Whose Yur Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 11,795
- Points
- 43
My pre 'nam vet dad got his from the VA. They are still working getting it for my mom.
-
Ongoing coronavirus / COVID-19 discussion: how is the pandemic affecting your community, workplace, and wellness? 🦠
Working from home? So are we. Come join us! Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, planning adjacent topics, and whatever else comes to mind. No ads, no spam, no social distancing.
Cyburbans 🧐 Parents and grandparents who served in military
- Thread starter Whose Yur Planner
- Start date
WSU MUP Student
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 10,989
- Points
- 51
My FIL was able to get one scheduled through the VA (he has a service connected disability rating) but his appointment was put pretty far out so he stayed on some lists through some other places and ended up getting a closer appointment scheduled through his doctor.
My dad is a pre-Vietnam era vet but has no service connected disability rating and at the moment, the VA in Detroit was only making appointments for vets with a connected disability
Whose Yur Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 11,795
- Points
- 43
Sounds like our dads fell in that time after Korea but before Vietnam. My dad got out just before things started heating up over there. I have an uncle who was over there. Yet another I'm not a baby boomer. My dad's war was Vietnam, not WW 2.
Bubba
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 5,687
- Points
- 43
My dad served in the Navy between Korea and Vietnam. His father was killed in action during WWII, so my dad apparently went and enlisted before he told his mother he was even considering serving...
WSU MUP Student
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 10,989
- Points
- 51
Yep. My dad graduated high school at the tail end of Korea and enlisted and was deployed but was there at the very end for a month and it sounded like his unit was there to just help another National Guard unit clean up their gear and pack up for returning to the US.
Whose Yur Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 11,795
- Points
- 43
One of my grandpas served in WW2. He didn't get a family exemption because had a critical skill set and went over seas.
Shellac And Vinyl VelocitY
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 2,935
- Points
- 23
Your father, WSU's father, Bubba's father, and also my father.
Did anybody else's father serve during that time period?
Last edited:
- Messages
- 29,470
- Points
- 73
Moderator note:
split from coronavirus thread
My maternal grandfather served in the Army during WW2 (motor pool). My paternal grandfather got drafted in WW2 but it was a few months before the war ended in 1945 and he never ended up getting his orders to report to boot camp. I had great uncles who served in the Navy and the Coast Guard during ww2. Paternal grandmother worked in a defense plant assembling aircraft navigation equipment during this same time.
Bubba
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 5,687
- Points
- 43
michaelskis
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 20,602
- Points
- 54
One grandfather was an upper turret gunner on a bomber with the Army Air Corps. His plane was shot down in northern Italy and he spent a few days with the rest of his crew making their way back to allied territory. I inherited his wings and his pocket watch from his time in the war.
My other grandfather was also in the army and was stationed at Ft. Bragg during the Korean war, but never saw active combat.
My other grandfather was also in the army and was stationed at Ft. Bragg during the Korean war, but never saw active combat.
- Messages
- 11,732
- Points
- 45
My grandfather served in the US Navy during WWI. I regret not asking him about his service the one time I met him. My father was 17 when he enlisted in WWII. My brother would have been Viet Nam era, but was deferred and never served.
FWIW, I have a great, great grandfather that served in the US Army in the Mexican American War (1848-49). I have run into a road block genealogically, and can't say whether any relatives might have been in the service for 1812 or the Revolution. Oddly (perhaps only to me) there are no Civil War veterans.
FWIW, I have a great, great grandfather that served in the US Army in the Mexican American War (1848-49). I have run into a road block genealogically, and can't say whether any relatives might have been in the service for 1812 or the Revolution. Oddly (perhaps only to me) there are no Civil War veterans.
Salmissra
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 6,194
- Points
- 34
One grandfather had a farmers exemption. He fed the war machine with corn, beans, and other midwest crops.
Other grandfather served in WWII, European theater. He was infantry, spent time in Italy, got injured and spent more time in Italy than the rest of his unit, made his way back eventually. Became a mailman and retired from the USPS.
Dad was part of the volunteer or be drafted era. He volunteered so he would have a little better option of duty stations (he was out of grad school by then). He served during Viet Nam but did not go there. He spent that era safely away and continued full-time Army until I was in elementary school. Then he went to a reserve unit but worked for DoD until retirement. I was born at an Army hospital, but we lived off base once he went reserve.
