My kid had to do a project for her history class where she researched and presented her family tree going back five generations. She did a good job but more importantly, I got hooked. I spent some time putting information into one of the standard genealogy services. You dabble around looking at war records and gravestones. If you hit the jackpot, you stumble upon a bunny trail that connects with a super highway that someone else has already paved. The work has been done and you follow the branches back until it reaches farther than you can comprehend. I stumbled upon one of those magical runs. It skipped through a couple of “sirs,” rambled through some Scottish clans, and came to rest on a Welsh king from the 500s. A random king is easy to find if you dig hard enough. The surprising part was the branch from which it was spurred. It was my Dad’s paternal grandmother. Grandma Hazel was a spectacular lady. I had the privilege of knowing her for a couple of years before she died. She was diabetic and needed to hike her skirt and jab a needle into her leg every day. She was extremely amused that I enjoyed watching her spike that insulin into her leg. I will never forget her.
I found many soldiers in my tree that fought in all of the wars. Regardless of the pension they received, I am grateful for their service. We are celebrating Memorial Day in the United States. Happy Memorial Day.