My middle school History teacher's father. (what a mouthful.)

My middle school History teacher's father fought as a member of the Army in World War II. This teacher was one of those teacher who would often deviate from the lesson plan for the day to tell stories of his adventures (he scuba dives, does underwater photography, rides a motorcycle, is a Boy Scout something-master, was a cop, etcetera.). He would sometimes tell us stories of his father (who had passed away a few years ago) during class.

His father earned two purple hearts, one for getting shot in the head, and one for getting shot in the butt. My teacher then went on to tell us that his father received more money in compensation for the wound to his posterior than to his head. Quite an interesting thought.

He told us that his father had joined the Army because he said he felt a need to do something about what was happening around the world, and that he felt a need to serve his country and give back to it. Seems to me to be quite a common reason for many people to join the military. That, or economics (ie: $$$).