I was wondering what you know about the Veterans in your family. Do you have a lot of information about them? Is having a Veteran in your family something you take pride in? How does your family honor or show reverence or respect to the Veterans in the family? If you are a Veteran please tell us what being a Veteran means to you personally.

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My paternal grand-father was with the Brits in Palestine and Gallipoli in the First War, and his brother was gassed (not fatally, but fucked him up for the rest of his short life) in France.

The rest of mine were either of the wrong generation or in protected jobs.

Vets, men doing a prick of a job for all of us.

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Calm, quiet, smooth, devastating

My Mom was in the British Army during WWII. Her primary job was to keep track of air traffic coming in across the English Channel. Her secondary job was peeling potatoes in Kitchen Duty in the mornings that she was late for curfew.....oh the stories she had to tell!

I am very proud of my Mom. She was a pip!

My father on the other hand was did his bit during the war too, in a camp being treated less than human. He would never really speak of it. The fact he survived speaks volumes.

His brother who was 8 years older worked for Radio Free Europe and was involved in all sorts of cloak and dagger stuff in order to get people out of harm's way.

My mom's father, was in the army during the first world war and was gassed which indeed did shorten his life.

My mom's sister worked in a plant that manufactured parts for planes and my grandmother volunteered in making up packages for the troops to be sent to them.

The veterans should always be held with special reference for putting their lives at peril, but the war effort was fought by many and I respect them all.

Now..that was then and this is now.

The men and women who went to Viet Nam are not seemingly held in the same reference as the people who participated in the world wars.....they should be for no matter what the politics of the situation was at the time these people either volunteered or were drafted to go to fight, to become prisoners of war, to kill and be killed. Most didn't even know why they were there.....They were upon return not given the ticker tape parades or the kudos that they were entitled to. They did what the government deemed necessary for them to do but in the end, backs were turned on them....it is a gross miscarriage of justice for those that served their country and gave their lives up. They are veterans that deserve the same pride and respect afforded to the men and women that participated in the previous wars.......I should shut up while I am ahead for I haven't mentioned Korea yet





....or the others

But I think you all can get my drift

This is a very relevant question especially over the next few days. I think that younger generations struggle to comprehend the sacrifices that have been made by people over the years in service of their country and continue to do so today in many cases. It is easy if you have a personal reference point eg a family member but not everyone does nowadays. In a way this is good because it means the horrors of war are reaching fewer people.

At the end of the day it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.

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Strength in depth

I believe your most attractive features are your heart and soul

Our family has a long military history that has covered every war or conflict scince the American Revolution. A grandfather that was wounded at Kings Mountain ,a grandfather that was at the Battle of Pearidge,uncles and cousins in both world wars,Korea,Nam ,Desert Storm,Bosnia, to a cousin that has been to Iraq twice.
We are very proud of our history and also know the cost of freedom!!
At our yearly family reunion there is always a toast and a prayer for those that did not come home.
I will never forget what my grandfather told my cousin when he came home from Nam .
"Boy you are a Veteran stand PROUD"

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The mind never forgets what the hands have learned