My grandfather on my mother's side passed away when I️ was young. He lost his legs in WWII, but I️ never knew much more than that, and didn't know if I️ should ask.
My brother is tracking family genealogy and was talking with my grandmother, who is 100 btw! She was telling him all about it, and many other amazing things.
Back in the war, they were never officially instructed to do this, but it was common knowledge amongst the soldiers that if you get hit with missiles or artillery, to throw your rifle as far away as you can, because the pain is so excruciating that it was common for soldiers to shoot themselves to end the pain.
My grandfather was in France at the time, and was resting while leaning against a tank. That tank was hit with an anti-tank missile, blowing the legs off my grandfather. He immediately threw his rifle as far as he could, remembering what he was told. Lying there in pain, he started crawling back to his rifle so that he could shoot himself. By the Grace of God, he wasn't able to make it, so he lived to come home.
I️ remember sitting on his lap when I️ was young, and I miss him so much. He died before I️ got much older. I️ always wondered what had happened, but this just makes me love him and appreciate him so much more.
My other grandfather, on my dad's side, also served. He made a life of it. I️ found out at his funeral a couple years ago about many missions he had never talked about. He was all over during WWII, he was also in Korea, the Philippines, Guam. He was in the Arctic Circle at Camp Century, which was a cover for a project where the US Military was building underground missile silos to defend ourselves against Russia and other forces (turned out that the glaciers shifted too much to make a silo last more than 2 years, so it was abandoned). He even spent time on top the White House as a sniper covering for JFK!
My brother also recently traced our family back to men who fought in the Civil War.
I️ just look back and think about what they have gone through and I️ can't imagine being the men they had to be. I️ am so proud of my family. My dad served in the Air Force, and I️ had the pleasure of serving in the Army, I️ was in Iraq in '04.
I️ don't know what is in store for America, but I️ know we are currently at war, and I️ hope I️ can continue to be the soldier this country needs.
Thanks for reading, I️ just had to share this and I don't know anyone else who would appreciate it.
I appreciate it, and them. And all who fought for our freedom. It's not something to take lightly or for granted. And it doesn't get passed down in the blood, as Reagan said. Every generation has to choose it. May every American generation continue to choose it.
Very well said.
Great story Patriot..I am sure they are looking down and damn proud of you
Wow, Fren! Amazing tales of bravery and patriotism. Thank you for sharing your story!
Genealogy is truly interesting! I discovered that I am a little French and that the poinsettia was named after my family.... pretty cool stuff i didn't know beforehand.
I have an ancestor that fought for Washington and was at Valley Forge. He was a drummer. He had several drums shot in the line of duty. The first three drums were replaced by the Patriot forces. But, all subsequent drums that were shot, he had to replace himself. If I remember the story, there were four more. I think the drums more than likely saved his life and it also shows how close to the action he was. He was only a young teenager at the time.
I have another ancestor that was in the Durham boat that crossed the Delaware with Washington. His father came from Europe to escape religious persecution. There are some amazing stories out there if we take the time to dig them out.
I don't live far from where that boat crossed. Pretty cool stories. It is amazing, our history, and especially what our young could do generations ago. I would like to get back into it some day. I have some civil war ancestors, and, if the people who I linked trees with did the research proper, it says I am descended from the Mayflower - a trouble maker, of course haha.
Mayflower troublemakers you say.... the apple did not fall too far from the tree.
Doing proper research on these trees is time consuming. I did it for awhile and then life got in the way. Too many people just post links to their trees without verifying that the links are valid. I have one in my tree, a civil war vet, that I cannot find any public records to back up the information others are claiming. Therefore, I did not run with the information and post the info. My tree stops with that particular line right there. I think the guy was raised by an older sibling because the parents died. The only thing I could find was a census record - but the information was possibly inaccurate as well. Other than that, I have come up with goose eggs. Maybe someday I will jump back in.
If you are implying I am a troublemaker, you are not far off - I have no problem calling out bullshit when I see it.
I am ashamed to say before I was awake I bought into a lot of that curiosity & submitted my DNA. Only for that reason do I assume the tree links are correct.
I do have to say, something I find quite interesting about all of it.... Family search has much information on my father side. But ancestry is completely quiet about it. I find that rather odd. Until I consider that 1 of the richest families in Germany has my uncommon last name. I truly think they are suppressing the information.
