Every war has its sides, its weapons, its cultures, and its soldiers. Wars shape history, and shape the men and women who live it. Wars punctuate periods of history when the forces that write the chronicle of life come to blows. Wars exhibit extremes. Men and women behave in ways that showcase the finest aspects of human nature and the worst depravities man is capable of. Back home, life goes on, and soldiers remain frozen in time, untouched by the cultural shifts happening in their absence until they get their discharge papers.

Every war produced its own kinds of veterans, from the shores of Tripoli to the Battle of Ypres. These men and women sucked dirt and took fire in ways that while unique, are something anyone who has worn a uniform in wartime can relate to.

Did you serve the United States in wartime? How well do you remember those days? How did it leave you changed? How were you received when you got home? Did you come away from the war with memories of grateful locals or chants urging you to leave? Did you keep in touch with your fellow veterans, and if so, did the experience bond you in ways that helped back home in civilian life? Can we guess when you served?