This was the story my dad and grandfather told me the day I graduated basic training.

As I understand it, my grandfather was a Vietnam vet attached to a Florida NG unit. My dad started his Army career in 1982 to the same unit.

While it is uncommon for family members to be in the same unit, it's not unheard of. And it's much easier for it to occur in the NG because those jobs are all based on available and limited slots.

During one weekend, they were doing live-fire exercises. This particular exercise focused on two separate teams attacking two separate enemy bunkers.

The first team was my grandfather's, and they were tasked with clearing out the bunker. The second team was my dad's, tasked with live-firing an M60 into the second bunker. My dad was the gunner.

On my dad's team was PVT DopeyMcdopeface, and he was in charge of scouting the enemy bunker with binoculars and giving my dad the okay to fire. The problem was that the wrong bunker was scouted, and when he gave my dad the okay, my grandpa's team was simultaneously storming the same bunker. So my grandfather had just cleared the bunker and was suddenly in a hail of 7.62mm rounds coming for him.

And that's how my dad almost killed my grandfather.