“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Image: Dave Granlund
Chief Writing Wolf 
I recently learned my paternal grandfather served during World War I and saw his draft card. Some of his ancestors likely served in a militia during the Revolutionary War, though I’ve not done enough digging to confirm that. I’d known my maternal grandfather served in WWII, a cousin died in combat during the Korean War, and my brother served in Afghanistan. I’d say our family has represented, and I thank them for that.
My father was drafted into the Army at the age of 21 and served in Korea – the so-called “forgotten war”. It certainly wasn’t forgotten by my father and others who served in that mess. That’s why he hated the TV show “MASH.” Supposedly it was based on a real “mash” unit in Korea, but there was nothing funny about living in constant danger and seeing people get killed. I never understood why it was so popular and I ended up hating it just as much.
His older brother joined the Army at age 17 and served in the S. Pacific during World War II, and his younger brother joined the Navy in the late 1950s. My Uncle Wes who’s living with me now got drafted into the Army in 1963 and was shipped to the Korean DMZ.
In the late 1980s I felt my life was seriously out-of-shape and seriously considered joining either the Marine Corps or the Navy. But my father kept talking me out of it. He insisted I finish college. I did – 20 years later! Even now, I wish I’d gone against his advice and joined. Therefore, I’m now a big supporter of the U.S. military – not of any recent global conflicts, like the Iraq War, which was started by a bunch of military draft dodgers and based on faulty “evidence”! But I support the individuals themselves.
In my younger days I worked with a man who served in Vietnam and through him I saw that conflict differently. He was never ashamed to serve his country, but his country sent him to a shit war then treated him like a pariah upon his return. It’s part of my interest in history; sound bites don’t tell the whole story.