I was born in Pontiac, Michigan on July 2,1959 and grew up in the Southwest Detroit Neighborhood called Delray. The neighborhood was located about four miles South of Downtown Detroit. At one time in the 20th Century it had the nickname of " Kis Magyarorszag" or "Little Hungary" because Hungarians made up the largest ethnic group in the neighborhood and was second in population of Hungarians only surpassed by Budapest. The New Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario is located where my old neighborhood used to be (YouTube has videos of the Bridge's ongoing construction). I graduated from High School in 1977 and joined the Army shortly thereafter for a twenty plus year career. I trained to become an Army Infantryman, Paratrooper, Ranger, Operations NCO, Schools NCO/Admin Clerk, Instructor and first line supervisor in Airborne and Light Infantry units in Europe, Middle East, Carribean, Stateside and Alaska which is considered an Overseas assignment. I was a member of the 82nd Airborne DivisIon from 1982-1984 and participated in the Grenada Invasion i.e. "Operation Urgent Fury" from October- December 1983. I made 53 parachute jumps during five years I spent on jump status. In 1991 I left active duty after 12 years. I have resided in North Carolina now for over 30 years. In 1994 I joined the Army Reserve and spent 15 years in the Reserves. I utilized the educational benefits at hand while in the Army and after I left the Army and attended College to obtain a degree in History. As with many Americans we are a "Heinz 57" country when it comes to family trees. My brand of Heinz 57 includes my German, Hungarian, French, Slovak, English, Scots-Irish, Dutch, Hebrew and Native American ancestry. Names that are part of my family tree are: Ashby, August, Bagwell, Baum, Benion, Boerner, Bradshaw, Bruckner, Bryan, Carlisle, Carter, Coleman, Courtney, Curd, Dannenberg, Driscoll, Einfeldt, Ervin, Farrar, Foushee, Freeman, Gaber, Gabor, Gilman, Grimsley, Hall, Hardin, Hill, Hancock, Horn, Horvath, Jackson, Jennings, Koch, Kummer, Lacer, Lee, Lester, Limberner, Lincoln, Luck, Ludlow, Lynxwiler, Mangrum, Moses, Oakley, Ostrander, Overstreet, Owens, Plew, Ploeg, Plough, Polo, Rohrscheib, Rostron, Samko, Scott, Sexton, Sturgeon, Taylor, Thomas, Timmons, Unsel, Uroda, Walker, Weingartner, Wengert, Wingert, Wingerter and Wire just to name four dozen plus. I believe in the Trinity i.e. Father, Son and Holy Spirit and know that after we shed this mortal coil and pass over to the other side we still live. I am a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of the War of 1812. I am a Musician, Artist, Linguist, Athlete, Military Historian, Genealogist, Ghost Hunter, Reenactor/Living Historian i.e. all periods of American History but mainly the Civil War, American Revolution and World War II, avid book reader, Collector of toy soldiers, history magazines and books, model builder, Battlefield Explorer/ Tramper and Love the Lord Jesus! In the civilian world I have worked a variety of jobs since I started working at age 9 back in the 1960's. I am the father of four and grandfather to fourteen grandchildren. I had two sons and two daughters with my wife. Both of my sons are US Army Veterans. My oldest son Jeremy served in Iraq in 2004-2005 with HHC (Operations) NC National Guard and served mainly in the Green Zone of Baghdad. He had the chance to go up to Tikrit where Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole. He made a 20 year Career of the Army as an AGR soldier and is a Warrant Officer with the North Carolina National Guard. My other son Andrew did two tours in Afghanistan with HHC, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division during two tours in 2008 and 2009-2010. Their AO(Area of Operation) was in the Arghandab Valley near Kandahar. Andrew was trained as an 11C i.e. Mortarman in the Infantry 11 series MOS. He came back with TBI and PTSD. He passed away in February 2021 at age 31. He is buried at the Sandhills Veterans Cemetery adjacent to Fort Liberty, NC. My oldest child and daughter Shannon passed at age 13 in July 1996 here in North Carolina after being hit by a pickup truck. Her and Andrew were twins just born six years apart! She is buried in the Hill Family Cemetery in Fairmont, NC. My wife Carolyn passed in 2016 at age 55. She was cremated. Two grandchildren passed in 2005 and 2006 by miscarriage. Find A Grave is an excellent site to contribute and think of people who need and deserve to be remembered. Being a Genealogist I have found quite a few relatives I knew nothing about. It gives me a Raison D'Etre and fills the idle time with keeping the departed perpetually relevant. I will gladly transfer any of the memorials that I currently manage except if they are family! Peace to all and God bless everyone!