Other grandfather served in WWII, European theater. He was infantry, spent time in Italy, got injured and spent more time in Italy than the rest of his unit, made his way back eventually. Became a mailman and retired from the USPS.
Dad was part of the volunteer or be drafted era. He volunteered so he would have a little better option of duty stations (he was out of grad school by then). He served during Viet Nam but did not go there. He spent that era safely away and continued full-time Army until I was in elementary school. Then he went to a reserve unit but worked for DoD until retirement. I was born at an Army hospital, but we lived off base once he went reserve.
Planit
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 13,928
- Points
- 55
Dad was in the Navy in the between times.
Never heard any stories about either of my grandfathers serving. I think one didn't service because he worked for the railroad during WWII. Don't know why the other didn't...I guess I'll need to ask.
- Messages
- 15,013
- Points
- 59
Paternal grandfather was just young enough (born 1908) to be drafted into WW2. He was sent to a Texas base and spent his entire time in the service in the USA.
Maternal grandfather was too old (born 1903) and/or critical to war production as a floor manager in a Chrysler/Dodge plant in Detroit.
My father was drafted in 1967 into Vietnam not long after getting his Masters of Library Science and marrying my mother. He was pretty old (24), but still got shipped to Vietnam to a forward base. Thankfully, given his education and good typing skills, he was never sent on patrol. He was basically the "Radar" of his base. He did his minimum required tour of duty and got out asap.
Maternal grandfather was too old (born 1903) and/or critical to war production as a floor manager in a Chrysler/Dodge plant in Detroit.
My father was drafted in 1967 into Vietnam not long after getting his Masters of Library Science and marrying my mother. He was pretty old (24), but still got shipped to Vietnam to a forward base. Thankfully, given his education and good typing skills, he was never sent on patrol. He was basically the "Radar" of his base. He did his minimum required tour of duty and got out asap.
Last edited:
TOFB
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 2,851
- Points
- 37
Grandfather was a Lt. in the Army Infantry in WW1. Didn't go over until August 2018 and never left England.
Aunt was a WASP in WW2.
Uncle was a tail gunner in a B-17 over Germany in WW2. 38 missions. Miraculously survived.
Another uncle was captured, endured the Bataan death march but died in a Japanese POW camp about July 14, 1942.
My dad was a Sgt. during Korea, served auditing the Ford River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
Aunt was a WASP in WW2.
Uncle was a tail gunner in a B-17 over Germany in WW2. 38 missions. Miraculously survived.
Another uncle was captured, endured the Bataan death march but died in a Japanese POW camp about July 14, 1942.
My dad was a Sgt. during Korea, served auditing the Ford River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Michigan.
bureaucrat#3
Member
- Messages
- 104
- Points
- 8
My maternal grandfather served in the Army during WWII. He was in the North African campaign, but never talked about it much.
My father did his best to stay in school during Vietnam. After his deferments ran out, he enlisted in the Army and took his oath of enlistment on the day MLK was killed. He spent a few months training at Fort Campbell. Went to Vietnam in September. Six months later was part of a convoy that got ambushed and had a medivac helicopter crash the first time they tried to evacuate him. He lost an arm, gained a couple of plates in his head, and spent 8 months in rehab recovering from partial paralysis and learning how to walk again. He always jokes that he spent almost as much time as a solider in a hospital as he did in uniform.
Next month will be 52 years since he was injured. Its only been the last few years that he's really spoken much about his time as a soldier.
My father did his best to stay in school during Vietnam. After his deferments ran out, he enlisted in the Army and took his oath of enlistment on the day MLK was killed. He spent a few months training at Fort Campbell. Went to Vietnam in September. Six months later was part of a convoy that got ambushed and had a medivac helicopter crash the first time they tried to evacuate him. He lost an arm, gained a couple of plates in his head, and spent 8 months in rehab recovering from partial paralysis and learning how to walk again. He always jokes that he spent almost as much time as a solider in a hospital as he did in uniform.
Next month will be 52 years since he was injured. Its only been the last few years that he's really spoken much about his time as a soldier.
MD Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 2,841
- Points
- 45
Dad served during the Korean War but in Germany. Half of his training class went to Korea and half went to Germany where he served in the Security Agency. He enlisted because his buddy's aunt worked at the draft board told them that they were both getting their draft notices the next week. That was on a Wednesday and they walked over and enlisted and left town on Saturday.
