World War II heritage: Generational service

Servicemembers leave a lasting impact on their family members who choose to follow in their footsteps. Their service lives on and is often embodied in a legacy of military service from their children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren.

Capt. Elizabeth Read and Senior Airman Trevor Reece are two examples of service that spans generations. Read and Reece are participating in the 80th Anniversary of Operation Overlord, D-Day, and will participate in an international parachute display as U.S. Air Force jumpers in Normandy, France, on June 9, 2024.

Read’s grandfather, Lester Read, served as a marine in the Pacific theater during World War II, and Reece’s great grandfather, Nathan Reece, served as a medic in multiple areas of the war and was part of the invasion force at Omaha Beach.

Their contributions to the war were significant, but they also carried on inspiring their descendants to serve as they had.

“I think it’s extremely important to remember those who came before us, especially when you’re here and you see the amount of sacrifice they made,” said Senior Airman Trevor Reece, 10th Air Support Operations Squadron Tactical Air Control Party Airman. “I’ll never be able to understand what they went through, but I can honor the unbelievable things they did for this country.”

These Airmen recognize the sacrifices made by all servicemembers, and they use it to guide them in their path of military service.

“The main thing I want to say to those who have served before me is thank you,” said Capt. Elizabeth Read, 18th Air Support Operations Group intelligence officer. “They laid such a solid foundation for us to follow in their footsteps. And now, we get to carry on the torch that they gave us, and hopefully give another solid foundation for the people that will come after us.”

However brief a military member’s service is, it provides a foundation of selfless service that is required to protect others from harm.

“He was everything I aspired to be, someone who was loving, put other’s needs before his own, and that’s something I wanted to do for my family members and now for my country too,” Read said. “He served his country, and we’re really proud of that, but my respect for my grandpa came from who he was as a person. He was a great Marine as well as a great husband, father, and grandfather.”

These members served in their military capacity but also as inspirational figures who motivated others to carry on their legacy of service.

“It just keeps living on, from generation to generation, I think it’s something that family members can be very proud of,” Reece said. “His legacy lived far beyond him.”