Veterans

Or "Rednecks, Old Uniforms and Family Traditions"

by Uncle Hiram

REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

Recently while packing to move into our new house (Yes, we are moving out of the trailor) I came across one of my old Air Force Uniforms. I was gonna trhow it out (Seems, the waist had shrunk a lot in the last 14 years) when my sweet blonde pointed out to me that it represented family history and Tradition.

Well being the open minded free thinking person I am I immediately said “What the Dog are you talking about, Baby?”

She smiled and said “I know that you are the family historian but I was thinkin, don’t all Th ose patches and ribbons means something?”

“Well yea the patches show what unit I was in and the ribbons are the awards I received.”

She got that big you’re overlookin the obvious grin and said “Wouldn’t you love to have your Uncle Jim’s uniform from Vietnam, or Uncle Wayne’s from Korea or Uncle Bill’s from World War Two. Think how you would treasure the uniform’s your ancestors wore in the civil war or the Revolution.”

Well I gotta admit she has a real good point. The history of my family is firmly tied to the military and the American wars. Of course in many ways this can he3lp in your research. You can obtain discharge papers thru:

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Boulevard
St. Louis, MO 63132

The Unit Rosters of many units are available online and in Genealogical Libraries. The medals they won and the units they joined will tell you much about the personality of your Ancestor.

Did they serve in Peacetime or wartime? Volunteer or Draftee? Officer or Enlisted? What if any impact did their service have on the family?

If yall don’t mind since we are discussing Veterans I would like to talk to yall about a very touchy subject. I know that there are many genealogists that point with pride at their ancestor who arrived on the Mayflower, I cant do that. When the Mayflower sailed my ancestor was a bartender in Birmingham England. Perhaps that is where the roots of my redneck blue collar working man attitude were laid. Lots of folks point with pride to this General or that General during the revolution and say that is my Ancestor. I cant, my ancestor was a private in the NC miltia, another Sara Howcott took part in the “Edenton Tea Party.”

Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t have a problem with people who have famous american soldiers in their family tree. I just want you to remember for every General there were hundreds of Troops. Every American that put on a Uniform and fought for our freedom or marched a lonely fence line during a peacetime deployment deserves our respect. You should take as much pride in your ancestor that was a private in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry as you would if you discovered General Stonewall Jackson in your family Tree.

I would like to give y'all a partial list of my family members who put on the uniform and served.

My Generation

William D. Hocutt, USAF, Peacetime (me)
Jerry R. Hocutt, USAF, Peacetime
David W Hocutt, USAF, Kosva, Bosnia
William S. Hocutt Jr., USAF, Peacetime
Wayne D Hocutt, USAF, Gulf War
Larry Keith Hocutt, US Army, Vietnam, KIA
Monty D Jennings, USAF, Peacetime
Tawanna G Jennings, USAF, Peacetime
Kenneth W. L. Moore, USAF, Peacetime
Barry Adams, US Army, Vietnam

My Parents Genearation

William S. Hocutt Sr., US Navy, World War Two
Euless J Hocutt, US Army, World War Two
L J Hocutt, US Navy, World War Two
Henry David L Hocutt, US Army, World War One
L V Lunsford, US Army, Korea
H Wayne Moore, US Army, Peacetime
Jimmy F Moore, US Army, Vietnam
Kenneth W Moore, USAF, Peacetime
Frank H Jennings, US Army, Peacetime
Charles D King, US Army, World War Two, KIA

My Great Grandparents Generation

Lucious T Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Rufus E Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Jason Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Manasses Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Festis J Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Agrippa J Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Lorenzo W Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War, KIA
Alford Hocutt, US Army, Civil War, Died in a Confederate POW Camp
Alford Marshall, Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Irving W Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Caswell Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War
Lemuel Hocutt, CS Army, Civil War

- Adios and Keep Smiling!

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