Maternal Grandfather: 2nd Lieutenant, Forward Observer in the Army...35th Infantry...landed on Omaha Beach 30 days after the landings, saw fierce fighting in St. Lo, liberated Paris, wounded at Battle of the Bulge and received Purple Heart and then moved with his unit to hold the line in the Netherlands, and then on to cross into Germany. He never talked about his service or his time in the Army.
My father joined the Navy in the early 60s, worked in the engine room on a supply ship, never saw combat, got out after four years, and talks about it to this day.
Two very, very different military experiences for sure.