Soldiers from your famlly

Nice thread.

Great Granddad was a British soldier in ww1 part of a Highlander Regiment, and then he was part of the ARP during the Battle of Britain at night and worked in a munitions plant creating bullets during the day.


ONe of my Grandfathers was a paratrooper with the British 6th Airborne, although never say battle due to his age, he did how ever look after pow's and helped the cleaning up of the pacific ring when he turned 18.

My other Grandfather was a submariner in the RN, he never talked about the war, and I never met him, and all I know was that he was the boats cook.

My Father was a electrican on a Frigate in the NZ Navy.

2 Uncles currently in the Australian Army.

Just looking at all the posts, it is amazing how around 60 years later from ww2 we can see the diversity of all those involved in the war. How each man had his different postings and ranks, and how they did 'their part' for the war effort.
I find it amazing. Now I wonder how many of them knew each other at one point or another, whether they were unit members or maybe member 1's father saved members 2 father from the Mediterranean.

Truly amazing.

 

One of my mums Uncles was shoot by Germans soildiers,not sure if he killed any germans though.
He had bullet scares. preetty cool.

 

I was originally born in London England, But I live in Texas (and have Texas Accent)

My grandfather James birdsall was in the RAF during world war 2. He has a photo him self during ww2 behind a jeep with his pistol drawn at someone, I really need to ask him about..

My great uncle served on the HMS Bulldog.

My other Grandfather served The Royal Navy
When I was a child he told me a story of how his ship forced a German Uboat to beach. I once again need to talk to my faimly about that story.

My Grand mothers worked in factorys in ww2 building bombers, One told me about how she would walk home at night from work the lights to the city would shut off and she could see the faces of the German pilots who flew over her to bomb the city. That was in Whales.

Out of all of them my Grandfather who served in the Navy is no longer alive. Almost all of my family served Britian during the war there is much more to add.

 

I dated a girl here in Texas that was the great great daughter of Jeronimo!
She looked 100% white.

 

I don't have any relatives that served in the Military, but My Grandfather and his brother worked for the Dutch resistance! IMO, that makes them soldiers, of a sort!

 

Whenver I think of the Dutch Resistance, I think of the movies. They always depect them wearing a cap with a machine gun strapped to them, Being cool smoking a cig.

 

That is so true! And usually with a bicycle close by too!

 

HMS Bulldog, destroyer

 

One grandfather served during the Pacific campaign from '41 to '45 driving an LVT tank. He was in Okinawa, Leyte/Philippines.... He's still alive and kicking at 89 years old...

Funny thing is, where my grandfather used to live for 30 years, he ended up being good friends with a former German soldier who served from '39 to wars' end. That gentleman migrated to the US in 1954 if I remember. I met him once and got a few good stories out of him. I only knew him as Mr. Pete.... LOL - sadly, he passed away 5 or 6 years ago.

My other grandfather was a waist gunner for a B-17 crew. I have been trying to get my mother to find some artifacts from that for me to share and for me personally. He passed a year before I was born in 1971.

My father is a Vietnam vet who served his 365 during the Tet Offensive. He was primarily a radio operator and during fire-fights would help 'feed' the M60. My father is still alive and well and is very open on discussing his wartime experience. He was 19 when he was drafted.

 

My two grand-grandfathers were soldiers. They battled together (in different divisions, but on one front) in world war 2. They protected soviet convoies from fascists. I'm not sure, but I think they also battled in russian civil war at 1917 year. Aslo, my father served two years in Soviet Army. He could go to Afghanistan, but thanks God, he didn't go there.

 

On my wife's side one grandfather fought in Flanders and got the Croix de Guerre with 2 citations , another grandfather was a cook in the French army. On my side :A great uncle was a baker in the Dutch army.

 

Skipper...I see a trait somewhere here...Bet you make great pancakes?? Sorry Crepe Suzzette...

If you want to get on in the forces...find a cook for a mate...

 

Well , the story is quite funny. The man sent his application form to.... General Juin himself. Imagine his surprise when he actually got a job near his home as a cook. Unfortunately he wasn't very disciplined (fighting all the time) and he didn't get on well with his Officer. One day he beat him up and got transferred.... This must have been just before the Phoney war. I don't know what happened to him then. I supposed he sent to anoher unit. He survived the war. He never surrendered and evaded capture and hid in farms in Northern France and was never caught in 4 years. I don't think he was a partisan, he merely survived by doing farm work and taking food from the Germans.

