Creating a personal memoir or “Legacy Biography” must include any military experience that you have participated in but it could also include the military experience of someone close to you instead. Please adapt, change, eliminate or add to the suggestions in this template to offer a picture that reflects your views, your tears, laughter, pride and anything else that reveals how military service has affected you.

Did you serve in the military?

If not, did you have a spouse, sibling, parent, child, grandparent, relative or friend who served? If so, then offer the information that you know about them using the questions below as a guidline.

What branch of the military did you serve in?

For what country?

Did you volunteer or were you conscripted?

Did you participate in any basic training – where?

Was basic training difficult?

What did you learn about yourself during this introduction to the military?

Did you have to leave your country to continue your service? Where did you go, how long were you there and did you go to more than one place?

What can you share about your experience – did you see “action?”

Were you in a peace keeping or peace making role?

Did you have a best friend while in service?

Where are they now?

What rank did you have when you entered and did you move up the ranks?

What was your rank when you left or retired?

What was the most powerful or meaningful experience of your tenure?

Are you comfortable talking about your military experience?

What makes you the most uncomfortable?

Do you still carry secrets that you do not want to divulge or secrets that you cannot divulge?

What was the the biggest lesson that you learned and what would you share with others?

Would you do it again if you had a choice?

Does your service cause you to have sleepless nights?

Would you be willing to explain further?

There may be much more that you can add to this section of your personal biography. There may be pictures, letters, newspaper articles and more. If you are comfortable in doing so, then perhaps you could do that. If not, then you should feel no obligation to do it.

Can you share the fallout from your military service? How has it influenced the rest of your life, your relationships, health, work, family and other areas of everyday existence?

Do you belong to any post service organizations?

Do you participate in “Remembrance Day” or “Veteran’s Day” events, or do you find a different way to remember?

Please add any information that you feel comfortable sharing.

Creating a personal memoir or history requires thinking about events, people and circumstances that include both joy and sorrow. It may be cathartic but it will be of incredible value to those who read it in the future. Please consider sharing this series of templates with other people by sharing through social media buttons on this page or an email with a personal message and encouragement.