Pearl Harbor was bombed on my dad's 9th birthday. Three of his brothers were gone with the Army within a couple of weeks. One uncle received the Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. This was at the Battle of the Bulge.
Pearl Harbor was bombed on my dad's 9th birthday. Three of his brothers were gone with the Army within a couple of weeks. One uncle received the Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. This was at the Battle of the Bulge.
WSU MUP Student
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 10,989
- Points
- 51
As mentioned above, my dad served in the Army National Guard at the very end of Korea. He stayed on active duty with the Guard for a couple of years but was in Detroit the rest of the time. At the very end of his active time his unit was activated to be sent to Egypt for the Suez Canal Crisis but they just sat around on standby in a warehouse here for a week and never actually went.
He stayed in the Guard on reserve duty for about another decade and when his unit got orders to augment an Army artillery unit in Vietnam he checked in at the armory and was told he was too old and had too many kids and they wouldn't take him so he ended his reserve enlistment shortly after that.
My FIL was a Navy officer during the early days of of US involvement in Vietnam and served with the "brown water navy" and was part of the putting together the Mobile Riverine Force. My wife says he never talked about his time in the Navy when she was growing up but he's shared some stories with me and from what he's told me and from what I've read from other accounts from the MRF, other than being a Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine unit, it was probably the most dangerous job in the Navy at the time.
Neither of my grandfathers served in the military during WWII: my paternal grandfather was too old and my maternal grandfather had had horrible TB and also couldn't see sh!t. Most of my dad's uncles joined the Army right after Pearl Harbor and all were sent overseas; three went to Europe (one served as a baker, one was in the infantry, and the other was a paratrooper) and one other of his uncles joined the Navy and became a Seabee and spent most of his time building runways and setting up camps in the Pacific. My great uncle who was the paratrooper was a Ranger and his unit was dropped behind German lines a few weeks before D-Day with the goal of setting up some reconnaissance or something. At some point, their radioman turned on some comm equipment and ended up giving away their position. They were captured and he spent a few months as a POW. My dad can vaguely remember most of his uncles (all of them died young except the baker, who lived long enough for me to have a lot of fond memories of him) but does remember that the one that was the paratrooper and the one that was the Seabee both suffered badly from PTSD.
My dad's maternal grandfather served in the German Army before WWI and was some high-up muckity muck with the Thyssen Iron Works. He was somehow able to get his two youngest children (my oma and a great uncle) out of Germany and into America soon after the start of the war but before the U.S. got involved. They both were smuggled out through Spain or Portugal. A lot of Thyssen execs were basically lynched after the war and lost everything but my great grandfather's family managed to come through relatively unscathed. My oma had another brother and sister who stayed in Germany and after the war and after my dad was born my oma, her husband, and my dad moved to Germany for a couple of years. After a year or two, my grandfather thankfully convinced her to move back to the US and they did so in '38. My dad says he has some uncles that he's pretty sure served in the German Army during WWII but doesn't know for sure and whether or not they were conscripted or enlisted or what was going on as once they moved back to the US, my oma basically cut off ties with her family for decades.
The furthest back we've been able to trace military service in our family is a great great or great great great grandfather on my paternal grandfather's side who served in a militia form North Carolina during the War of 1812. We were only able to verify his service thanks to most of their unit being captured and finding his name in old military prison camp records. Looking through the old records, it looked like at some point before the end of the war, the British just let all the prisoners at this particular camp go, gave them each something like $2 and sent them on their way.
He stayed in the Guard on reserve duty for about another decade and when his unit got orders to augment an Army artillery unit in Vietnam he checked in at the armory and was told he was too old and had too many kids and they wouldn't take him so he ended his reserve enlistment shortly after that.
My FIL was a Navy officer during the early days of of US involvement in Vietnam and served with the "brown water navy" and was part of the putting together the Mobile Riverine Force. My wife says he never talked about his time in the Navy when she was growing up but he's shared some stories with me and from what he's told me and from what I've read from other accounts from the MRF, other than being a Navy Corpsman attached to a Marine unit, it was probably the most dangerous job in the Navy at the time.