Thanks for sharing that, your grandparents sound like incredible people.
We were lucky to have the greatest generation living at that time to defend our freedoms.
Thank you. They truly were the greatest generation, weren't they?
My grandad served, he joined at 15 I believe and they looked past his age. He trained in the navy and was at D Day when he turned 17.
He then went on the Pacific and he didn't say much about the war but he told me guarding the ship at night you watch jap u boats blowing up our ships and all you could do was wait to see if you're next.
He was full of patience after that
And I thank you and your family for your service. That was a great story and a great inspiration to all Patriots and citizens across this great nation. Thank you again.
Thank you ?
My great great great grandfather at 13 served with Washington at Trenton as a fifer. He then served in the war of 1812. James Allen 1762-1867. Three of his sons served through the entire Civil war, one of them Lorenzo Dow Allen is my great great grand father.
So amazing. Glad you have that history of your family. What a blessing.
God Bless them all!
Great story, fren. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your service brother. I served in the Army, though I got the medical boot pretty fast. My dad served, fought in 'Nam. I hear my grandfather on my mom's side(Korean) was forced to fight for the Imperial Japanese Air Force, but I'm not sure if that's true. Her brother was part of a special forces unit from the ROK army. I always swell up with pride when I see a family with a lot of military history. I know it's you and your family that has fought for freedom for generations. I have a tentative plan to commission in the Space Force and create a military dynasty too.
Thank you and your family for your service my fren. Long list of patriots in my family as well. I know how proud you must be.
That is an amazing story! Brought tears to my eyes, thank you!
I appreciate every bit of this. Many people today seem to believe that our country was made through war, which they see as a bad thing. But after reading your story, and considering all my family members that have fought in the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and now Afghanistan and Iraq, I tend to believe this country was made through the actions of the bravest, most honorable and loyal people the world has ever seen. From my experience, people that are willing to go to war are not bloodthirsty; they're patriotic and are willing to chance losing their own life in order to make everyone else's better.
Thanks for sharing :D
Fuckin a! I’m proud of your family! Thank you! ????
Thank you so very much for sharing their stories. Thank you and your family for your service and sacrifices.
God Bless You & Yours ???️✝️???️????
This was inspiring! Thanks so much for sharing this story! God bless our brave men and women who fight for this country! I pray, that God Almighty will help us all to be the kinds of citizens worth fighting for!
Thank you for your service bro. Enjoy every second with your grandmother while you still can!
Amazing! Thank you for your, and your family's, sacrifices. And thanks for sharing your story. And make sure to pass those stories down.
I found that at least one of my ancestors served in thr revolutionary war and was taken as a POW by the Brits. I can't imagine what his wife and kids went through, waiting and not knowing if he'd ever come home.
Thank you to all your family and of course to you for your service and for sharing. I learned something new today.
I am grateful for the blood of heros running through your veins. Thank you. ❤
Thanks for sharing.
We can all learn a lot from our grandfathers. We need to remember them with honor. I know my grandparents and my recently deceased parents would be horrified (but awake) to see What is happening in our country today. Thank you for sharing your memories.
Awesome to hear. Some extended family members had been real into genealogy (way before you could just give DNA to some rando company). I can trace my heritage back to Plymouth Rock and directly related to William Bradford, their first governor.
Amazing! A huge thank you (though that isn’t nearly enough) to you and your family for your service. God bless you all. Your poor grandpa, the pain he must have felt :(
That is an amazing story. And something you should be proud of. It’s the stories that make me love our country more and more. But it also reminds me of all those petulant little children in the street crying out freedom freedom, when they already have it. We must continue to pray that the Lord will open their eyes. God bless you and your family and for your service. May God bless you today, keep you safe, and show you how much he loves you.
Bless your whole family and thank you all for your service to our great nation and her people.
Blessings fren! You should be proud!
I’m glad you found that out. You have a lot to be proud of
Thank you for your service & where we go one, we go all.
Wow, such valiant and brave men!
Awesome Post OP. I also come from a military family and was in 5 wars/conflicts myself. I was in Mosul in ‘04 also...maybe we crossed paths? God Bless You ??