What's your/your family military background?

[Ban my account ffs!]

My dad's dad was an engineer in the Navy at the tail end of WWII.  My mom's dad was drafted and fought in Korea.  My mom's uncle, who is only 12 years older than her, fought in Vietnam.  Upon returning home, he found out that his wife had cheated on him and they divorced, so he re-enlisted and went back.  It was a bad decision and the events he witnessed in Vietnam seriously changed his life for the worse.  He had major PTSD and is now experiencing health problems thought to be side effects of Agent Orange.  My dad's brother was in the air force in the late 70s and early 80s.

In general, however, my family tends to be pretty pacifistic.. especially my mom's side, so military service has really only stemmed from the draft.

Going way back on my father's side, there were immigrants from Scotland and Switzerland that were loyalists.  The Swiss fellow married a Scottish immigrant.  He fought int he French and Indian War on the British side.  In 1776, as a staunch loyalist, he and his wife attempted to emigrate to Canada.  He died in western New York later that year, but his wife moved onto Canada.

Eventually, one of their descendants married a Scottish immigrant and moved to Michigan before eventually settling in Nebraska and Missouri.  Oddly, one branch of the family settled in Warren, Minnesota and married into the Scandinavian Christenson family.  My brother dated a girl named Holly Christenson as a teenager having no idea that they are distantly related.