Army Brat 1st Class here. 1953 to 1967. My dad was Special Forces in Vietnam. He was a Lt. Col. when he retired after thirty years. He’s 83 now, and still one of the most patriotic people I know.
I got a little teary-eyed from your post. Please give him (or send if he’s not close by) a hug for me and thank him for his service. I was thinking earlier seeing pictures and videos of the vets at the memorials - I wish I was there - I’d give each and every one a hug (after asking permission) or shake their hand if they preferred. Thank your Mom for her service, too.
My uncle, who was also my Godfather, just passed away a few months ago. He would have been 92 in July and served in the Army during WWII (Pacific). My stepdad was in the Marines in WWII in the Pacific. I’ve had a lot of family members that have served. We’ve been very, very lucky - I think we’ve only had 1 KIA - Great Uncle in WWI (though I don’t know about wars and family serving prior to that).