Moses Mulliner, Revolutionary War Veteran

I don't remember how I learned that I had a Revolutionary War ancestor, but I was of course interested to learn about his service.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Moses Mulliner was about 35 years old and had served as a drummer!  I have read that the Mulliners were Quakers, which could help explain why he was a drummer, as he might have wanted to participate but not fight or kill.  Once, however, when I was giving a presentation about Moses and his brother (who was a Loyalist), someone in the audience told me that the Mulliners were not Quakers, although he didn't explain his assertion.  I have not yet found documentation for or against the Mulliners as Quakers, so I don't know yet.  But I'm always looking for more information.

When Moses was quite old, and when the United States federal government made a provision in 1818 for infirm veterans to receive pensions, he applied for such a pension.  He eventually did receive it, after makiing a deposition and finding men from his unit (who were still alive!) who attested to his service.  He was approved for and received the pension, including back payments, shortly before he died in 1821.

Years ago I went to the National Archives and had photocopies made of Moses' pension file.  I couldn't find them easily now, but the file has been digitized and is available online, so I now have an electronic copy, which is much handier in many ways.

I've transcribed all the text on the documents I received from Moses' file.  In the transcriptions, I've underlined information that was entered by hand; text that was preprinted on the document is not underlined.

(3-1776)

SERVICE                                                            NUMBER

New Jersey                        Mulliner, Moses                  S.34,447

CONTENTS

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16211

New Jersey.

R

==============================================

Moses Mulliner —

of  Little Egg Harbour  in the state of  N Jersey
who was a  private  in the regiment commanded by
Colonel  E Dayton,  of the  N. Jersey
line, for the term of  One year 76

=================================

Inscribed on the Roll of  New Jersey
 at the rate of  8.  Dollars per month, to commence on
 the  7th  of May, 1818 .

==============================================

Certificate of Pension issued the 6th of Decr 1819 .
 and  Sent to Gen Jos. Bloomfield  .

H. R.

==============================================

Arrears to 4th of Sept. 1819 .  .  .  .  $127.51
Semi-anl. all-ce ending 4 Mar 1820 .  .  . 48.00
                                        ========
                                     Due  175.51
                                        ========

15 mo 25/31 [??]/30 .

{ Revolutionary claim,  }
{ Act 18th March, 1818. }

Continued
       Note for above sent
Sept. 14, 1820 to Joseph
             Bloomfield,
              N. Jersey .

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

Moses Mulliner
7 may 1818 private
Dayton's acs[?] New Jersey
.75 One year

Further proof
of Service is
Required —
       Pension off

Clerks fee 36 Cents

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

State of New Jersey   }
Burlington County ss }

          On this Seventh May 1818, before me the
Subscriber one of the Judges of the Court of Ommon
Pleas in and for the County aforesaid personally Appears
Moses Mulliner aged Seventy-seven years resident in
Tuckerton, Little Eggharbour Township, County & State afore-
said who being by me duly sworn according to Law doth
on his Oath make the following declaration in order to
obtain the provision made by the late Act of Congress
entitled "An Act to provide for certain persons engaged
in the Land and Naval service of the United States in the
revolutionary War:"  That he the said Moses Mulliner
enlisted in the fall of the year 1775 in Little Eggharbour in
the State of New jersey in the company called the Jersey Greys
commanded by Capt. John Ross and Joined the Third New Jersey
Regiment commanded by Col. Dayton in the SPring of 1776
at New Brunswick performed the duty of a Drummer
from Mt. Holly to Skeensbury & Ticonderoga where he was
discharged about a year from the time of enlistment and
recved. a discharge from Capt. Ross Col. Dayton and the
Genl. Commanding (name not recollected) and also a
recommendation from Capt. Ross; during said Tour
was employed by Col Dayton as a messenger at various
times from Fort Schuyler to Albany, and went to
take Col. Johnson under Genl Schuyler, and that
he is in reduced circumstances and stands in need of the
assistance of his County for Support; and that he has
no other evidence now in his power of his said Services
his discharge having been lost or mislaid

    Sworn to and declared before me the day and year aforesaid

Moses Mulliner

Ebn. Tucker.

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      I Ebenezer Tucker one of the Judges of the Court of
Common Pleas in and for the County of Burlington, do certify
that it appears to my satisfaction that the said Moses
Mulliner, did serve in the Revolutionary War, as stated
in the preceding declaration, against the Common enemy;
and that his circumstances in life are low indeed:  And
I now transmit the proceedings and testimony taken and
had before me to the Secretary for the Department of
War pursuant to the directions of the aforementioned
Act of Congress.

