Like most families that have served, we are low-key.

The uncle I knew best, John Scherer, survived the flu during World War I and was ready to go over the top when the war ended.

My cousin Nevil was a tank commander during World War II. He was KIA on Christmas Eve 1944 at the Battle of the Bulge.

Four out of six children served in my immediate family.

My brother Guy, an infantry man in the Marine Corps 3rd Division, fought at Iwo Jima. Enough said.

Gordon was also in the infantry, and was severely wounded on Anzio. He was later captured as a POW. When released, he only weighed 120 pounds at 6’3”.

My brother Lorin joined the Air Force in 1950 and served as a radio man in Germany.

I was drafted the same year and trained as a combat engineer. But I was sent to Korea as a grunt in a rifle squad. I was wounded in action but was lucky - there were many casualties in just a few days.

Lorin and I are both still members of The American Legion.