General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Romney only American family with 5 generations of no military service? [View all]hfojvt
(37,573 posts)my nieces and nephews (so far, no service)
me and my siblings - no service
mom and dad - no service (sorta, dad went into National Guard to avoid Korea)
grand-parents - no service (sorta, paternal grandfather was a WWI vet, who never fought. He was finishing up his training when, thankfully, the war ended. Still gets a flag on Memorial Day).
great-grandparents - William (1875)(no), George (1860) (no), John (1840) (no), Frederick (1860) (no)
there's five generations, assuming my 3 nephews avoid service when they come of age.
great-great-grandparents - Michael (1852) (no), John (1833) (civil war vet, badly injuried, probably PTSD too, and lost a brother), Stephen (1833) (no, emigrated to US in 1864), John (1830) (no, emigrated to US in 1852), Patrick (1810) (no, emigrated to US in 1832), Isaac (1799) (no), Ferdinand (1840) (yes, civil war, died in Andersonville), Matthew (1830) (no, emigrated to US in 1852).
So, you could take a number of my ancestral lines and find five or six generations with no military service. Some of that just comes from being born in the right year. My maternal grandfather, born in 1889, was probably too old to get drafter for WWI.