Veterans Day 2025

Today at work a USMC veteran prompted us to celebrate the veterans in our lives. A number of folks shared stories of family members who served or even some of their own stories. One person shared the bomb dog they served with, including pictures of them on deployment and years later in civilian life. The jobs people had in their branches of service were all over the place. Some combat, some not. Some of their loved ones were US veterans, others were Canadian and British.

I thought of my family members who served and one who is serving right now. My Grandpa Shipman was a Marine Corp mortar crewman during WWII and fought in the Pacific. He never said much about his time in the Corp. For most of my life, that single sentence was all I knew. When he was in his 80s he started to open up a little bit more. He actually fought on Iwo Jima and was in the second wave. I asked him once about being in combat. All he said was that he saw terrible things.

My Grandpa Wood was drafted into the Army after WWII and was sent to serve in the Philippines. He had to leave behind his wife and children. I never got the feeling that the military was his cup of tea. It was peace time and he was discharged before the Korean War. I remember a few stories that he told me, one of which centered on him getting into trouble for not quite following customs and courtesies to the standard that an officer preferred.

My dad, aunt, and uncle all served in the US Army during the Vietnam war. My dad hated the uncertainty of waiting to see if he would be drafted, so he enlisted in the Army. He was able to get assigned to repairing Hawk missiles, which were not deployed in Vietnam. Instead of combat, he went to Korea for a year and then was stationed in Fort Bliss after he returned. My mom and dad married in between his basic training and going to Korea. I wasn't born until after he had left the Army, but I remember seeing his uniform hanging up in my closet for most of my childhood.

My aunt served in the Army twice. First as a specialist in the Women's Army Corp (WAC) and worked as a journalist. She went back in later and served the Signal Corp as a First Lieutenant. I remember her giving me two first lieutenants bars and Ranger tab. Today I realized that I don't know what she did in the Army, so I've sent her a message to correct my ignorance. 🤦‍♂️ I guess you don't know what you don't know until something makes you ask some questions. My aunt answered my questions, so I've updated her service in the Army.

My uncle was also an officer in the Army. He flew the Cobra attack helicopter in Vietnam. I've heard a few stories from his time in country from my Grandpa Wood. I remember seeing a series of pictures of a Cobra being rolled in mid-air. Seeing a helicopter coming out of being fully inverted is bizarre looking! Apparently, someone from Bell thought they were all lunatics for doing it.

Today my son is serving in the US Army National Guard. He has jumped out of airplanes and helicopters, rappelled from at least one helicopter, and has plans to attempt far hairier stuff once he finishes his degree. While I can appreciate being a young man in your 20s and wanting to do wild stuff, the dad in me is less enthused at the idea.

To those who have served, are serving, or have lost their lives in the service, I offer you my thanks for what you have done. Serving in the military can mean many things, but everyone sacrifices something to be there. Whether that is time away from family, witnessing humanity at its worst and its best, suffering lifelong injuries and trauma, to losing their lives. Veterans day is a day of remembrance. My hat is off to all of you.