My mother’s side of the family has had several soldiers fight in many different wars over the past 150 years, and their service is something of which I am very proud. Military servicemen have always been regarded as the most courageous and altruistic people in America. Soldiers give up years of their lives to serve in the American military and protect our rights and freedoms. My grandfather fought in the Korean War, my great-great grandfather fought in the Spanish-American War, and my grandfather’s great uncle fought in the Civil War. As a salute to these men, my family has kept several artifacts that they had during their service, and we consider each of them very prestigious.
Though I was never able to talk to my great-great grandfather or my grandfather’s great uncle about their time in war, talking to my grandfather about his tenure in Korea was one of the most 
interesting and eye-opening conversations I have had. I had never talked to him about it until this past summer when I was visiting my grandparents before I left for college. He is eighty-two years old now and is not as talkative as he used to be, but on this day we talked for hours. He told me about his life before the war, when he was in high school, and the years right before he went to war. He talked about how much being in Korea matured him and how he felt like a different person after he got back home, but not necessarily in a bad way. He told me that the things he saw and the incidents he experienced just change a person, and he said it is hard for people to understand until they have these experiences themselves.
Although I never got to speak to him about his service, I am sure my great-great grandfather would have said the same thing. My grandfather’s great uncle unfortunately died during the Civil War, among millions of other young soldiers. My great-great grandfather kept an America
n flag from the Spanish-American War as a commemoration to his service, and my grandfather’s great uncle’s gun is hung above my grandparent’s mantle in their living room in remembrance. These two pieces of family war history, along with my grandfather’s war medals from Korea, are all held in a very high regard and are irreplaceable and priceless in our eyes.
After doing research for this project and talking to my family about our long history of servicemen, it became apparent to me how we as a country view and interpret war differently today than we did during their time. The picture at the beginning of this project is of a group of cadets standing in formation and was taken in 1898 on the quad here at the University of Alabama. I decided to put it at the beginning because it exemplifies the American soldier during those years: a younger college man sent to war or volunteering to serve in the military, not extensively trained, and ultimately unprepared for the experiences that await him. My grandfather and great-great grandfather were in their mid-twenties when they went to war, and my grandfather’s great uncl
e was in his early twenties. Even the propaganda posters during the times of these wars expressed different ideas. These posters showed strong, attractive men fighting valiantly for their country, but not discussing the true, violent, tragic events that changed these young men’s lives. Today, through worldwide news channels and around the clock coverage of international events, we know exactly what is happening at all times. These technological advances help Americans constantly stay informed, almost to a fault. The main difference between the two generations of soldiers is their pre-existing knowledge of war and the degree to which they were prepared for what was ahead of them. Nonetheless, whether it was one hundred years ago, modern day, or one hundred years in the future, soldiers will always be the most respected and commended Americans due to their unselfish desire to protect what they consider most important to American life: the freedom of all citizens. This fact is precisely why I wanted to research and exhibit the men in my family who have made us proud by serving America in the past, and they deserve our recognition and praise.