The PG-HQ Oral History Project

[Matt W]

I have two service flags from my direct family.

My maternal grandfather was a captain in the AEF and fought with the artillery. Sadly he died before I was old enough to have an interest in history. My grandmother and mother said that he never talked about it and it predated his relationship with my grandmother so it was never an article of conversation.

My father was in the 101st Airborne as a recruit in 1950. There are a number of family rumors as to his military career. He was in training to go to Korea shen suddenly he was discharged. Dad was a bit of a rake (I am proof that apples can often fall very, very far away from the tree) and there is one story that involves the wife of a senior unit officer... Then again, his discharge indicates rheumatic fever. Dad never clarified the story. Probably just as well.

My wife's maternal grandfather was in the Navy and served immediately after WW I. He was stationed in Western Europe and participated in flag ceremonies at the Brussels Olympics. He was happy to talk about his service and life aboard ship. If you have read Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine, listening to him was like listening to "The Time Machine" in the book. When he told his stories you didn't need anything extra to visualize it. I can still see the uniforms, feel the dismay when a white uniform ran up against a greased rope, and hear the petty officer's dressing down.