Military Families

The thread showing the pictures of the cats and marines made me think of two questions.

How many cat site members are also members of the military, retired or active, or who also have family members who are military. Thanks to all who serve or have served. We love and appreciate everyone of you.

I will answer first. I have never served in the military. My son served in the US Marine Corp, all stateside duty.

My baby cousin is a captain in the US Army. He has been to Iraq 2 or 3 times but is now stateside.

Another cousin did a stint in the Army and his brother and my nephew were Marines. Nephew was in Operation Desert Storm.

I come from a military family. I have never served, but my father was in the Army for one tour and then was in the Army Reserves for 20+ years. My great-grandfather (my grandmother's dad) and my grandfather (my mom's dad) served in the US Army as career army men. My grandfather died while actively serving, though not related to his Army assignment. All of my mom's uncles served in some branch of the military during WW2 and after, Army, Navy, and Air Force. Both of my mom's brothers served, one in the Army and one in the Air Force.

Currently, I have one cousin who's in the Army. He's currently stationed in Germany.

DH was enlisted AF for 6 years. My stepfather is retired AF. My step-brother served in the army and my other step-brother is supposed to be joining soon. Both my Grandfathers and one Grandmother served during WWII. My father was also in the Army for a short time. My cousin's husband is a Marine and currently deployed.

My step-grandfather served in the Army for many years and retired with a LOT of stripes. I can't remember his rank; but basically if he shows up on a military base still people will start hopping. I don't know what the deal was this particular time; but he came down to see us and went on the base to go to the store and some of the higher-ups got upset they didn't know he was coming. He has some of the most awesome stories about his time served. He could go on for days!!

My step-dad is one of 8 kids. Most have been enlisted in either the Air Force, Army or Coast Guard...or married to someone who was. 3 also either were or are police officers. I guess it was just ingrained in them you could say.

DH's grandfathers were both Navy. His mother's father passed down in Panama when she was a small girl.

Many of my friends are military wives too. And many of the people from our church are or were as well. Every Memorial Day when we recognize our active duty and veterans it's like at least half the church stands up; some quite reluctantly. So you can see we are a very military oriented family....

my great grandfather and grandfather both served, but I have not and cannot due to a heart problem.
I have a lot of friends that are enlisted though. 3 in the AF 1 in the Army and 1 in the Navy

Grandad, dad, brother, sister all served. Sis is a Captain currently, but not deployed right now. *whew*

I'm the only one not to join, although I did get very close to joining the nuke program on a submarine for the Navy before some sailor friends successfully talked me out of it at the last minute!

Oh good grief...I forgot my brother-in-law.... currently enlisted Navy. I think that's it...

My maternal grandfather was in the Navy back in WWII. He was at Pearl Harbor when the attack happened. He was only in the Navy for 18 months but it had a huge impact on him (not good ). My maternal grandmother was in the Army, she was WAC before they called it WAC . She worked with the Code Talkers. She had to get out once she got pregnant with my uncle, though. So she wasn't in very long.

My dad is a 20-year Navy veteran. All of my uncles were in some form of the Service at some point, except one with medical issues.

Originally Posted by Ducman69

I'm the only one not to join, although I did get very close to joining the nuke program on a submarine for the Navy before some sailor friends successfully talked me out of it at the last minute!

Click to expand...

Lucky you. We had a grad student with us who just left to join the nuclear Navy on a submarine. We even have an Annapolis grad / former nuke navy who talked to him and we couldn't talk him out of it. I suggested that, at the very least, he finish his Masters degree before he went in, but he was set on getting in as soon as possible.

As for me, I'm a West Point grad. I served for five years in the Army, including a brief stint in Bosnia. I got out in 2000. Most of the guys I went to school with and that stayed in are getting promoted to lieutenant colonel and taking command on battalions now. Those guys seemed ancient when I was in and it makes me feel really old. As for kitties, I didn't really have them until the last year that I was in and had a permanent (civilian) girlfriend. There were a lot of abandoned cats around my military post and it didn't seem responsible to take them in if I could be deployed on a moment's notice.

My dad and I both served in the Army. I had an Uncle in the Navy, and two other Uncles who fought in World War II- 101st and 82d Airborne Divisions, respectively. A number of my friends from work are vets. My brother joined the Navy last summer and will be stationed in Hawaii. He'll be going out on subs in a military intelligence capacity.

Oops! I forgot a couple of cousins! One served in the Navy on a submarine for 12 years. My other cousin, his step-sister, was also in the Navy. She was career and recently retired.

I have a co-worker whose son is in the US Army, 82nd Airborne, currently stationed at Ft. Bragg in N. Carolina. He'll be leaving for another tour in Iraq soon, if he doesn't get sent to Libya.

My husband is a Persian Gulf War Veteran, Marine Corps. He also had served in the Army before that. His brother was in the Army, and his Dad had been in the Navy.

My father was a WWII veteran, Army. His brother started in the USMC, and ended up in the Air Force, in WWII.

My paternal grandfather was in WWI.

One of my brothers is a Vietnam War veteran, Air Force.

All of my family apart from me and my sister have been in the armed forces. 2 brothers in the Army, 1 in the Royal Navy.

My nephew is a Squadron Leader in the RAF currently in Saudi Arabia for 3 years

My daddy was in the army for 6 years he missed the boat to join for the Bay of Pigs in Cuba thank God or I wouldn't be here but he served between Korea and Vietnam. My uncle Ray who helped raise me served in the army for three tours in Vietnam and it has left him with alot of problems and he is one of my two favorite uncles, and my brother in law is in Afghanistan with the army now, and a good friend is in the Navy and her brother is in the Army.

This is a wonderful thread! Thanks, blueeyedgirl!

My father served 34 years in the U.S. Army and retired as a Lt. Colonel. He was at Pearl Harbor during the attack, and also served in Korea and Vietnam. (You can see his book about flying as a liaison pilot in WWII on Amazon: "Above The Thunder," by Raymond C. Kerns.)

My father's two younger brothers served in Europe during WWII, one in the infantry and one as a paratrooper, but neither made a career of the Army. His youngest sister married an Air Force pilot who served in Vietnam, and their son Joe served in the Marines for a short time, but suffered a serious back injury and had to be discharged.

My mother's father served in the Army back in WWI, mostly in France. Mustard gas caused him some pulmonary problems, and a doctor advised him to do outdoor work to keep his lungs clear... so when he got back to the States, he went to work for the New York Central railroad line.

My mother's older twin brothers, Ray and Fay, both joined the Army in WWII. Uncle Ray went to Europe and was part of the invasion of Normandy. Uncle Fay went to the Pacific to serve as a medic, and was killed on Okinawa. Uncle Ray suffered extreme shellshock in addition to the loss of his twin, and has never fully recovered.

Although it's not actual military service, I'm proud that my mother herself, at just 17, went to work at a war plant in Columbus, Ohio, repairing and installing radios in Navy warplanes!

My cousin Jack, youngest son of my mom's younger sister, grew up hearing tales of my father's Army career and was enthralled. When Jack finished college, he joined up and served in Germany and Kuwait, leaving the service as a Captain just a few years ago. Now he's back in school, getting his law degree.

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Y'know... when I was 19, I almost joined the National Guard. It would have been incredibly difficult for me to cope with the physical demands, but oh, how I wish I had tried!

My dad was in the age group of draft-eligible for Vietnam, but because of his asthma he was exempt. I have a younger cousin in the Army who has done a couple of tours in Iraq.

I personally thank each and everyone who has served in the military. I also thank their family as I know they have to make many sacrifices. God bless each and everyone. You are always in my prayers.