In this family, this means remembering to thank Dad for his service, and remembering the grandfathers for their service before, during, or after WWII. I also am reminded that my paternal grandmother should also be thanked for her service to this country, for her work as a "Rosie." (See this article in today's NYTimes about "Rosies." )When that grandmother, Grandma Roa, passed a few years ago, I inherited the bulk of her vintage jewelry. In a small box, mixed in with assorted lapel pins, Boy Scout insignia, and sweetheart jewelry, there are various Naval items, from my grandfather's stint in the service. For various reasons, the meaning behind much of the memorabilia has been been lost, though the appreciation for the sacrifices that they represent--and gratitude that they were saved--remains.
I need to have the "stars and bars" identified, and then I need to mount and shadowbox these pieces for our family history. (If any Navy vets stumble across this blog and can id these for me, I'd be greatly appreciative.)Happy Veterans Day to all those who have served and are serving our country, including those family members holding up the fort on the homefront.
Update: With thanks to Casey over at mooshinindy.com, I found out about ancestry.com's offer to let people troll through the military databases free of charge. After looking around a bit, I was able to discover that Grandpa J was on the U.S.S. Cowpens in July of 1944, plus his service number, and when and where he enrolled in the service. That's more information than I had an hour ago! Plus, I'm pretty sure I saw about four of my forefather's military records in there as well, but as I'm supposed to be oh, I don't know WORKING, I have to get out of personal research mode.
Awesome. Thanks Casey. Thanks ancestry.com. Thanks also to all the Clydes, Horaces, Elijahs, Roys, and LeRoys!
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