Through researching Private David P. Ruby my understanding on both the war and the soldiers has greatly increased. By doing the research and focusing on just one person and not trying to focus on the whole war I was able to learn about individual Regiments and what they were to do but I was also able to in a way make a connection to part of the war. In doing research on both his military and personal life you are reminded that soldiers are just as human and also have families that they left behind. Learning about the people who fought for our freedom and others just gave me a different sense of respect because it showed that truly could have been anyone but he was just stuck in the wrong situation. By doing the project I have become even more grateful for the military during the time of wars and the young men who decided that freedom is worth fighting for. Having a name forces the person to be humanized and knowing their story you are unable to just lump them in with others you see them differently.

If I were able to talk to him I would first thank him for his service but then I would ask him about his training as I wasn't able to find anything on it. With not knowing anything about his training I would ask what his favorite and least favorite parts were. I would also ask him what made him want to join the military and not stay with his family mining coal. I would probably also ask if he believed all of it was worth it and how he felt about the way of the world today.

My most important/most used source was Ancestry.com. Through Ancestry I was able to find out where he joined the military, who his family was, where he lived, and what he did for a living before joining the military along with much more. The website was not only easy to navigate but was also easy to understand.