As for my Dad, he passed away in 2008 and I thank him in my prayers for many, many things, as you can imagine. It's interesting that you note the deep faith of your family Veterans...my Dad kept a diary during his WWII service and my wife worked with him to 'flesh it out a bit' and turn it into a family book...in that diary there are numerous mentions of him going to Mass and speaking with the Catholic chaplain...not too surprising for the son of an Irish immigrant...btw, he maintained that deep faith all the way to the end of his life...perhaps one of the reasons I ended up at ND.
My Dad also had an 'Impish' Irish sense of humor...when asked how 'Scared' he was flying missions over Germany with attacking fighters and constant flak barrages with other B-17s going down in flames...he replied..."Only the woman who did my laundry knows!" ;-)...I'm sure he wasn't alone in that...another reason to honor those who offer their lives as "Blank Checks" for our freedom.