{"id":7639,"date":"2026-03-23T14:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7639"},"modified":"2026-03-23T14:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T14:30:00","slug":"a-family-legacy-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7639","title":{"rendered":"A family legacy of service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-03-23T14:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

Connected by duty and care<\/h2>\n

Army Veteran Rob Sterling recently visited the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center<\/a> (MEDVAMC), bringing with him an incredible family legacy that warmed the hearts of VA staff.<\/p>\n

Sterling\u2019s father, Edmond, and his twin brother, Edward, both served as radiomen in the Navy during World War II. The brothers deployed to Hawaii and the Philippines, and served in the war stationed in Midway, where that famous battle took place. After the war, the brothers returned to Texas, where they raised their families after becoming master mechanics. Both also received their health care at MEDVAMC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Following in their footsteps<\/h2>\n

Rob Sterling proudly followed in their footsteps by joining the Army and later serving as a police officer at Houston Community College for 24 years. It wasn\u2019t until after his retirement that he sought care at the MEDVAMC.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe care that I receive at MEDVAMC has been excellent across the board,\u201d Sterling said. \u201cI am so grateful for the people that work here and I\u2019m very proud to continue my family\u2019s tradition of military service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Honoring the Greatest Generation<\/h2>\n

To honor our World War II patients, MEDVAMC has a Greatest Generation wall on the first floor of the medical center. Hundreds of World War II patients have had their picture taken by the medical center for inclusion on the wall. In many of the pictures, the Veteran is holding a picture of him or herself back when they were in the military.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to create a special place in our medical center to honor World War II Veterans,\u201d said Lindsey Crain, MEDVAMC\u2019s interim medical center director. \u201cOur wall is very popular with Veterans of all eras, but it\u2019s so special to see how thrilled the World War II Veterans are to be featured on it. Many of them look forward to seeing their picture on the wall every time they come in for an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n

MEDVAMC is honored to serve Rob Sterling, just as we served his father and uncle.<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A powerful legacy of military service comes full circle as Rob Sterling reflects on his family\u2019s history and the lasting connection to the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7639","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-news"],"yoast_head":"\nA family legacy of service - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A powerful legacy of military service comes full circle as Rob Sterling reflects on his family\u2019s history and the lasting connection to the Michael E. 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