Lest We Forget

[exploited]

[exploited]

Took this picture after the ceremony. There were several hundred people out. It was a nice ceremony and there were some pretty humourous moments, like when the speaker butchered the name of our Member of Parliament. Or when the six year old Junior Cadets did their best to stay in formation and seemed to think you need to slam your feet while marching.

[exploited]

Some other stuff I've found. Feel free to post your own family memorabilia guys.

[John Galt]

unmarked grave?

no member of my family was killed in action that i am aware of. of those who served in wars that i am aware of:

brother-in-law, Captain, USAF, Afghanistan
cousin, Corporal, National Guard, Iraq
cousin, Warrant Officer, USA, Iraq
father, Captain, USN, Gulf War
grandfather, Corporal, USAAF, WWII, buried Ft. Snelling
grandmother, Lieutenant, USN, WWII & Korea, buried Ft. Snelling
great-grandfather, 2nd Lieutenant, Artillery, WWI, buried Ft. Snelling

my father has a great photo, maybe 8 inches by 3 feet, of my great grandfather's regiment, but i do not have that

[Kane]

My grandfather on my mother's side landed on Normandy and lived to tell the tale. Apparently he became a drunk upon arriving home.

[Spider]

My brother, Army, Specialist, two tours in Iraq as a medic. He's never said a word about any of it. Don't have a picture of him in uniform here.

My maternal Grandfather, Army, finished as a SSgt., fought in the Aleutians, and later the Philippines Campaign. It's kind of a shame these pictures were colorized.


My paternal Grandfather, Army Air Corps, eventually USAF, retired at Lt. Col., flew P-40's and P-47's in the European Theater, and flew the RB-36 during Korea.



Here he is as of today. Spent the day with him. (which meant cleaning out his gutters while he gave me hell about it:) ) He's fighting skin cancer right now, probably has something to do with all that time at altitude, could also be related to being 97 years old. He insists on driving himself to his radiation treatments every day. Been a ridiculously tough and stubborn cuss his entire life, why change now? Growing up, he was the most influential person in my life.

There are of course many more in my large family over the last couple of centuries, but those are the ones closest to me. My inlaws met while serving in the Canadian Forces (RCN), but I'm not waking up the wife for the details.

[The Comrade]

my grandfather on my mother's side was killed at the battle of boffädies. posthumously awarded the bronze star for saving a member of his squad who was hit by a sniper.

[NAB]

Great thread ex. I’m heading to my dad’s grave at the National Cemetery in our area with my kids later today. Like many, I have a lot of people in my family who served and, luckily, most weren’t KIA.

I have one cousin who was a Navy pilot who was killed a day after the armistice was signed in Korea. I remember my grandmother telling me his story after asking who he was when I saw his military photo as a kid.

I had a great uncle who I actually got to spend a lot of time with growing up who was wounded in Guadalcanal. He showed me the scar from the gut shot he took. Badass Marine that one.

My grandfather flew B-24’s in the Pacific and remained in the Air Force until he retired a colonel. (he originally joined the Army Air Corp). He had 4 brothers who all served in the Pacific as well (they all survived) and they had some amazing stories. Best one was when my grandfather was island hopping he ran into his Seabee brother who was building the new runways on a recently captured island (New Caledonia area iirc) and neither had seen each other in a few years since joining. Was an amazing reunion for them out there on the far side of the planet.

My late father was a serious gung ho Marine who retired as a Master Seargent (refused to go to OCS when offered the opportunity). He did 3 tours in Vietnam (one was voluntary which was a bone of contention between him and my mom forever). Miss him a lot.

[Winchester]

No direct military tradition in my family, they were all on the old side of being drafted or serving during WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Quite a few uncles did. My dad's closest brother served in Vietnam, messed him up and he ended up committing suicide just prior to his 26th birthday (1977). Growing up I never understood my grandmother's alcoholism and thought it was horrible, but now with children of my own that age... yeah I view it with more understanding/forgiving eyes.

[Winchester]