Ebn. Tucker .

          I the subscribed Clerk of the Court of Common
          pleas of the County of Burlington in the State
          of New Jersey do certify that Ebenezer
          Tucker Esquire, whose name is subscribed to
          the aforegoing certificate is One of the Judges
          of said Court duly commissioned and that
full fault["] and credit us due to his Acts as such — Given
under my hand & seal of office the ninth day of July
eighteen hundred eighteen

JMcIlvaine

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

34,447

Revy INVALID

File No.  34,447

Moses Mulliner

Rev    Rev  War

Act:  18th March 18th [sic]

Index:— Vol.  2  , Page  290

[ Arrangement of 1870. ]

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Supplementary Evidence Concerning Moses
Mulliner a Revolutionary Soldier

State of new jersey  }
Burlingt County      }

          Personally appeared before me
          Edmund Darnel one of the Judg
          es of the Inferior Court of Common
please for the said County John Guy
who being duly Sworn according to Law
doth depose and say that he became acquain
-ted with Moses Mulliner in march 1776
and that said Mulliner did the duty of a
Drummer in Captain John Ross's Comy
and that I recollect said Mulliner being at
Fort Stanix [six] when Independence was
declared and continued in said servise [sic]
untill [sic] the fall of the same year or rather the
early part of winter the weather being then
Cold and further saith not

Sworn and subscribed the second day of
November Eighteen hundred and nineteen
                            John Guy 1819

Before me
Edmd Darnel

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

I Edmund Darnel one of the Judges of the Inferios
Court of common pleas for the County of Burling
ton do certify that the within deponent John Guy
is a man of credibility and worthy of belief and
no way interested in the application of Moses Mul
liner for his pention

Ednd Darnel

Novr • 2 • 1819

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         Supplementary Evidence Concerning Moses
Mulliner a Revolutionary Soldier

State of N. Jersey }
Burlington County  }

Personally appeared before me Edmd Darnel one
of the Judges of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas
for the said County of Burlington Samuel Ajay
who being duly sworn according to law doth de
pose and say that he became acquainted with
Moses Mulliner in the last of march or the first
of April 1776 that he the said Mulliner was
at that time an Enlisted Soldier in Captain
John Ross's Company and was Enlisted in the year
service was joined the third new Jersey Ridgonent [sic]
Commanded by Colonel Elias Dayton and
that he performed the duty of a Drummer in
said Captain Ross's Company, and continued
and done duty as a Soldier in said Company
until late in the fall of the same year and further
saith not. Sworn and Subscribed the third day of
November Eighteen hundrid [sic] and nineteen 1819

Samuel Ajay

before me
Demd Darnel

I Edmund Danrel one of the Judges of the Inferi
or Court of common pleaqs for the County of Burling
ton do Certify that the above deponent Samuel Ajay
is a man of Credibility and worthy of belief and
is no way interested in the application of Mos
es Mulliner for his pension

Edmd Darnel

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New Jersey District ss.  On this  eighth __  day of August ___  1820, personally
appeared, in open Court before the Judges of the Court of Common pleas, of the County of Burling-
ton, in the State of New Jersey, being a Court of record, proceeding according to the course of the
Common Law—havng jurisdiction unlimited in point of interest, and keeping records of its proceed-
ings.  Moses Mulliner  ___________________________  aged  eighty
years, resident in  Tuckerton  ___________  in the said County, who, being first duly
sworn  according to law, doth, on his  oath _ declare that he serviced in the Revolu-
tionary war as follows :—  he enlisted in the year 1776 in the company
of Captain John Ross , third New jersey Regiment commanded
by Colonel Dayton – I served eleven months but having got a
person to enlist during the war I wa discuarged by General
Schuyler at Ticonderoga  Col Dayton was my Colonel at the
time of my discharge – I was a drummer – I was never in
Battle – I frequently served in the Militia after I left the
regular army  My Pension certificate is number 16.211

