Former MIlitary Here???

[FaneFlugt]

Alot of you guys are oldies[:D] So theres no generals on the forum?

[golden delicious]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

It always concerns me, when playing my "Next War 1979" scenario, to see how often and thoroughly Ramstein AFB gets nuked.

Every designer should have a scenario where his ancestors can get wiped out.

My most impressive military connection is that my neighbour is a retired Brigadier. Apart from that there's my Grandfather, who was a Captain in the RTR, serving in northwest Africa and northern Europe. Promoted to Major on discharge, mentioned in dispatches.

Thought about military service myself. I can certainly see the advantages. In the end I had too many things keeping me here in London.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious


Every designer should have a scenario where his ancestors can get wiped out.

Hehe..

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

My most impressive military connection is that my neighbour is a retired Brigadier. Apart from that there's my Grandfather, who was a Captain in the RTR, serving in northwest Africa and northern Europe. Promoted to Major on discharge, mentioned in dispatches.

No military career here, too. As regards history, both my grandfathers fought in Russia. One was wounded when a grazing shot blew off his right ear, the other one served as a medic and was severely wounded when an artillery shell hit his car, killing his comrade who drove the car (they had changed their seats just minutes before..). Basically that's all i know - they didn't tell much about the war and i don't know in which units they served.
My grand-uncle participated in the battle for France, 1940, i've got some interesting photos (actually i only know that he was there from the photos..- later he also fought in Russia). Maybe i can post some of them the coming days if someone is interested.

[Monkeys Brain]

[/quote]

No military career here, too. As regards history, both my grandfathers fought in Russia. One was wounded when a grazing shot blew off his right ear, the other one served as a medic and was severely wounded when an artillery shell hit his car, killing his comrade who drove the car (they had changed their seats just minutes before..). Basically that's all i know - they didn't tell much about the war and i don't know in which units they served.
My grand-uncle participated in the battle for France, 1940, i've got some interesting photos (actually i only know that he was there from the photos..- later he also fought in Russia). Maybe i can post some of them the coming days if someone is interested.

[/quote]

When I was in Hannover on big fair with my father (mostly technical stuff), on a way back to town I let my seat to some elderly gentleman and he told me that I am kind and he told us that he fought on Narva in 1943. or 44. There was very heavy fighting.


Mario

[pzgndr]

US Army, Infantry and Nuclear Weapons, 11 years active duty

79-83 USMA
84-87 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell KY
87-90 1st Armored Division, Bamberg Germany
90-92 Grad School @ RPI
92-94 Defense Nuclear Agency

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: JAMiAM

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay
Another one was at Fort Donaldson, wounded then paroled, captured and paroled again at Port Hudson, then finally wounded while in Stephen D. Lee's staff at Ezera Church (Atlanta). The bullet bounced off his forehead and plowed a furrow through his scalp - he woke up to hear General Lee declare him dead (he lived, with a unique hair style).

Sorry about the dark humor, but that tends to explain some things...[;)]

Yes, I had thick-headed ancestors. Don't knock it - it's handy when the bullets start to fly!

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: Monkeys Brain
What things? Bob's obsession with Hooters girls? [:'(]

http://www.hooterscalendar.com/popupgal ... c=508&ga=7
not for those with weak heart [8D]


Mario

Sadly, Hooters shut down that site I was referencing. It was replaced with a pale imitation:

http://www.originalhooters.com/girls.cfm

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

It always concerns me, when playing my "Next War 1979" scenario, to see how often and thoroughly Ramstein AFB gets nuked.

Every designer should have a scenario where his ancestors can get wiped out.

Never mind my ancestors. I would have been wiped out!

[FaneFlugt]

Abit offtopic

My grandmother on my fathers side was a doctor in an insane asylum in Århus, Denmark. She claimed that in the end of 1944, when all civil order had collapsed in Denmark and there was a de facto civil war. Both the resistence and the collerabatist where sending people into hiding as insane people in the Asylum. Since there where both pro allied and pro axis doctors who could admit them into the asylum. Funny thought, two people acting insane in the same place, in order not to get shot by the other side. [&:]

[morganbj]

Commisioned 1971
Armor School, Ft' Knox Kentucky
Heavy Mortar School, Ft. Benning Georgia
S-2 (Intelligence) 1/2 Armored Cavalry Regiment, Bindlach Germany
Platoon leader, D co 1/2 ACR
Executive Officer, HHC 1/2 ACR
S-3 (Air), 1/40 Armor, Ft. Puke Louisiana
Commander, Combat Support Co, 1/40 Armor
Commander, A Co, 1/40 Armor
S-4, 1/40 Armor
Then 8 years in the reserve (IRR)
 
While in Germany I also was lucky enough (if you want to call it that) to act as a forward observer when the squadron's self-propelled howiter battery (M109A1) went to Grafenwoehr to fire.  (One of the battery commanders I served with was Tommy Franks, then a captain, and really good commander.)

