Posted on Sep 27, 2015
How far can you trace back your military roots?
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For those whose blood runs deep in the military? How far can you trace your roots?
I grew up an Army Brat. Father is retired LTC, infantry, airborne, air assault, Ranger, all the super hooah stuff. It wasn't until I began looking into the military myself did I discover that much of my family has been in the military. So far, I have been able to trace my family lineage all the way back to General John Aaron Rawlins, who served as a Civil War General and the Secretary of War for Ulysses S. Grant. The patriotic blood runs deep in my veins.
How about you?
If not, are you a beginning a legacy?
I grew up an Army Brat. Father is retired LTC, infantry, airborne, air assault, Ranger, all the super hooah stuff. It wasn't until I began looking into the military myself did I discover that much of my family has been in the military. So far, I have been able to trace my family lineage all the way back to General John Aaron Rawlins, who served as a Civil War General and the Secretary of War for Ulysses S. Grant. The patriotic blood runs deep in my veins.
How about you?
If not, are you a beginning a legacy?
Legacy
Family
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 80
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Father's side of the family, Father is a retire Navy Captain and Nam vet, His father Army enlisted WWII, Omaha Beach, His father WWI where he meet my great grandmother in France, His father Army enlist Spanish American War, His father Army Enlisted Civil War (Fought for the South) those are the only ones I know off the top of my head. My father's side has been in the US since the building of Jamestown, VA. Mother's side the only one I know of was my Uncle was enlisted Navy during Nam and later Commissioned, retired as a LT Commander. Her side came to the US at Plymouth Rock.
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At least Civil War on dad's side. His grandfather was a Civil War medic - Army. My grandfather was retired Army tank Commander. Dad was Army also - MP. My maternal grandfather joined the Navy during WW2 thinking it would be safer and served on a destroyer. No one else on mom's side is military as far as I know. I'm the odd man out by not joining the Army.
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I'd love to know more about my military heritage but don't know how to go about it
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CPT (Join to see)
really I would begin talking to any family you know was in the military, then begin looking up your family tree. Always a great place to start and a fun little project if youre into history
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CPT William Ainley
Join Ancestry.com on a trial basis, then using any information specific to your Grandfather's on both sides of your family, and determine who your G-Grandfathers, or GG-Grandfathers if known, post them on the Military Search Engine. Look for Draft Registration Cards for WWI and WW II. If you get hits, then consider joining Fold3.com. This is a search site for National Archives. Once or twice a year they offer a week-end without having to pay to join. Check it out on Veterans Day week-end, most likely it will be free. That is what I did, and I found all of my GG-Grandfather's Civil War Muster Rolls for both the Confederate Army, and the Union Army, also his two older brothers!Ancestry.com had records of my Great Grandfather that served in the Revolutionary War! Be a Detective, and start investigating, remember, more and more records about families and individuals are being submitted to Ancestry .com everyday! I just discovered up-dated information verifying one of my Great Grandfather was Henry Hudson, the explorer, and another Great Grandfather, Marquis Calmes as having served as a Major in the Virginia Line, later after relocating to Kentucky, he served as a Brigadier General under the Governor of Kentucky by the name of Shelby in the War of 1812! So take the bull by the horns, and start sleuthing!
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Someone in my family has been in every war on US soil, since even before the USA was a country, and every war the US has been a part of as well.
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CPT (Join to see)
I was enlisted, then I became an Simultaneous Membership Program (SMP) cadet in ROTC. I no longer hold an enlisted rank but am listed as E5. Cadet Captain is just the rank I hold at school for what position I am in (assistant S3). Really all cadet ranks are the same. Like my dad says "cadets are lower than whale shit. even e-fuzzies are higher." Ha.
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I did genealogical research over the last several years, as I had lots of unanswered questions about my family orgins and how long we had been in the United States. I was able to trace it back to when the First member of my family arrived in the New World, 1612, Elisabeth City Virginia. I have found that I had 2 relatives who fought against the Crown in the War of Regulation, which was a pre Revolutionary War Rebellion. Others fought in the Revolutionary war. I had relatives at Valley Forge. In the Civil war there were 5 of my family at Gettysburg for Virginia, and 2 for Alabama.
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One Uncle to serve in WWI, One Uncle and My Dad served in WWII, One Uncle in Korea as well as Nam, and one other Uncle who also served in Nam.
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Yes, 5 Confederate infantrymen and quite possibly Prussian soldiers back in history if they could be traced. But I had 4 German soldier ancestors that I know of prior to WW1. Definitely a military gene in the family.
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CAPT Hiram Patterson
More thoughts in nearer history- My father had and uncle who served in Army Coastal Artillery Corps in WW1 (his son was in the Navy in the 50's but didn't like it). My father was a Navy CWO2 in WW2 working in BUORD and BUAIR; one brother was an Army Infantry Officer in WW2 serving in Normandy and was awarded a Bronze Star at the Battle of the Bulge; another brother was an Army Air Corps Master Sergeant who served in North Africa in WW2; a third brother was a Navy Officer in WW2 who worked with the FBI; and one cousin was an Army Air Corps Lt Col commanding a fighter unit in Italy in WW2( his son was in the Navy in Vietnam). One of my mother's uncles had a son who was a B-17 pilot in WW2. One of my mother's brothers was in the Army in WW2 who served in Fiji and the PI and the other was a driver in an AAA Company in Korea. Another uncle was an Army medic in Korea. I was in the Navy for 32 years and am an Iraqi Freedom veteran with two in-country deployments, serving in a Marine civil affairs group and later on a NMC-I joint service medical staff.
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SPC Joe Krull
I have two relatives that were brought over from Hessakassle to fight in the revolutionary war, plus, if the line is correct, back to Charlemagne and Henry the fifth. That's just one side, pretty sure if I dug more I'd find more. But proud to say I have had family serve in every generation since the beginning.
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I am an Air Force brat with a Sergeant Major grandfather. Having done genealogy with my mom, all the way back to the 1700s, there have been family members in the military.
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