If your ancestors served our country in war, they experienced battle at its most vicious.
Tracking down their military records may not be life threatening, but be prepared. It may not be
easy. But the research is worth the effort. Military records, such as discharge certificates,
death records and records of training, can provide key genealogical information.
Many people incorrectly turn to the Department of Defense to gain access to records of American
veterans. Once military service is completed, however, the
National Archives and Records Administration maintains
and stores Field Personnel Files in St. Louis, Mo. The office preserves all files from the
20th century (though a catastrophic fire in 1973 destroyed 18 million records).
Unless you are the veteran or the veteran's next of kin, access to
military records is limited to dates of service,
awards and training. You are required to put your request in writing, preferably through a
Standard Form 180, "Request Pertaining to Military
Records." The form can be downloaded from NARA's site, but because a signature is required by law,
requests cannot be made by e-mail.
Because of the laws regulating this information, you're unlikely to find the whole records online.
However, the Internet can help provide a basis for your research. "Increasingly, more of this
information is going online, and as it does, it will become much easier for genealogists to discover
the military pasts of their ancestors," said Susan Wenner, associate editor of Family Tree Magazine.
"They won't have to fill out forms, mail them, pay for copies, wait for ages and pray for something
to show up in the mailbox anymore."
There are many routes to take to find information about your military ancestors. You can search by
cemeteries, branch of service and period or war served.
Cemeteries
Veteran's cemeteries-including Arlington National Cemetery-can have
key information. The Arlington page lists biographies of
select individuals buried there, including Medal of Honor recipients and those who died with General
Custer at Little Big Horn. The American Battle Monuments Commission
maintains lists of soldiers buried at American military cemeteries overseas and those reported as
missing in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.
The Department of Veterans Affairs can provide limited
information about servicemen and women buried in their cemeteries. For a searchable database of more
than 11,000 soldiers who were declared either prisoner of war or missing in action, visit the
US POW/MIA Records.
Branches
Most of the branches catalog their own history, and you may be able to learn more about your ancestors
through their records.
Period/War Served
Here's just a sampling of historical war coverage. For everything from the Texan War of Independence
to the Persian Gulf, try the Military Research Room and the
USIGS Research Library Military Collection Links.
- Civil War
The National Park Service Civil War Soldier and Sailors System
lists 2.7 million soldiers, including their regiment, side, company and rank. View state-by-state
directories of soldiers at Civil War Rosters.
A work in progress, the US GenWeb Archives Pensions Project
is endeavoring to provide free pension records online for each state.
"One of my favorite military sites is the
Military History Institute Photograph Database,"
says Nancy Hendrickson, co-author of the electronic book "The Family Tree Guide to Internet Genealogy"
and a contributing editor to Family Tree Magazine. "You can search the database of photos and if
you find a person you think is your ancestor, you can request a free photocopy of the picture.
I like this site because it gives researchers a chance to find photos of their ancestors; and
even if their ancestor is not in the database, they can search for a photo of the regiment, or a
photo of a battlefield where their ancestor fought. It's a wonderful way to add real
flesh to 'just a name.'"
- World War I
An article from NARA entitled "They Answered the Call: Military Service in the United States Army
during World War I, 1917-1919" provides
a good starting research point.
- World War II
For state battalions, casualty lists and muster rolls visit
USIGS Research Library. You can also find
a listing of those killed in Pearl Harbor at the
Military Research Room.
- Vietnam
The National Archives provides state-by-state
casualty lists for the Vietnam conflict. Records are sorted alphabetically by last name of the
victim and include their grade of service, date of birth, date of death and place of death.
View a virtual Vietnam Veterans Memorial at
the Virtual Wall.
If you find information on your veteran, you may want share it with other Internet researchers.
You can do so at the Veteran Ancestor Registry, a
cooperative project of The American Local History Network and The United States Internet Genealogical Society.
--- M. Magnarelli
View more articles, questions, activities or trivia.
|
|
|