the US Army in the war of the Pacific. Returned home to CA to run a successful plastering business.

Grandfather, served in the US Navy, participating in extraction operations during Maoist incursions into Manchuria, China between WWII and the Korean War. ~Sand Pebbles~

Dad, served on the USS Mattox during the Vietnam war.  Was discharged honorably after discovery of his wife's pregnancy with Me.

Me, served 9 years in the US Army Signal Corps, with time in I Corps, 2ID, 18th Airborne Corps, and the National Guard in 2 states. 

Freedom Isn't Free

Last edited by ifixphns2 (2006-11-11 16:03:06)

This is my first post on BF2S. Been a reader for some time- finally decided to join.

Grandfather- Retired Master Chief (Navy-Vietnam)
Father- Retired Command Sergeant Major (Army from 76-01)
Brother- Current Sergeant First Class w/ 3ID (Army)
Myself- Current Sergeant  (Army) MOS: 11B (Served in Africa, Kuwait, and Iraq)

MTNMAC

Last edited by MTNMAC (2006-11-11 16:50:37)

My Grandfather- Turret gunner WW2
Myself-  24th MEU Marines - Kosovo
Thats it.