------------------------------------ " ------------------------------------

And I do solemnly  swear  that I was a resident citizen of the United States, on the 18th
day of March, 1818; and that I have not, since that time, by gift, sale, or in any manner, disposed of
my property, or any part thereof, with intent thereby so to diminish it as to bring myself within the
provisions of an act of Congress, entitled " An act to provide for certain persons engaged in the land
and naval service of the United States, in the Revolutionary war:" passed on the 18th day of March,
1818; and that I have not, nor has any person in trust for me, any property, or securities, contracts,
or debts, due to me; nor have I any income other than what is contained in the schedule following,
and by me subscribed.  one lot of land in Tuckerton sixty feet by sixty
with one old wooden house one story high 15 by 18 feet – in
which I have only a life estate at most it would
probably rent for eight or ten dollars per annum – old old
walnut Desk – 1 pine Table . 3 rush bottomed chairs – 1 old
settee – 1 Iron Pott – 1 Tea Kettle – 1 dozen Earthen dishes . six queen
ware cups and Saucers . 1 Shovel & tongs – 3 Knives & forks – 1 pair
andirons . 1 water pail . 1 wash Tub . 1 axe – 1 old fish Net –
I have no family except my wife about my own age . I
am not able to Maintain Myself by labour ---------------- " -----------------

------------------------------------ " --------------------------------------

Moses Mulliner
----- " -----

Sworn to, and declared on the  eighth  }
day of  August 1820  before            }

    Joseph Budd President
    of the court -------- " --------

        I, JOSEPH McILVAINE, Clerk of the Court of Common please of the County of Burlin-
ton, in the State of New Jersey, do hereby certify, that the foregoing  deposition  and the sched-
ule thereunder written, are truly copied from the record of the said Court; and I do further certify,
that it is the opinion of the said Court that the total amount in value of the property exhibited in the
aforesaid schedule is  fifty ---- " ------  dollars and ---- " -----  cents.  In testimony whereof,
I have hereunto set my hand, and affixed the seal of the said court, on the  eighth  day of
August  1820.

JMcIlvaine

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The court is opinion that the total amount in value
of the property within mentioned is fifty dollars

                         Joseph Budd
                                President of the court

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Remembering My Granduncle for Veterans Day

The older of my grandmother's two older brothers was Sidney Gordon.  He was born December 22, 1915 in Manhattan, New York and died May 10, 2012 in Graniteville, Richmond County (Staten Island), New York, where he had lived since about 1952.  During World War II, from about 1939 to 1943 he served in the U.S. Navy, with at least some of that time spent as a medic in Trinidad, or at least that's what I've been told.

Sidney had several photos taken of himself during his Navy service, and he apparently sent copies of the photos to his sister.  I now have my grandmother's photo collection and therefore lots of photos of Sidney in the Navy.

I think this is the first time I've collected them all together.  I don't have anything to date them by, so I don't know what order they should be in.  While I'm pretty sure that some of them were taken in Trinidad, others (such as the one where Sidney is wearing a heavy coat) might have been in the States.  I wish I had more details.

At this point I believe his service records should be available to me, and since he was in the Navy and not the Army, I shouldn't have to worry about lost records.  I need to put requesting them on my to do list.

Visit this month's Genealogy Blog Party at The Family Heart for more family history stories about veterans.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (on Sunday!): A Veteran's Service and Gravesite

I've missed the past few Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenges, mostly because they were repeats of ones from previous years and I didn't have anything new to say.  This weekend, however, Randy Seaver came up with a new twist for Veterans Day:

Here is your assignment, should you decide to accept it (you ARE reading this, so I assume that you really want to play along; cue the Mission:  Impossible! music!):

(1) To celebrate Veterans Day, pick one of your ancestors or relatives with a military record and a gravestone.

(2) Tell us about your ancestor's military service.

(3) Tell us about your ancestor's gravestone:  Where is it, what is the inscription, when were you last there?  Show us a picture of it if you have one available. 

(4) Write your own blog post about this ancestor and gravestone, or share it in a comment to this blog post or in a  Facebook post.

The reason I wasn't able to do this for Saturday is because at first I couldn't find one of my military relatives for whom I had a photo of a gravestone.  I went through several ancestors, futilely searching:

Umpty-umpth-great-grandfather Hananiah Gaunt, Revolutionary War veteran:  no known tombstone in his own time

Umpty-umpth-great-grandafther (one fewer generation than Hananiah Gaunt) Moses Mulliner, Revolutionary War veteran:  no known tombstone in his own time, unknown location of grave now

Father Bertram Lynn Sellers, Jr., New Jersey and Florida Army National Guard veteran:  He doesn't have a tombstone.

That finished the ancestors whom I know had any type of military service.  Then on to collateral lines:

Maternal uncle Gary Steve Meckler, U.S. Army veteran:  I don't have a photograph of his tombstone.

First cousin John McKay Appleton, Coast Guard veteran:  I don't have a photo of his tombstone.

Second cousin once removed Victor Gordon, U.S. Navy veteran:  I don't have a photo of his tombstone.

