What Wars did you/your ancestors fight in?

[Sims2789]

I know I'm asking this again, but I don't feel like reiving a dead thread:

Amercian Revolution:

My mom's great-something-grandfather was Washington's body gaurd.

Civil War:

My Great-great-great-great-grandfather fought for the Confederates. The Home Gaurd tried to raid his house, but my Great-great-great-great-great-grandmother chased them off with a knife. She sent her youngest son, who wasn't in the War yet, to go find the Sims's who were fighting. He found them, and they deserted and moved to Texas, where most of us reside to this day. Note that we didn't own slaves.

World War I:

My Step-grandfather's uncle fought for the United States during WWI.

World War II:

My Great-grand-uncle on my mom's side fought for Britian during WWII. He got captured by Germany, and while he was in a POW camp, he caught some sort of disease. He died from it six months after the war ended in Europe.

My mother's partner's father fought for the US as an Infantryman during WWII. He got captured by the Germans, but he lived.

My Step-grandfather was a B-17 [ilot who got shot down over France. He made his way into Spain, but was arrested. A French Red Cross worker bailed him out. He went to a party in Spain before going back to serve in Britain, and he says, "There were 10 swastikas for every US flag." But he didn't fight the Nazi's, I mean, come one, it's a party! He gave his pistol to some Free French. He had 7 bullets in it, and he said that the French person said she'll give him 7 dead Nazi's. He says that he'd have a better chance at hitting someone with it if he threw it than he would if he shot it.

Vietnam:

My Grandfather on my dad's side was an Airforce officer, but he fought in some ground battles when his base was attacked. He won a bronze star for something. His barber was a Vietkong spy. One night when his base was attacked, and the next morning he was walking on the beach, and he found his barber dead. When he came back to the States, he no longer supported the war. I think he killed someone, since he is a great shot with a rifle and a pistol, but he doesn't talk about the war. It hasn't made him go crazy, though, and it doesn't seem to affect his life beyond him not liking to talk about it.
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I probably had some relatives who participated in the Viking raids against Britian, since my grandmother, who claimed to be full English, had a Viking last name. So she was probably 99/100 English!

 

[Free Enterprise]

One of my ancestors was high ranking in in the Kaiser's government.

I am pretty sure one or some fought in the American Revolution, I think with Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox". One fought in WW II on the side of the U.S. against Japan, he was on a destroyer. Another fought in Vietnam in a Special Forces unit.

Although this isn't a battle, one ancestor was invovled in the Magna Carta.

 

[Matrix]

My great-uncle was major for the Netherlands. I don't know what rank he had during WW2, but I know he successfully defended Hillegensberg(?).

 

[Xen]

my mothers side-
this is what I know of, there migh tbe more, as its not somthing realyl talked about...

-assorted battles that a viking might be expected to have
particpated in

-The battle of hasteings

-battles which a minor noble might have participated in English history

-the Civili war

-WWII

as for my father side, well, its Rome, and as such at soem point they must have served, as ROme at one time was a city state, with the concept of citizen soldires like any other, combine that with the fact one of the possible roots of my familly name means "army" in Latin, and it seem there is a very interesting history in arms from that side of the gene pool

 

[jack merchant]

My grandfather on my mother's side was conscripted into the Dutch army and fought the Germans at the battle of the Grebbeberg in WWII. After the Dutch were defeated, he walked home to The Hague. It used to be one of my grandma's favourite stories to tell how my granddad walked into the kitchen two days after the battle ended (it was a 150km's walk) to her great delight after she'd been worried sick for that time being all alone with two little kids to care for.

She also claims I'm a descendant of Grote Pier, a Frisian independence fighter/pirate of the 16th century, which is theoretically possible but still rather unlikely.

@Xen: Just curious, how did you trace your ancestry back to Rome ? Surely most records of the time in between have been destroyed ?

 

[Sims2789]

just a question, who are the Frisians? i've seen their name come up many times, but i've never kown who they were?

 

[EzInKy]

I only know back as far as the US Civil War. I had grandparents on both sides. Since then my ancestors/relatives were in WW1, WW2, Korea, and Vietnam.

