My dad, Frank Habern Jr. was a WWII veteran. He served from 1940 to 1946. 
He then joined the United States Marine Corp on September 13, 1940 in Paris, Texas just before his 19th birthday. After boot camp in North Carolina he was assigned to protect Iceland from a potential German invasion in early conflict in WW II.  He was then transferred to Camp Pendleton in December of 1941 for the rapid buildup of Marine regiments because of the escalation of World War II. From Camp Pendleton he was shipped out to the Pacific where he found action in Guadalcanal, Guam, Okinawa, and Tsingtao, China. Frank Habern Jr., was in the first wave to hit the beach on Okinawa on April 1, 1945. He was one of the 3 platoon sergeants of G Company, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Regiment of the 6th Marine Division. He participated in the long struggle to take Sugar Loaf Hill where 7,547 U.S. Marines lost their lives in nine days. He was promoted to first sergeant and was one of only two survivors of his original company of 140 Marines.  He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corp. in December of 1946 at Camp Lejeune 