[wolflars]

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

Every designer should have a scenario where his ancestors can get wiped out.

Grandfather at Iwo Jima.

Other grandfather with 82nd (Sicily, Normandy, AND Market-Garden). BTW he hasn't been on a plane since Sept'44. Flat out refuses.

Father was at Hue during Tet.

Great grandfather at the Somme (and despite best efforts nobody can say what unit).

Step-father was a Ranger. His grandfather was a Legionaire in North Africa before he went AWOL to come to the USA.

My wife can claim an uncle at San Juan Hill, several cousins in a Tennessee Regt at Shiloh, and even further back a shipping captain who smuggled arms into Virginia when those rowdy colonists had had enough of king and country (sorry Ben!) Then those nasty Redcoats caught him and burned his house down for that. Before that her family was involved in all sorts of cool stuff going back centuries. The church kept good records and her family was of some note and wealth back in the day (unlike my family of simple Scandanavian farmers). We are planning to go to Wales to look into her family history more.


So if Ben's suggestion becomes a requirement, I have some good battles to choose from [X(] But then again, after reviewing this list, these topics have been done too many times already[>:].....hmmmm

[wolflars]

ORIGINAL: Telumar

ORIGINAL: golden delicious


Every designer should have a scenario where his ancestors can get wiped out.

Hehe..

ORIGINAL: golden delicious

My most impressive military connection is that my neighbour is a retired Brigadier. Apart from that there's my Grandfather, who was a Captain in the RTR, serving in northwest Africa and northern Europe. Promoted to Major on discharge, mentioned in dispatches.

No military career here, too. As regards history, both my grandfathers fought in Russia. One was wounded when a grazing shot blew off his right ear, the other one served as a medic and was severely wounded when an artillery shell hit his car, killing his comrade who drove the car (they had changed their seats just minutes before..). Basically that's all i know - they didn't tell much about the war and i don't know in which units they served.
My grand-uncle participated in the battle for France, 1940, i've got some interesting photos (actually i only know that he was there from the photos..- later he also fought in Russia). Maybe i can post some of them the coming days if someone is interested.

Personally, I find all this fascinating.

At first I thought the thread was going to be a bunch of self placating boasting about our glorious service resumes. I thought “boring” and reluctantly posted mine in such a way that I hope my bitterness shows. Maybe, given more time I will be as nostalgic about my service as others. I just can’t get over being told that despite my contract ending, despite all the years I served that I was being “involuntarily extended” for what ended up being two more years. They told me this BEFORE asking whether or not I was going to re-enlist (which up until that moment I had planned to). They called it a retroactive policy, I called it blackmail. Anyway…..

But back to what I wanted to mention was:

I find it amazing that we, who are separated by miles and sometimes oceans, can share some glimpses into each others family military histories (or even just people we met who have some connection to a battle like Narva or wherever). I remember when I was a kid meeting my friends grandfather who was on a U-boat that had been taken out by British destroyer. When he told this story I was speechless.

Or even consider the possibility all of our ancestors fighting one another--in most cases only a couple of generations ago. And now, here we are, chatting casually about it. It is amazing.

For example, and I almost forgot about it but something about Telumar's post triggered it....I was at Ft. Polk a few years back and there was this German Infantry Officer visiting on some NATO officer exchange program. He was a captain and teaching a course to us regarding counter-insurgency techniques. Afterwards, I spent some time talking to him about history and the follies of our two nations. Turns out his grandfather was in the 9th SS PzD and fought at Nijmegan where MY grandfather was. 60 years later, here are the grandsons sharing a cup of hot coffee on a foggy humid and miserable Louisiana morning where a soldier from one nation (whose country isn't even involved in the war) is going to teach fieldcraft to another nation's boys. Again, simply amazing.

@Telumar, I would be interested in seeing any photos you post.

