Happy Veteran's Day!

To all Veteran's everywhere! Thank you for your service wherever you are!

__________________
You have to think like a hero merely to behave like a decent human being.

My great-grandfather's brother died, as did so many of the Ulster Division, at the Somme in WWI. The Wikipedia article brings things into stark reality:

"The Allies advanced 8 km and the British suffered 420,000 casualties, the French 195,000, and the Germans 650,000. The only success was relieving the French at Verdun. On the first day of battle, the British suffered 57,740 casualties, of which 19,240 were dead (the largest single loss). 60% of the officers involved were killed."

__________________
"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

My great grandfather died serving in the Royal Engineers in May 1916 in what is present day Iraq, aged 36 leaving a wife and five sons under the age of 11. His brother died aged 27 two months later in July 1916 in France serving in the Royal Garrison Artillery Lancashire Heavy Brigade . He left his young wife and baby daughter.
RIP family

There is a story in my family of how my father's youngest brother got the nickname "Buddy". My father is one of 3 boys in his family to 9 girls. A huge country family they are. His oldest brother, Carl, apparently got into a huge fight with my grandfather and left home. No one knew where he went. A few months later, my grandmother received a letter saying my Uncle Carl had joined the military and he went overseas in fought in WWII. My uncle apparently lied about his age to joined. When he was finally released from the military, he had came home and at that time, my grandmother had her final child, which was a boy named "Willie John". My Uncle Carl always called his baby brother "Buddy" (A military term used to refer to a friend or close one, and still used today). I never knew my Uncle "Buddy"'s real name until was close to a teenager because the nickname stuck to my uncle. Many people (family and friends) I know have served. Its great that we have these people protecting us and our freedom.

My Uncle Buddy recently passed away. My Uncle Carl is the only brother left. My father, who was the middle boy, passed away several years ago. Heart disease and cancer being the main cause of our family's deaths.

Seconded.