thank you to all the veterans in my family tree.....this is great grandpa Ross Shafer in WWI

we have documentation of ancestors in the Indian Wars, Revolutionary War, Civil War, both World Wars....my cousin Shawn served in peace time. My grandma Grace's brothers all served. she had nephews who served. Her own husband was drafted, but never had to serve. Brown, Bryant, Maxwell, Shafer. So many stories, so much sacrifice and worry. Terror, bloodshed, death. Soldiers who fought on land, on water, in the air. So many. There were Union soldiers. There were Confederates. At one time in high school, when I realized that college wasn't in my cards, I thought the military would be the way to go. Travel a bit. See some of the world. Lose some weight. Get tougher. But then I fell in love and went to marriage boot camp instead. I honor the veterans, while I am glad my own children didn't go this route. When your numbers up, your numbers up. And yes, there are many old veterans who went through a lot. But there are a lot of tombstones from those who didn't survive.