[Veers]

All four of my grandfathers (two step-grandfathers) were in WWII.
One I don't know anything about. One was infantry in a Highland Rgt. One was a clerk with the 8th Hussars (for a time, at least). Another was an aircraft mechanic on a carrier.
When I was younger the church I went to had a an older congregation, so I met a few veterans of WWII. One was a polit over Burma, and the other was in the UK 1st AB, and fought in Arnhem.
My hometown has had rather bad luck with Afghanistan. Of a population of under 8,000 we've had one soldier killed (who was the brother of my sister's good friend), and one wounded (who was a good friend of me, personally-He was fortunate, as he came back in one piece with no brain damage, as in his vehicle a diplomat was killed, another lost a leg, and another had brain damage.)
I was going to enlist at the end of the summer that I finished high-school ('04), but I met Frances, and, therefore, stayed home. Can't say I'm not happy to be here with her, but I also can't say I don't feel a twinge of guilt for not signing up.

[rhinobones]

ORIGINAL: bjmorgan

. . . Ft. Puke Louisiana

Think it's supposed to be Ft. Polk, but Puke sounds more appropriate.

USMC 1969-73 Ground Radio Tech/Operator.

Regards, RhinoBones

[Veers]

And that is a very interesting point, Wolflars.

[wolflars]

ORIGINAL: Veers

All four of my grandfathers (two step-grandfathers) were in WWII.
One I don't know anything about. One was infantry in a Highland Rgt. One was a clerk with the 8th Hussars (for a time, at least). Another was an aircraft mechanic on a carrier.

These are not Canadian Regts, is that correct?


Do you know which carrier by any chance?

and, therefore, stayed home

Probably not missing much.

[Veers]

ORIGINAL: wolflars

ORIGINAL: Veers

All four of my grandfathers (two step-grandfathers) were in WWII.
One I don't know anything about. One was infantry in a Highland Rgt. One was a clerk with the 8th Hussars (for a time, at least). Another was an aircraft mechanic on a carrier.

These are not Canadian Regts, is that correct?

Correct. Except for my grandmother on my mother's side, all of my grand parents immigrated to Canda.

Do you know which carrier by any chance?

Unfortunately not.

and, therefore, stayed home

Probably not missing much.

Aye, at least my parents don't have to worry about hearing about me on the evening news.

[Zort]

My father was an Naval fighter pilot in WW2. During the battle of the Coral Sea when he came back from his mission his carrier the Lexington was on fire and listing. He then was air ops on the Gambier Bay which was the only US carrier to get sunk by naval shell fire. He was in the water for 36 hours.

One of my brothers was a Marine fighter pilot in Viet Nam and was shot down and para'd over the water and got picked up by a helo.

Me, I just went to lots of different ports, the ones in Australia were some the best of the ones I went to and drank lots of beer.

[SMK-at-work]

Well my dada was 16 in 1945 - the most exciting thing he did in the war was get a pass to deliver papers to a local military base that made him the envy of his schoolmates!!
 
My oldest grandfather was born in 1899 and was conscripted right at the end of WW1 but never saw service, my other one was too young also.
 
I have nothing to boast about other than fortuitous timing that prevented any of my direct-line rellies having to risk it all!!

[Monkeys Brain]

ORIGINAL: SMK-at-work

Well my dada was 16 in 1945 - the most exciting thing he did in the war was get a pass to deliver papers to a local military base that made him the envy of his schoolmates!!

My oldest grandfather was born in 1899 and was conscripted right at the end of WW1 but never saw service, my other one was too young also.

I have nothing to boast about other than fortuitous timing that prevented any of my direct-line rellies having to risk it all!!

Heh here is one nice story about my grand grandfather. He was born in 1898. He fought in WW1 on Eastern Front in Galizia, later was captured by Russians in 1917 etc...

But there is nice story that father told me - well Toma that was his name had some captain that had a dog and one time that captain was going on a leave and left to my grand-grandfather a big sum of money to buy for the dog only best meat, you know, liver etc... dog was truly a gentlemen's dog lol.

But Toma with his friend bought a wine etc and they got drunk, you know young people like that... for this money so he didn't had any money for that fine meat for dog. Father told me that in a few days dog was so hungry that he jumped and catched in the air a dry bread that they throwed to him LOL

And then captain arrived and he saw that dog have lost quite a few kilograms and he asked what is that and Toma said "Captain, you know we are training the dog and he run's a lot so that's why he is so skinny". [:D]