 

List includes all services:-

Uncles:-
Joe - Ordnance Corps WW I
Fred - 26th Infantry WW I
John - 26th Infantry WW I

Brothers:-
George - USMC WW II
Joseph - USN WW II
Charles - USN Navy Lifer
Me - US Army

Cousins:-
John - US Army(West Point Grad) WW II etc.
Daniel - USN WW II
Cornelius - US Army WW II
Leo - US Army WW II
Fred - US Army WW II
Margaret - US Army Nurse WW II

Sgtleo

 

My Dad -- US Navy in WWII (but got out of training to late to see combat)
Maternal Grandfather -- RAF in WWII (navigator, I think, but Mum never seems to have the info when I ask her)
Maternal Grandfather -- US Army in WWI (eventually died from exposure to mustard gas, I think)

 

Let's see:


In the distant past...

A GGGrandfather and his grandson (my Grandfather) fought on the CSA side during the War of Northern Aggression

2 half-uncles - WWI veterans

WWII

One ex-Uncle-In-Law - B-29 Navigator..won the Silver Star WWII

One Uncle - Sgt in US Army WWII

His son - my cousin - US Navy WWII

Another Cousin - US Army the Pacifc & Japanese Occupation

Yet another cousin - US Army - Interior Training WWII

More recent:

My oldest son - 5 years in USAF

Moi - 20 years/16 days - USAF

One cousin in the uS Navy for 10 years during Nam

Oh, and still another cousin...well, he didnt last too long at West Point; he did march in General MacArthur's funeral with the USMA Cadet Corps

 

I have a Great Grandfather who was an Officer for Fulgencio Batista and fought against Castro during the Cuban Revolution. Survived the Revolution and fled Cuba to Miami. Passed away March 2008, 99 years old.

Grandfather who also was an Officer in Fulgencio Batista's army. He was a 1st Lieutenant at the age of 20 I believe, and was the youngest officer to defeat Castro's forces in a battle. Also fled Cuba after Castro took over, but returned a few years later in the Bay of Pigs invasion. He also joined the Marines while in the US and retired as a Captain. Passed away about 12 years ago from Cancer.

My grandmother's brother (grand uncle?; Son of my Great Grandfather listed above) who also happens to be my Godfather participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion. He is still alive today.

My uncle was in the Marines. But, to his dismay, he blew out his knee on his second jump after becoming a Marine. This ended his military career and is now a police officer.

Also have a great uncle who served as a fighter pilot in Cuba's air force until Castro took power.

 

My step Dad's side :
War of 1812 story goes there was an Uncle at Ft. Mchenry
1900 +/- 2 uncles chased Pancho Villa
WW1 Grand Father was an ambulance driver.....he was 17
WW2 Step Dad joined the Army- ETO w/3 stars, CIB, PH, BS

My Father:
His Father Wermacht Captured in North Africa or Sicily
Father Air Force stationed in Alaska 65-67

Mother's side:
WW2 Grand Father he was a welder and built ships in Benicia/ Bay area
WW2 Uncle 25th Div. New Guinea, Phillipines
VN Uncle Marines 66-70 Khe San, Tet, Hue- SS, PH(x2)

ME Marine '86-'88 "I" Co 3/7 , '88-'90 "D" Co 1/1, GW1 2 Mar.Repl.BN.2 Mar Div.
(And I was in the National Guard '97-'02)

 

Truely a military family I see.

 

The old history is sort of fuzzy. The first stories of my family serving in the military was two great-great-great-great somethings who came over to fight in the US Revolutionary War on behalf of the British. They were Hessians. After the war, they decided to stay.

There is not much else to be found until the US Civil War, when dozens of assorted family members served in the Confederate Army scattered in regiments raised in East Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. I heard tell of one that went north, but nobody really acknowledges him. No family members joined the army after the Civil War until WW1.

We had distant cousins and great uncles in WW1, but the details of their service is not well known, to me anyway. My uncle served as a tail gunner in a B-17 in WW2. My dad got drafted when he was 18 and was sent to Korea to fight with the 17th Infantry (7th Div). He said that he didn't have a good time over there, it was cold and a lot of the people he faced were hostile and unpleasant. We had some distant cousins in Vietnam, but none that I personally knew. I joined the army and served in Alaska with the 172nd LIB, and later the 82nd Airborne Division. It was cold in Alaska, like it was in Korea where my dad was, but at least nobody was shooting at me. My brother joined right after I got out and served as a helicopter pilot. He flew various types of rotory wing aircraft, but considers himself a Cobra Gunship pilot to the end. One cousin was an officer in the Marine Corps, and another joined the Navy as a medic. He got assigned to a Marine unit on Okinawa. Another cousin is an Air Force officer, and is still in dental school, so he probably won't have too many war stories to tell, which is a good thing. My nephew is currently in the Air Force. He was a mechanic on B-52's, but now serves in the ground crew to the squadron that services the Air Force 1 group. He's been in for six years now, and plans to stay. That's about it.