Neither of my grandfathers served in the military during WWII: my paternal grandfather was too old and my maternal grandfather had had horrible TB and also couldn't see sh!t. Most of my dad's uncles joined the Army right after Pearl Harbor and all were sent overseas; three went to Europe (one served as a baker, one was in the infantry, and the other was a paratrooper) and one other of his uncles joined the Navy and became a Seabee and spent most of his time building runways and setting up camps in the Pacific. My great uncle who was the paratrooper was a Ranger and his unit was dropped behind German lines a few weeks before D-Day with the goal of setting up some reconnaissance or something. At some point, their radioman turned on some comm equipment and ended up giving away their position. They were captured and he spent a few months as a POW. My dad can vaguely remember most of his uncles (all of them died young except the baker, who lived long enough for me to have a lot of fond memories of him) but does remember that the one that was the paratrooper and the one that was the Seabee both suffered badly from PTSD.
My dad's maternal grandfather served in the German Army before WWI and was some high-up muckity muck with the Thyssen Iron Works. He was somehow able to get his two youngest children (my oma and a great uncle) out of Germany and into America soon after the start of the war but before the U.S. got involved. They both were smuggled out through Spain or Portugal. A lot of Thyssen execs were basically lynched after the war and lost everything but my great grandfather's family managed to come through relatively unscathed. My oma had another brother and sister who stayed in Germany and after the war and after my dad was born my oma, her husband, and my dad moved to Germany for a couple of years. After a year or two, my grandfather thankfully convinced her to move back to the US and they did so in '38. My dad says he has some uncles that he's pretty sure served in the German Army during WWII but doesn't know for sure and whether or not they were conscripted or enlisted or what was going on as once they moved back to the US, my oma basically cut off ties with her family for decades.
The furthest back we've been able to trace military service in our family is a great great or great great great grandfather on my paternal grandfather's side who served in a militia form North Carolina during the War of 1812. We were only able to verify his service thanks to most of their unit being captured and finding his name in old military prison camp records. Looking through the old records, it looked like at some point before the end of the war, the British just let all the prisoners at this particular camp go, gave them each something like $2 and sent them on their way.
Big Owl
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 2,801
- Points
- 34
My paternal grandfather had a high draft number for WWII because of his age and marital status; he never was drafted. My maternal grandfather joined the army in 1941. He was stationed at Schofield Barracks when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served for the remainder of the war building infrastructure in the south pacific.
My father enlisted in to the USAF before he could be drafted. He served the majority of his time at RAF Lakenheath. He was assign to a unit that supported NATO. He would have made a career out of the air force, but, he was told if he re-enlisted that he was almost guaranteed a tour in southeast asia.
My father enlisted in to the USAF before he could be drafted. He served the majority of his time at RAF Lakenheath. He was assign to a unit that supported NATO. He would have made a career out of the air force, but, he was told if he re-enlisted that he was almost guaranteed a tour in southeast asia.
Whose Yur Planner
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 11,795
- Points
- 43
My other grandfather didn't go because he got a disease from hauling raw milk from the farmers out in the country.
dandy_warhol
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 10,002
- Points
- 51
My grandfather was a Merchant Marine and served during WWII. The ship he was on was torpedoed and sank. He survived and is credited with saving the lives of some fellow sailors.
My dad went to the Naval Academy but transferred out after 2 years. He remained in the Navy reserves and served during Vietnam, on a boat in Brooklyn.
My dad went to the Naval Academy but transferred out after 2 years. He remained in the Navy reserves and served during Vietnam, on a boat in Brooklyn.
The Terminator
Cyburbian
- Messages
- 1,702
- Points
- 23
My Nonno Tony (1919-2003) apparently had one of the lowest draft numbers in New York City and was drafted into the Army in January, 1942. He was trained as an Aircraft mechanic and part of an Army Air Corps detachment that was stationed in North Africa until the end of the war. He didn't talk about the War as my dearly departed (great) Uncle Tony (1923-2012) who was a Seebee did, but I got to hear a few of his war stories as a child. Key word is few, my grandfather and father had a very fractured relationship and they would often go years without speaking, only warming up towards the end of his life. I am the designated inheritor of all of my Grandfather's WWII paraphernalia in my parents will. When he died, my dad unceremoniously cleaned out my grandfathers Bronx apartment and trashed all his stuff, but kept all the War memorabilia: his formal dress uniform, medals, pictures, stag films etc. Its locked away in a sealed trunk in our attic because it gives my dad triggering memories. Every Veterans Day, I like to go up there and take a look through all the old photos etc. I think it is important that part of the family history be preserved.