I was born to middle-ish aged parents (36 and 46), so I feel like I grew up a lot "closer" to recent history than other people in my generation with younger parents. (I'm 21)
My maternal grandfather was somewhere in the pacific, but that's all I really know. He died well before I was born. My paternal grandfather tried to sign up, but was medically unable, however his brothers and cousins fought in the pacific as well. I know at least one of them was on a PT boat. After my maternal grandfather died (young, my mom was only 23, so that would have been 1979), my grandma remarried. The person I grew up with as 'grandpa' didn't fight in WWII, but was in the airborne during Korea. I don't think he ever fought; he broke his back during a jump in training.
Unfortunately only my maternal grandmother remains today, the rest having past away in the last 5-7 years.