Three different generations of George Carman's, three different military services, but all born and raised in Baldwin, Long Island, New York.

Grandpop (left) went "Over there" during World War I as a private in the Army in 1917 and came back a corporal when World War I ended the following year.  This photo was taken at his basic training camp in New Jersey.  The Federal Archives records of his military service no longer exist.  They burned up with thousands of other in a fire in the National Archives in Missouri in 1979.  Luckily the State of New York had some records of their own. (moral - don't wait to send away for your ancestor's records!) Grandpop went back to work on the fishing boats of Baldwin Harbor after the war.

Dad (center) went into the Navy at the outbreak of  World War II, serving his time on Destroyer Escort 240 USS Moore.  This photograph from an old 'brownie' camera was taken while standing atop of the Rock of Gibraltar in 1944 enroute to (or from) the invasion of Italy. The USS Moore, named after a sailor killed at Pearl Harbor, was a sister ship to DE-245, the USS Sloat which was named after Admiral John Drake Sloat.  After the war, dad also returned to the fishing boats, just as his dad had.  Dad also spent 20 years in the Baldwin Volunteer Fire Department.

And to the right would be me in 1970, United States Marines.  As it turned out I was home on leave for Memorial Day that year. In Baldwin, we always have a big parade down the middle of town (Grand Avenue) on Memorial Day.  Dad talked to some of his friends in the VFW and before I knew what happened I was put at the head of the parade that year - My 15 minutes of fame.

Grandpop got to see France, dad got to see the Mediterranean, I got to see Okinawa.