GeekDad Salutes Our Veterans

Poster from U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs

We’d like to take a moment to commemorate Veterans Day in the U.S. We ordinarily deal with far less serious matters, but as most of us are American, we felt it was important that we remember all those who have given part of their lives in service to their country’s military.

While we are grateful to all those who have served, we would like to specifically mention some who are particularly important to us. These include well-known geek celebrities (that is, people whom geeks consider celebrities — not necessarily people who are/were geeks themselves) of all sorts, and also family members of ours (and the one GeekDad contributor who is herself a veteran). It is almost certain that we have missed people who should have been on the list; if you are aware of any, please let us know with a comment. Also, if there are members of your own family (or you yourself) whose service you would like to mention, please leave a comment about them.

Geek Celebrities (in alphabetical order)

Robert Heinlein, L. Sprague de Camp, and Isaac Asimov (l-r) at Philadelphia Navy Yard, 1944 (Photo is in public domain)

Isaac Asimov (served nine months in the Army just after WWII)
Robert Asprin (Army in Vietnam, 1965-6)
Hal Clement (flew 35 combat missions in a B-24 over Europe in WWII)
L. Sprague de Camp (Navy, Lt. Commander, served in WWII at Philadelphia Navy Yard with then-civilians Heinlein and Asimov)
David Drake (Army in Vietnam)
Harlan Ellison (Army, 1957-9)
Theodore Geisel (Army Air Force, WWII – GeekMom Jenny’s grandfather served with him)
Joe Haldeman (combat engineer, Army in Vietnam)
Robert Heinlein (served in Navy from 1929-34)
Frank Herbert (Navy Seabees as a photographer in WWII for six months)
James Earl Jones (Army, Ranger, 1953 – 55)
DeForest Kelley (Army Air Corps/Force in WWII, 1943-6)
Jack Kirby (WW II, service in Europe after D-Day)
Stan Lee (WW II stateside service from 1942-45, Signal Corps)
Tom Lehrer (Army, 1955-7, achieving the rank of Specialist Third Class: “Corporal without portfolio”)
Mark Lenard (Army during WWII, 1943-6)
Elizabeth Moon (Marines, 1968-71)
Leonard Nimoy (Army, Sgt., 1953-5)
Edgar Allan Poe (Army, 1827-9)
Fred Pohl (served about 2.5 years in the Army from 1943-5, stationed primarily in Italy)
John Ringo (four years active duty in the Army)
Gene Roddenberry (Army Air Corps/Force in WWII, 1941-5; flew 89 combat missions in the Pacific Theatre)
Kurt Vonnegut (turned POW experience of Dresden firebombing into antiwar sci-fi classic)
Gene Wolfe (Army in Korean War)

GeekDad Writers’ Family Members (also in alphabetical order)

Harold Bair, Jenny Williams’s maternal grandfather (Army Air Force in WWII 1941-1945)
Jim Banks, Dave Banks’s paternal uncle (Navy in Vietnam)
Louis A. Banks, Dave Banks’s paternal grandfather (Navy in WWII)
Tom Banks, Dave Banks’s father (Navy in Vietnam)
Irwin Blum, Matt Blum’s paternal grandfather (Navy in WWII)
Richard E. Booth, John Booth’s father (Air Force, from 1968-72)
John Charow, Corrina Lawson’s maternal grandfather (WWII veteran, served in the Italian campaign)
Harry Chew, Dave Banks’s maternal grandfather (Army in WWII)
Corporal Jason Cohen, Doug Cornelius’s brother (currently serving in Marines)
Jerome Czisny, Chuck Lawton’s maternal grandfather (Navy in WWII)
Ned Denmead, Ken Denmead’s paternal grandfather (Army Air Corps in WWII)
James Ferrell, Dave Banks’s father-in-law (Army in Korea)
Roger Garrison, Jenny Williams’s paternal grandfather (Army Air Force in WWII 1941-1945 – Worked in Hollywood with Theodore Geisel writing propaganda for the war effort)
Cliff Joseph, Matt Blum’s wife’s paternal grandfather (Marines in WWII)
Corrina Lawson, herself (Coast Guard, from 1983-85)
Gilbert Richard Lawson, Corrina Lawson’s paternal grandfather (WWII veteran, served in the Italian campaign)
Roger Gordon Lawson, Corrina Lawson’s father (Navy from 1962-1966)
Tom Lawton, Chuck Lawton’s paternal uncle (Marines in Vietnam)
Hazel Levy, Matt Blum’s paternal great-aunt (WAVES in WWII)
Lonnie Morgan Sr., Lonnie Morgan’s father (Army in Vietnam)
Bob Musetti, Ken Denmead’s father-in-law (Navy in Vietnam)