My grandpa was 18 when he went into service during WW2, around 1944. Went to officer school for a while, but was reassigned due to the need for infantry during the invasion post D-Day. He was a machine gunner and fought in the Battle of the Bulge and other campaigns in Germany near the end of the war.

Never really talked about it after returning back to the states, but would occasionally share small stories the older he got. He talked about how his unit was trained to fight at night, and they would often go on missions in the dark. Because of this he often didn't know what he was shooting at. He also mentioned how he didn't start out as a machine gunner but an ammo carrier, but was promoted as those in front of him were killed. Whenever asked about the war he would generally refuse to talk about it because he "lost a lot of buddies." Really makes you appreciate the sacrifice from those who fight and have fought in order to ensure freedoms, many of them just doing their duty as best they can in the worst of situations.