Coincidentally, I got this email from my friend Dave this morning:

I'm sure something similar like this has happened to you all at some point in your life, but I just had to share an interesting experience...

While doing my daily hr to 1 1/2 hr commute to work *groan*, I sometimes listen to NPR. (I know, I know, how grown up of me)... While listen to NPR, a piece came up on war vets.... (ok no big deal).... but its the strangest feeling to all of a sudden hear your father's voice chime in...

I had no idea he was going to do this. What are the odds of just randomly turning on the radio to catch this? The other funny thing listening to it, was hearing the beginning of the story.. as the editor started the piece off talking about a vietnam vet living in the Ozarks... I did start to wonder if my father knew this guy... and then hearing my dad's name and voice... I just started to laugh.

Funny how things like this happen.... Just thought I'd share my odd occurance...

My father was stationed in New York City for at least some of the war, plus I think he worked at some of the air bases around this country. He was an airplane mechanic. He died before I could figure out that there might be an interesting story in why a healthy single man wasn't overseas. I also regret not laying claim to his collection of swizzle sticks from War-era New York City. Mother was/is virulently anti-booze, and I'm sure she threw them away as soon as she could.

My father's father was in the Austrian Army during WWI, on the Italian Front. I don't think my maternal grandfather saw active service, and I know my father didn't.

I don't know much of anything about my family history. The death of my mother's mother and my father's father, both tragically, have kept them (and me and my brother) mum on the subject. I would like to know, though.

I do know that I am a descendant of Capt. James Lawrence: [link]

One of my great-grandfathers was gassed in WWI and was never healthy again. Of course,this worked out well when my dad had polio and needed someone to recuperate with.

My mother's father was sent to MIT to study nuclear stuff but the war ended before he finished his training. He did later serve in Korea, though.

My dad's father was too young for WWII.

Aimee, that's HILARIOUS! Thanks for the link. I am a little amazed at how well Jason Alexander moves--especially when he's on that guitar.

Aimee, that's HILARIOUS! Thanks for the link. I am a little amazed at how well Jason Alexander moves--especially when he's on that guitar.

Isn't it awesome! And, as usual, William Shatner cracks my shit UP.

The Tramp Stamp showed up on the latest Robot Chicken. Suddenly this term is everywhere!

I want my funky new glasses to arrive so I can be all hip and stuff.

I'm guessing my granfathers were either too young, too old or too broken already for both world wars. I really have no idea.

Okay, this is just weird! I Googled my grandfather's name and got the obit for his brother, who died last year. This was in the obit:

Mr. Lawrence was a Navy veteran of World War II who participated in numerous invasions in the South Pacific, including the liberation of the Philippines.

The construction of this sentence cracked my shit up:

He was a native Augustan and a Catholic.