I was born in Pontiac, Michigan on July 2,1959 and grew up in the Southwest Detroit Neighborhood called Delray. The neighborhood was located about four miles South of Downtown Detroit. At one time in the 20th Century it had the nickname of " Kis Magyarorszag" or "Little Hungary" because Hungarians made up the largest ethnic group in the neighborhood and was second in population of Hungarians only surpassed by Budapest. The New Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario is located where my old neighborhood used to be (YouTube has videos of the Bridge's ongoing construction). I graduated from High School in 1977 and joined the Army shortly thereafter for a twenty plus year career. I trained to become an Army Infantryman, Paratrooper, Ranger, Operations NCO, Schools NCO/Admin Clerk, Instructor and first line supervisor in Airborne and Light Infantry units in Europe, Middle East, Carribean, Stateside and Alaska which is considered an Overseas assignment. I was a member of the 82nd Airborne DivisIon from 1982-1984 and participated in the Grenada Invasion i.e. "Operation Urgent Fury" from October- December 1983. I made 53 parachute jumps during five years I spent on jump status. In 1991 I left active duty after 12 years. I have resided in North Carolina now for over 30 years. In 1994 I joined the Army Reserve and spent 15 years in the Reserves. I utilized the educational benefits at hand while in the Army and after I left the Army and attended College to obtain a degree in History. As with many Americans we are a "Heinz 57" country when it comes to family trees. My brand of Heinz 57 includes my German, Hungarian, French, Slovak, English, Scots-Irish, Dutch, Hebrew and Native American ancestry. Names that are part of my family tree are: Ashby, August, Bagwell, Baum, Benion, Boerner, Bradshaw, Bruckner, Bryan, Carlisle, Carter, Coleman, Courtney, Curd, Dannenberg, Driscoll, Einfeldt, Ervin, Farrar, Foushee, Freeman, Gaber, Gabor, Gilman, Grimsley, Hall, Hardin, Hill, Hancock, Horn, Horvath, Jackson, Jennings, Koch, Kummer, Lacer, Lee, Lester, Limberner, Lincoln, Luck, Ludlow, Lynxwiler, Mangrum, Moses, Oakley, Ostrander, Overstreet, Owens, Plew, Ploeg, Plough, Polo, Rohrscheib, Rostron, Samko, Scott, Sexton, Sturgeon, Taylor, Thomas, Timmons, Unsel, Uroda, Walker, Weingartner, Wengert, Wingert, Wingerter and Wire just to name four dozen plus. I believe in the Trinity i.e. Father, Son and Holy Spirit and know that after we shed this mortal coil and pass over to the other side we still live. I am a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Sons of the American Revolution and Sons of the War of 1812. I am a Musician, Artist, Linguist, Athlete, Military Historian, Genealogist, Ghost Hunter, Reenactor/Living Historian i.e. all periods of American History but mainly the Civil War, American Revolution and World War II, avid book reader, Collector of toy soldiers, history magazines and books, model builder, Battlefield Explorer/ Tramper and Love the Lord Jesus! In the civilian world I have worked a variety of jobs since I started working at age 9 back in the 1960's. I am the father of four and grandfather to fourteen grandchildren. I had two sons and two daughters with my wife. Both of my sons are US Army Veterans. My oldest son Jeremy served in Iraq in 2004-2005 with HHC (Operations) NC National Guard and served mainly in the Green Zone of Baghdad. He had the chance to go up to Tikrit where Saddam Hussein was found hiding in a hole. He made a 20 year Career of the Army as an AGR soldier and is a Warrant Officer with the North Carolina National Guard. My other son Andrew did two tours in Afghanistan with HHC, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division during two tours in 2008 and 2009-2010. Their AO(Area of Operation) was in the Arghandab Valley near Kandahar. Andrew was trained as an 11C i.e. Mortarman in the Infantry 11 series MOS. He came back with TBI and PTSD. He passed away in February 2021 at age 31. He is buried at the Sandhills Veterans Cemetery adjacent to Fort Liberty, NC. My oldest child and daughter Shannon passed at age 13 in July 1996 here in North Carolina after being hit by a pickup truck. Her and Andrew were twins just born six years apart! She is buried in the Hill Family Cemetery in Fairmont, NC. My wife Carolyn passed in 2016 at age 55. She was cremated. Two grandchildren passed in 2005 and 2006 by miscarriage. Find A Grave is an excellent site to contribute and think of people who need and deserve to be remembered. Being a Genealogist I have found quite a few relatives I knew nothing about. It gives me a Raison D'Etre and fills the idle time with keeping the departed perpetually relevant. I will gladly transfer any of the memorials that I currently manage except if they are family! Peace to all and God bless everyone!