Granduncle Sidney Gordon, World War II U.S. Navy veteran:  I don't have a photo of his tombstone.  At least I have photos of him in uniform during the war.

Great-granduncle William Brainin, World War I U.S. Army veteran:  I don't have a photo of his tombstone.  I used to have a photo of him in his Army uniform, but it has disappeared.

I also looked at individuals in my adoptive Sellers line:

Great-great-grandfather Cornelius Godshalk Sellers, Civil War veteran:  probably no tombstone originally, now unknown grave location (because the cemetery was sold for a housing development and only graves for which people ponied up money were moved)

Distant cousins Edwin Elias Sellers, career U.S. Army veteran, and his son David Foote Sellers, career U.S. Navy veteran, actually do have tombstones I can find images of.  I considered writing about one of them — and I would have had tons of material, because they both had long, well documented careers — but I kept hunting for someone on one of my blood-related lines.  And I finally found:

Great-granduncle David Harry Brainin, World War I U.S. Army veteran (and William's brother).  Born approximately March 25, 1888 (at least that's the date he used on some records in the United States), probably in or near Kreuzburg, Russian Empire (now Krustpils, Latvia); died May 6, 1971 in Vineland, Cumberland County, New Jersey; buried in Alliance Cemetery, Norma, Salem County, New Jersey.

I wrote about Dave and my discovery of what little I know of his Army service a few years ago.  He registered for the draft on June 5, 1917 in Butte, Montana.  According to his fast-tracked military petition for naturalization, he arrived at Camp Lewis, Washington on March 5, 1918.  He was naturalized as a U.S. citizen on June 4, 1918.  The two witnesses on his petition were a captain and a first lieutenant, probably officers in his unit.  I don't know when he officially entered or mustered out of the Army.

But I do have a photo of his tombstone:

There isn't much of an inscription:  Just BRAININ over DAVID 1888–1971 and BETTY 1900–1978.

Thank you to Mary Ann Missimer-Moore, who took this photo and has given blanket permission to use the photos she posts on Find A Grave.

There's about an 80% chance that any documents relating to Dave's service were destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire.  I actually live not far from what was Camp Lewis, now Joint Base Lewis-McChord.  I searched and discovered that Lewis Army Museum is on the base.  I doubt there will be anything specific to my uncle in the museum.  But I won't know for sure about either until I try, will I?

Armistice Day, November 11, 1918

My friend's grandfather Zalmon Orloff served in the U.S. Army during World War I.  He was in Saumur, France when the armistice was signed.

Zalmon wrote letters to his girlfriend about every other day while he was in the Army.  For some reason, after he returned to the States and was mustered out of the service, Zalmon had his girlfriend type up the letters he had written and send him the typed copies.  This means that a hundred years later, my friend has copies of the letters Zalmon wrote, including the one he wrote on Armistice Day.

-- >< -- >< -- >< -- >< --

S.A.S.

Saumur, France

Dear Sarah:

I don't know how to begin my letter.  The beginning though, does not matter anyhow.

The main thing is that the population of France, Saumur included, is gone stark mad with joy on account of the armistice signed this morning.

French and American soldiers, men, women, boys and girls are embracing one another and the words "GUERRE EST FINIS" were on everybody's lips.

The wine shops were doing a rushing business and the natural merriment was greatly increased by the artificial one.

Groups of Americans and French gathered around every corner and sang the Marsellaise on the top of their voice.

Every nook and corner was full of children, who, waving the tricolor or the Stars and Stripes, sang their favorite songs and exploded fireworks in your very face.

The French and American buglers were blowing every tune imaginable and I doubt whether Saumur ever witnessed a similar scene.

Have read in the papers the conditions of the armistice and about the revolutionary movement spreading in Germany.

Why, Sarah, it seems as if it were a dream and I have to pinch myself to realize that I am wide awake and the wonderful news is a real, genuine unadulterated fact.

I never expected that the end of the misery will come so soon.

Hurrah!

Zalmon

Wordless Wednesday for Veterans Day

Cornelius Godshalk Sellers, My Civil War Ancestor

Cornelius Godshalk Sellers, my great-great-grandfather, was born January 15, 1845, in Doylestown, Buck County, Pennsylvania.  His family was enumerated in Pennsylvania in the 1850 census, but by the time of the 1860 census they had moved to Belvidere, Warren County, New Jersey.  When the call came for volunteers to help fight for the United States in the Civil War, he wanted to enlist.  Because he was underage, his father, Franklin Peter Sellers, had to sign to give his permission, which he did on August 7, 1862.

