[stately military music]
- Michael Hellquist: I knew I wanted to be military
from a young age.
I served in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- Angela Fitzgerald: Michael Hellquist grew up
in a military family, along with a sense of honor and tradition.
- My grandfather is probably my biggest inspiration.
How's it going, Gramps?
- George Swenson: Just wonderful.
- Michael: It actually started with the American Legion.
I was a kid, and any time he'd have a Legion meeting to go to,
a function, I'd go with.
- George: What?
- Michael: You're the longest-serving legionnaire
in the state of Wisconsin. - You're kidding.
I didn't know that.
[gavel banging]
- Angela: Grandfather and grandson
still share time together at the American Legion in Kenosha.
- Michael: So this is probably one of my favorite pictures
of my grandpa.
That was just this past Army Navy game.
- Angela: Michael is on a mission to piece together
his family's history in the armed forces.
- Robert Hellquist: You know, I got that hat.
- Yeah, I'd like to put it on display at some point.
- Yeah. - Angela: On this day,
he shares the collection of military memorabilia
with his dad.
- Michael: Grandpa's original dog tag from Korea.
Your dog tag and then my dog tag.
You got my uncle, Les, and cousin, Verle.
He was in Korea and Vietnam.
- Angela: During the pandemic,
Michael started tracing his family's story.
- I think on his mother's side, how far back he got.
'Cause he got back into the 1700s.
- Michael: There's eight generations of military
in my family that I've been able to trace
from the Revolutionary War until Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Angela: This Iraq War veteran
has made some fascinating discoveries
that make his family unique.
- Every story is unbelievable.
James Buchanan, the 15th president of the United States,
is my fourth or fifth great-uncle.
He's not the greatest president in the world,
considered the father of the American Civil War,
but it's exciting for me to be able to trace that lineage,
that I am related to a U.S. president.
To my knowledge, I have three relatives
that fought in the Revolutionary War.
Like General Samuel Sloan from the Massachusetts militia.
He was also at the Battle of Ticonderoga.
He's my sixth great-grandfather,
so that is great, great, great, great, great, great-grandfather.
...To England.
I'm sure we have relatives that fought for the English.
I don't have links on them yet.
Key word is "yet."
I will find them.
- Angela: Now, it is Grandpa George
who is finding inspiration from Michael.
- Michael: ...My tattoo.
This is my grandfather's Aunt Madeline.
She was a nurse in the nurse corps for World War II.
- That boy has done tremendous work
in getting all this stuff together.
- So this is what I've been able to come up with
for your dad, is his Certificate of Military Service.
He served from March of 1918 until January of 1919.
- And I'm very proud of what he's put together, y'know.
I practically raised that boy. [voice breaks]
Can't help it.
I'm proud of him with what he has turned out to be.
He's as good as gold.
So I'm very proud of you. - I'm proud of you too, Grandpa.
[chuckles]
Well, there's nobody like him.
- You got that right. [Michael laughs]
- Angela: One veteran sharing his story
has resulted in nearly 1,000 new family stories.
- Michael: It was daunting, but I have 997 people
on my ancestry family tree right now.
- Yeah, it's amazing.
I can't believe some of the things he's got over there.
From his grandmother's side, his mother's side,
and my side.
Proud of you, son. - Michael: Thank you.
So... - Yeah.
- Angela: The quest to find more stories continues,
and Michael's military pride will be preserved
for generations to come.
- Michael: I don't know why, what drives me.
I think it's my passion because I'm a veteran,
my grandfather's a veteran, my father's a veteran.
I'm very proud of my family.
What's your serial number, Grandpa?
- 1392117.
- Michael: It's a humbling experience,
it's exciting.
It's cool to just be able to say I have all of this history
in my family.
[rousing music]