How far can you trace back your military roots?

I don't know much on how to trace my military roots other than what I've been told by family and family trees. I was a Navy brat and dad retired off the USS Kittyhawk, grandpa was a LRRP in Vietnam, great grandma Hansen when she died found her rosey the riviter card from WW2 and my great uncle Bob was a Marine in the Okinawa invasion. Beyond that I just know I'm named after civil war photographer Mathew B. Brady as he is a distant relative on my dads side.

CPT (Join to see) I'm a 4th generation cavalryman. My Greatgrandfather was a Hussar in Franz Joszefs Army. My grandfather chased Villa so did my great uncle, my dad was horse Cav before WWII later a tanker, retired in 74. I was assigned to. A Cav Sqdn after commissioning

I grew up as an Air Force BRAT, but I did attempt to break that chain by going into Army ROTC before I came to my senses and enlisted into the Air Force (exactly 20 years ago today, actually). My ancestors on my dad's side moved to America at the turn of the 20th century, and all of the men were drafted into the Army. All of them opted to take the GI Bill and run rather than make it a career, but most of their children, including my father, decided to make the military their careers--all of them Air Force. In my generation, with the exception of one medically disqualified cousin, half of us are career Air Force and half are career Navy. If I trace back my family roots along my grandmother's side, I can find some militia members in the American Revolution and some draftees in the American Civil War, but I do not have a lot of details (it is hard to trace genealogy on names like Smith and Martin). I know that along my grandfather's side, all the men were in the Polish Army, but I think they were all conscripts.

My paternal grandfather was in the Army and fought in the Battle of Normandy (he passed away in November 2004), my father enlisted in the Navy during the tail end of Vietnam (he died from Agent Orange cancer January 2004), my paternal uncle served in the army, one of my (female) cousins was in the Coast Guard, one of my cousins served in the Marine Corp, I served in the Air Force, and my younger sis enlisted in the Navy.

"me" only! lol maybe decades later, someone should ask this question to my decedents ... I hope there is any .... this thought scare me ...

I was actually really surprised when I looked into my family lineage a while back and saw that I have a paternal (great great great, etc.) grandfather that served in the revolutionary war, as well as the war of 1812.

"Henry Conn served in the Rev. War in 1780 in Capt. Comfort's Co., 3rd Bat. York Co. PA. Militia and also in the war of 1812." (Ancestry.com)

Subsequently, his son served in the Civil War, another descendent in WW1, my grandfather in WW2, Uncle in Vietnam, and onward down the line to me.

I REMEMBER MY GRANDFATHER AND MY DAD TELLING ME STORIES OF WHEN THEY WERE FIGHTING HITLERS FRONT LINE ON THE DUTCH BORDERS, THEY BECAME PRISONERS OF WAR, BECAUSE MY GRANDFATHER WAS A COOK, A VERY GOOD ONE, HE BECAME HITLERS COOK ON THAT CAMP, BUT HE COOKED FOR ALL SOLDIERS, SO EVERY DAY THEY WOULD SAY, BRING YOUR BOY HERE, MY POPS, AND TELL MY GRANDFATHER IF YOU POISON THE FOOD YOU KILL YOUR SON, SO EVERY DAY MY POPS HAD TO TASTE THE FOOD WHO EVER ASKS HIM, HE ATE GOOD, THEN ONE DAY THE JAPANEESE CAME AND TOOK MY POPS AND TORTURED HIM BY PUTTING BAMBOO SHOOTS BETWEEN HIS FINGER NAILS AND TOE NAILS, TO FIND OUT IF HE HAD ANY INFORMATION, THEN THE 101st FLEW DOWN LIKE RAIN AND RESCUED THE PRISONERS FROM WAR, STOPPED THE KILLING OF JEWS, WHEN MY FAMILY CAME TO AMERICA, THEY EMBRACED THE AMERICAN FLAG, AND FELL IN L;OVE WITH IT, THEN WHEN I GOT INTO HIGH SCHOOL, I MADE A PROMISE THAT I WANTED TO BE IN THE U.S.ARMY, MY DAD WAS PROUD, THAT DAY CAME MAY 1979, I LEFT FOR BASIC TRAINING, 35 YEARS LATER 7 COMBAT TOURS, JUNE 2014 I RETIRED, EACH AND EVERY DEPLOYMENT MY MOM PRAYED ENDLESSLY FOR MY SAFE RETURN, AFTER MY RETIREMENT, MY POPS IS STILL PROUD TO SAY, THIS IS MY WAR HERO, I TELL THEM MY POPS IS MY HERO AND ONE OF THE OLDEST PRISONER OF WAR 1941 TO 1944 // YES I SERVED MY COUNTRY PROUDLY BECAUSE OF MY POPS // ALLONS

You can join the SUVCW.
http://www.suvcw.org/

My Ancestors through my Father: Father was a Seaman First Class on the USS Midway, in the Navy. Another Grand Uncle Charles Sands was a Combat Engineer in WWII. He was a bit old and some Soldiers told him to put in for a transfer. He said "They would not let me in the First War, they wont keep me out of this one". A Cousin, Seaman Second Class was only 17 when he joined up. He was KIA serving on the USS Juneau off Guadalcanal. My Grandfather Eugene Sands was a Private in the Battery B, 2nd Trench Mortar Battalion, gassed in WWI. A Grand Uncle, PFC Mark Greengrove Jr. was in Company D, 309th Infantry Regiment, 78th Division. WIA shot in the leg.
My Great -Great grandfather Mark Greengrove was a Private in the 8th Regiment New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. WIA at the Battle of Williamsburg and at Gettysburg in The Wheatfield on the second day.
Revolutionary War ancestors. Simon Sands Cow Neck Militia and on the Committee of Safety. Daniel Shafer, 4th Ulster County Militia. William Wilkin Jr and Sr. 2nd Regiment, Ulster County Militia. Frederick Bookstaver, 2nd Ulster County Militia.
One of my 9th Great Grandfathers was the first doctor in Charleston, MA. DR Richard Palgrave. Through him I am descended from over 30 Crusaders and numerous knights.

Through my Mom: My Uncle Tony went to Canada before a war, before WWII to join the Royal Canadian Air Force and become a fighter pilot. He came back when the US got into the war and was part of a bomber crew. Another Uncle was an MP serving at Camp Devins. Another Uncle was a machinist in a war industry and finally got into WWII in 1943. It probably saved his life because he was a tail-gunner on a B-24.
Two cousins served in the 11th ACR. Richard and Andy Walsh, 2nd Squadron, 11th ACR. Rich in Germany, Andy in Vietnam, both in the same Troop and had the same First Sergeant! Another Cousin served in the Air Force and married a service member who retired as an E-8. One of their sons just got promoted to 1LT in the Air Force.

In the very distant past, I had ancestors who served as sailing masters for England, one of whom descended from the royal Stewarts of Scotland. During the Revolution, I had ancestors on both sides-the father was a captain in the British loyalist militia...the son, a captain in the Continental Army. The father died, the son lived on. During the Civil War, I had ancestors who rode as privates with the 6th Tennessee (Union Loyalist) Cavalry...one of whom died as a prisoner in Andersonville. During WWI, both of my great-grandfathers, one from Maine, the other from Tennessee, served as enlisted men. One served prior to the Great War in one of the last "horse cavalry" units. My grandfather enlisted in the Army at the outbreak of WWII, and earned a commission in the Army Air Corps. He flew B-25's, and B-24s, but unfortunately died in the Pacific near the end of his last tour. My father was an NCO in the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during the 50's and early 60's. My uncle was a Lance Corporal in the Marines.