Cornelius enlisted in the 11th New Jersey Infantry, Company I.  He mustered in on August 8 in Trenton, New Jersey, where he was paid a bounty of $25.

The 11th New Jersey saw action at some important battles of the war, along with several lesser-known battles:

• Battle of Fredericksburg, December 12–13, 1862
• Battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863
• Salem Heights, Virginia, May 3, 1863
• Battle of Chancellorsville, May 4, 1863
• Battle of Gettysburg, July 2–3, 1863
• Beverly Ford, Virginia, August 19, 1863
• Locust Grove, Virginia, November 27, 1863
• Battle of Mine Run, Virginia, November 29, 1863
• Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, May 10–12, 1864
• Barker's Mills, Virginia, June 10, 1864
• Siege of Petersburg, Virginia, June 16–23 and July 1, 1864

Cornelius was admitted to the hospital at Farfax Seminary in Virginia on June 14, 1863.  There he was treated for anemia.  He was returned to duty on July 2, 1863, just in time for the Battle of Gettysburg.

Cornelius was admitted to the hospital again on March 24, 1864, this time in Alexandria, Virginia.  The stated ailment was epilepsy.

This time, however, he apparently was not truly ill.  The treatment portion of the file states, "Claims to have had frequent convulsions before admission, but has had none here — Evidently shamming."  It's possible he was simply tired of fighting.  He was returned to duty April 20, 1864, having missed no fights involving his unit.

Even with that little incident, he managed to be promoted to corporal on February 23, 1865, having remained a private throughout the previous two and a half years.

The Civil War officially ended on April 9, 1865, with the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House.  Cornelius' unit was mustered out a month later, on June 6, 1865, near Washington, D.C.  He owed the government $5.45 on his clothing account, but he was due a $75 bounty, possibly for fulfilling his enlistment.  The muster card indicates he was wounded at Fort Morton, Virginia, on October 6, 1864, which does not correlate with the battles I know of.  Apparently he did not age during his almost three years in the army, as the card also says he was 18 years old, the same age as listed on his muster-in.

Soon after his mustering out he went to Philadelphia, where he set up shop as a printer by 1865, following the same trade as his father.  He married Catherine Fox Owen, my great-great-grandmother, in January 1870.  They had at least two children — Cornelius Elmer Sellers (who went by Elmer), born November 7, 1874, and Sarah Owen Sellers, born July 26, 1878.

Cornelius was still working as a printer when he died, on December 15, 1877, of acute bronchitis.  He was only thirty-two years old.  He was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery three days later, on December 18.

I have just barely scratched the surface of researching Cornelius during the Civil War.  I want to get copies of the morning reports for the unit, which will list his name on the roll and might have more information about the injury at Fort Morton.  I have not yet had the opportunity to check for more hospital records.  I have ordered but not yet received a copy of his payment voucher from June 19, 1865, for $21.46 — and then I will have a copy of his signature.  I don't even know if he had a tombstone or if it survived the destruction of the cemetery.  And I would dearly love to find a photograph of him, whether in uniform or civilian clothes.  But research is always ongoing, and I am happy I can honor Cornelius on Veterans Day this year.

Portrait of a World War I Veteran

Zalmon Reuben Orlowsky was born about 1891, probably in Bachmach or Glukhov, Chernigov gubernia, Russian Empire (now Bakhmach and Hlukhiv, Chernihiv oblast, Ukraine).  When he immigrated to the United States, arriving in New York City on October 30, 1906, his father was likely already dead, as he listed his mother, Elke Orlowsky, as his closest relative in the "old country."  His occupation given on the ship manifest was merchant.  A family story says that he taught himself to read English by going back and forth between Russian and English versions of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace.

By 1910, Zalmon, now going by the last name of Orloff and sometimes the first name of Sam, was living in New Haven, Connecticut and working as a shop laborer.  On December 16, 1914, he was naturalized as an American citizen in New Haven.  He registered for the draft on June 5, 1917, still in New Haven.  Surprisingly, he does not seem to have been enumerated in the 1917 Connecticut military census, or at least I haven't been able to find him in the database on Ancestry.com.

The state of Connecticut, to show its pride in its citizens who had served during the "War to End All Wars", published a three-volume work in 1941 with details on those citizens' service.  According to his entry (in the second book), Zalmon was inducted into the National Army on October 3, 1917 at Local Board 2.  (The number 1,912,305 isn't explained in the book; I'm thinking it might be his service number?)  He was living at 31 Anne Street, New Haven.