 

[jack merchant]

The Frisians were a Germanic tribe which settled in the Northern Netherlands; the first reports of their existence came from Roman times when a Frisian rebellion led by a Iulius Civilis against the Roman reign was put down. Thereafter, they gradually merged with the other peoples inhabiting the Low Countries, but these days, people from Friesland are still distinguishable by their language, which is closely related to English as well as Dutch.
They didn't reallly become part of the same political entity (alternately part of the Holy Roman Empire/Burgundy/Spain/the Dutch Republic) until the 16th century - before that, many wars were fought between the 'Hollanders' and the Frisians.

MY family on my mother's side is from Friesland; they are in particular known for being headstrong and thrifty .

 

[Aramazd]

My Great Grand father fought in WW1 and my Grandfather fought in WW2 both for the US

 

[SeleucusNicator]

My father's side of the family bred horses for the Austrian army until 1918, so I assume those horses were used in WW1. I don't know if they did any actual fighting or not, however.

 

[G-Man]

Yes, my great grandfather fought for Croatia, which basically means he was fighting for Austro Hungaria. He was captured by the Russians and was in there untill after the revolution. My grandfather told me he became quite pro communist after that. There were also reports from survivers that he participated in a rebellion in an Ustasa concentration camp in WW2 and was killed during it.
My father was in army intelligence and he was involved in anti terrorism acts against terrorists from Lebanon in the era prior to the Lebanon war. He was also called to the IDF's homefront command during the last war in Iraq, but as you know Israel wasn't involved in it.

 

[Xen]

Originally posted by jack merchant

@Xen: Just curious, how did you trace your ancestry back to Rome ? Surely most records of the time in between have been destroyed ?

most yes, but there is a firm connection of my familly going back to Russia, and the Byzantine empire- the name of the familly itself is Latin-Hebraeic based one, theres a few other odds and ends, but Rome- or at least Veii, a city destroyed, and re-colonized by Rome is the only real conclusion for where the familly starts

 

[Immortal]

None. Farmers and nothing more as far back as I can learn.

 

[Sims2789]

Originally posted by G-Man
Yes, my great grandfather fought for Croatia, which basically means he was fighting for Austro Hungaria. He was captured by the Russians and was in there untill after the revolution. My grandfather told me he became quite pro communist after that. There were also reports from survivers that he participated in a rebellion in an Ustasa concentration camp in WW2 and was killed during it.
My father was in army intelligence and he was involved in anti terrorism acts against terrorists from Lebanon in the era prior to the Lebanon war. He was also called to the IDF's homefront command during the last war in Iraq, but as you know Israel wasn't involved in it.

was he rebeling against Austria-Hungary and trying to gain Croatia's independence or was he fighting in the Austro-Hungarian Army?

 

[SuperBeaverInc.]

One of my great-uncles fought(and died) for Canada on the Italian front during the First World War. That is the onyl one I know of.

 

[wilbill]

Multi-great grandfather in the American Revolution. Great-great grandfather in the War of Northern Agression. Father, aunt, and several uncles in WWII. Myself during (but not directly involved in) Vietnam.

 

[Superevie]

IIRC, my grandpa on my dad's side was in WWII. He then married my grandma and had my dad. I think my mom's side stayed out of the military entirely. The italian side of thinsg were into farming, I think. My family history is terribly muddy and my still living relatives make up many of the stories of my ancestors to suit their own needs. Plus they are actually insane.

 

[Speedo]

We have been in every major war fought by America.

(don't know details on)
Revolution
1812
Mexican War
Civil War
Spanish - American War

WW1 - Great-grandfather (infantry)
WW2 - Grandfather (earned Silver Star, was in the 3rd wave to hit the beach on D-Day) and several great-uncles
Korea - 2 Great-uncles (one pilot, the other in the 7th Cav)
Vietnam - Uncle (helo crew chief/gunner)

My dad enlisted to avoid the draft in Vietnam, trained in Fire Direction Control (artillery) and fully expected Vietnam, but ended up shuffling papers in Germany.

 

[Superevie]

My dad was going to go to Vietnam because of an unlucky draft number, but then I think it ended so he didn't have to go. I'm not very good with history, as you can tell.

 

[G-Man]

Originally posted by sims2789


was he rebeling against Austria-Hungary and trying to gain Croatia's independence or was he fighting in the Austro-Hungarian Army?

He was rectruited into the Austro-Hungarian army.