As far as I know, none or my close relatives have ever given their lives while in military service for America.

May 31 is Memorial Day. For some Americans, it may just be a three-day weekend, the start of summer, the end of the school year or just another day. For those families who have lost member in combat, it is a time to remember with renewed thanks for those who gave “their last full measure of devotion” in service to our nation.

My paternal grandfather, Thomas Biggs, served in the U.S. Navy during World War I  “the war to end all wars.” That was more than 100 years ago. I have no information about his rank, where he served or his specific duties.

When I was a young child, my grandmother did advise me to pick some other branch of the service instead of the Navy. Her concern was that if you die at sea, they won’t recover your body for a proper burial.

Obviously, my grandfather made it through the war alive. My maternal grandfather, Amos Rogers, passed away in 1928, so he survived World War I. I don’t even know if he was in the military.

My father served under Gen. George Patton in the U.S. Army in the European Theater during World War II.

He didn’t like to talk about his service. Killing someone, even in a war to defend your country, can be traumatic.

I don’t know that he was captured by German soldiers, who intended to march him back into a prison camp in Central Germany. With the help of other American soldiers, he escaped.

And he received a Purple Heart, which means he was wounded in action. And I know he had a minor disability pension from the Army.

But, of course, he survived the war. It was such a terrible thing that he never wanted his sons to have to go through that but he would never have objected to our service in defense of the nation.

My half-brother, the late Ben Campbell, was in the Army during the Korea War. I don’t know really any details about his service except that if he was in combat, he wasn’t wounded or killed. That was in the 1950s when I was an infant.

My other four brothers and I were baby boomers and we each registered for the draft during the time of the War in Vietnam.

My late brother, Bill Biggs, enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard and that kept him from going to Vietnam. Back then, the National Guard was not sent overseas and they would not have been sent unless it was an extreme situation.

My late brother, Tom Biggs, enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Tom had some medical problems and he was given a medical discharge shortly after his basic training. He never saw combat.

My other two brothers never served in the military and neither did I. I am the youngest brother and by the time I finished high school, the war was over and the military draft was ended. When I finished my college degree in 1976, I thought about joining the Air Force and becoming an officer, but that just didn’t work out.

I would have gone to Vietnam had I been drafted but I am grateful that I didn’t have to experience combat.

My son Brian enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard several years ago. After basic training, he was scheduled to be sent to Afghanistan and serve on convoy duty for an Army colonel.

America now sends National Guardsmen overseas to augment our regular military. More than 3,000 troops were set to go to Afghanistan with my son but his assignment was switched to Kuwait. He spent nine really hot months in the Kuwaiti desert doing paperwork in the commanders’ office.  He didn’t fire his gun and he wasn’t shot at in those nine months and returned home safely. It was a great cause for celebration when he returned to us. It was an answer to fervent prayer by our family. We are very proud that he chose to serve and grateful that he wasn’t killed or wounded.

We live in a dangerous world. There are evil people and nations who want to overrun our country and dominate us. If you have ever traveled abroad, sometimes you can sense the hostility toward Americans.

We need a strong military as a deterent to this evil. And the people who volunteer to serve us in the Armed Forces know that they are risking their lives by signing up.

And their families are subject to great sacrifice by them being in hostile nations thousands of mile away from home.

Those families who have lost loved one in the service deserve our compassion and thanks.

Memorial Day is a good time to express that gratitude.