"Baas Family: Relatives in the Military"Yesterday, I passed along the news that my sister, Lydia, has joined the Navy -- the third of my siblings to volunteer for miltary service. However, after discovering this news myself, I got to thinking... Who
else in my family (or among my ancestors) has served our country? And what branches did they enlist in?
So, after doing a little inquiring, I came up with a list:
- Becca Baas, Lt. -- AirForce ... (sister) -- Active duty. Based in Texas.
- Ben Baas, PFC -- Marines ... (brother) -- Active duty in Iraq.
- Lydia Baas -- Navy ... (sister) -- Recruit in training.
- Jeremy Pingel -- Army ... (older cousin) -- Active duty(?)
- Stephan Pingel -- AirForce ... (cousin) -- Active duty.
- Andy Rodenbeck -- Intelligence ... (older cousin) -- Former spy. Discharged.
- Bill Rodenbeck -- AirForce ... (older cousin) -- Discharged.
- Carl Pingel -- Army ... (grandfather) -- Stationed in Novia Scotia during WWII. Deceased.
- Alice Pingel -- Army ... (grandfather's sister) -- Nurse during WWII. Deceased.
And then there were a few relations who didn't actually serve in the armed forces, but had some direct and noteworthy relation to it. All are deceased:
- Arthur Baas -- (grandfather) -- Recieved a WWII draft deferrment because his job was essential to the military effort. Manufactured components for battleships and submarines.
- Henry Pingel -- (grandfather's brother) -- Civilian Conservation Corps during WWII.
- Anton Virkshus -- (great-great uncle) -- Well-known war photographer during WWI.
And then, I discovered one intruiging individual among my ancestral tree, who, while not a direct relation to me, does bear noting:
- The father of one of my dad's cousins was the grandson of General Irvin McDowell, commander of the Union Army at the Battle of Bull Run during the American Civil War.
So, there you have it. I guess military service does run in the family!
-Jon
posted by Jon at 3:57 PM I I
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