Zalmon was assigned to the Headquarters Company of the 319th Field Artillery Regiment through to his discharge.  He was made a corporal on December 7, 1917; a sergeant on February 1, 1918; and also a supply sergeant on February 1, 1918.  He was with the American Expeditionary Forces from May 19, 1918 to March 25, 1919.  He was honorably discharged on April 4, 1919.

From letters Zalmon wrote to his sweetheart while he was in the Army, we know that he went through basic training at Camp Gordon, Georgia.  His tour with AEF took him to France, where he was near the front lines.  As with many soldiers, he was deeply affected by what he saw during the war.

Sometime between his discharge in 1919 and the 1920 census, Zalmon moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he worked as a mechanic.  By 1924 he was married and had a son, and by 1927 they had moved to the bustling city of Chicago, where some of Zalmon's cousins lived.  He had trouble getting good work, however, and was a paper hanger from 1924 to 1930.

Zalmon survived World War I, but he did not make it through the Great Depression.  He died March 1, 1930, in Chicago.  His death was unexpected; he is buried in a section of the cemetery where the plots were sold individually, on an "as needed" basis.  He is not far from a family member, though; his sister-in-law had died the previous year in a car accident, and he is buried only two plots away from her.

I am lucky to have a friend in the Chicago area.  She tries to visit Zalmon on Veterans Day every year to let him know he is not forgotten.

Honoring the Veterans in My Family

The earliest veteran I know of in my family is Moses Mulliner, my seventh great-grandfather, who served during the American Revolution as a drummer for a New Jersey unit.  I spoke about him recently to a local DAR chapter.  As far as I know he was a practicing Quaker, and that is probably why he chose to support the revolution as a drummer instead of fighting.  He was one of many veterans who found themselves in dire financial circumstances late in life, and he had to work his way through government bureaucracy for a pension that finally arrived the year before he died.

After Moses I move forward almost 100 years to the American Civil War.  My great-great-grandfather Cornelius Gottschalk Sellers volunteered to serve in another New Jersey unit.  Cornelius was underage, so his father Franklin had to sign a note granting him permission to volunteer.  His unit was at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, and even at Appomattox for Lee's surrender, and he was in the hospital twice.  He did not survive long after the end of the war, passing away in 1877 at a young age.

On a collateral line are the only career military men I know of in my family.  Edwin Elias Sellers served in the U.S. Army.  He fought in the Civil War and was one of the Guard of Honor over the remains of President Lincoln while his body lay in state in Philadelphia from April 22-24, 1865, en route to Springfield, Illinois for burial.  I don't know if he was miffed when his son David Foote Sellers joined the Navy, but David had a long career there.  He participated in the Spanish-American and Philippine-American wars and World War I, and served as Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet and later as Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy.

Neither of my grandfathers was able to serve in the military.  My paternal grandfather had a leg amputated when he was 13 years old, and my maternal grandfather had flat feet.  But my maternal uncles were both in the armed forces, one in the Army and one in the Air Force.  And my stepfather was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

My stepson served in the U.S. Army for nine years, which included three tours in Iraq.  My daughter-in-law was also in the Army.

These are the veterans who are particularly dear to me, but everyone who serves has earned our thanks today.

Armistice Day

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  That is when the armistice ending World War I was signed.  I grew up hearing about Armistice Day (now called Veterans Day in the U.S., to honor all veterans) from the time I was a small girl because my mother's birthday was November 11.  She knew her birthday was special, and she shared that with us.

I was in England in 1996 on Armistice Day (they still call it that).  Everything stopped at 11:00 a.m. -- drivers pulled over, radios didn't play anything, and people stopped moving and talking.  For two minutes the country remembered the sacrifices and deaths it endured during World War I.  It was a very moving experience.

A friend of mine in Chicago goes every year on Veterans Day and places a flower on the grave of Zalman, the grandfather of a friend of mine in the Bay Area.  Zalman served from 1917-1918 and was in France during the Armistice.  He wrote to a girlfriend during the war, and when he returned he asked her to type up all the letters he had written to her, so my Bay Area friend has a fascinating collection of letters he wrote from the war front.  As much as he was permitted to, he included where he was writing from, so we have a pretty good idea of his movements throughout his tour and what he experienced.

On Veterans Day this year I particularly want to honor my stepson and daughter-in-law, who both served in the U.S. Army, but I also am thinking of all members of armed forces, past and present.  They sacrifice a lot in the service of their country, and they deserve our thanks.