Winter is setting in and it’s the perfect time to expand your genealogical and military research and writing education. From now through 31 December 2023, I have special offers for you.
Take 20% off these classes. Use discount code: WINTER23
Introduction to Genogram
Why Was Grandma So Mean
Exploring Family Patterns and Stories
Ancestral Time Travel: Timeline
My Doughboy’s Story
Explore those classes and purchase in the Webinar section of the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School. https://www.ancestralsoulswisdomschool.com/webinars
Take $50 off these programs. Use discount code: WINTER50
Honoring Our Heroes – 6 military webinars + coaching session
Genetic Memories – 4 family pattern and ancestral healing webinars + coaching session
Explore these two classes on the main Store page at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School. https://www.ancestralsoulswisdomschool.com/store
Do you need some reference books or an activity to do with your children or grandchildren?
Pick up a copy of my newest book, Research a Veteran Journal & Workbook.
You can also explore all my military research and writing books, genealogy books, Ancestral Healing Journals and Notebooks on the Books Page at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School. All books are available on Amazon. https://www.ancestralsoulswisdomschool.com/jenniferholik-books
New genealogy, family pattern, and military articles on Substack! Are you looking for new content, new ideas, new ways to expand your genealogical skills or research, subscribe to my free substack and receive new articles every month. https://jenniferholik.substack.com/
genealogy
2024 Speaking Engagements
I have just updated my Speaking calendar for the end of 2023 and through mid-2024. If your organization would like to book me to speak, please visit my programs page at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School to see what’s available and then email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to schedule your dates.
Speaking Engagements 2023-2024
___
Book your 2024 80th Anniversary of D-Day or 2025 80th Anniversary of VE and VJ Day Program now. See possibilities for programming.
Email Jennifer to book.
Thursday 7 December 2023 7:00 p.m. CST
Research a Veteran. Live program for the Elburn, IL Library.
2024 Programs
January
Thursday 4 January 2024 7:00 p.m. CST
The Greatest Generation. Live program for the Elburn, IL Library.
Tuesday January 16, 2024 1:00 p.m. EDT
Research a Veteran Live webinar for the Mt. Vernon Genealogical Society
Tuesday January 23, 2024 10:00 a.m. PDT
Research a Veteran Live webinar for the North San Diego County Genealogical Society
February
Tuesday February 20, 2024 1:00 p.m. EDT
The Greatest Generation Live webinar for the Mt. Vernon Genealogical Society
Tuesday February 27, 2024 10:00 a.m. PDT
The Greatest Generation Live webinar for the North San Diego County Genealogical Society
March
Wednesday March 6, 2024 7:00 p.m. CST
Wise Female Ancestors Live program at the Cary, IL Library.
Saturday March 9, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Why Was Grandma So Mean? Zoom program for the North East Ohio Computer Assisted Genealogy.
Monday March 11, 2024 7:00 p.m. PST
Research a Veteran Live program for the Livermore/Amador Genealogical Society, CA
April
Tuesday April 2, 2024 10:30 a.m. CDT
Research a Veteran Live program for the Niles-Main District Library, 6960 Oakton Street, Niles, IL
Monday April 8, 2024 7:00 p.m. PST
The Greatest Generation Live program for the Livermore/Amador Genealogical Society, CA
May
Tuesday May 7, 2024 10:30 a.m. CDT
The Greatest Generation Live program for the Niles-Main District Library, 6960 Oakton Street, Niles, IL
Wednesday May 8, 2024 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Research a VeteranZoom program for the Pike’s Peak Genealogical Society, CO
Thursday May 9, 2024 7:00 p.m. CDT
Research a VeteranLive program for the Fox Valley Genealogical Society, Naperville, IL. This event will be held at one of the Naperville Libraries (TBD as of Nov. 2023).
June
Wednesday June 12, 2024 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time
The Greatest GenerationZoom program for the Pike’s Peak Genealogical Society, CO
Thursday June 13, 2024 7:00 p.m. CDT
The Greatest GenerationLive program for the Fox Valley Genealogical Society, Naperville, IL. This event will be held at the Naperville Municipal Center.
Veterans Day Military Class in Wilmette, IL
Saturday, November 11 starting at 12:00 p.m. I’ll be speaking live at the Wilmette IL Library (1242 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette, IL) in cooperation with the North Suburban Genealogical Society. No registration is required and I’ll be teaching my two-part military research strategy.
12:00 p.m. Research a Veteran
Short break and refreshments plus announcements from the genealogy society.
by 2:30 p.m. The Greatest Generation
Q&A will be part of both programs and I’ll have some time after to chat with attendees and answer more questions. This is an event you won’t want to miss. Hope to see you there! Details below on what you’ll learn. I am booking these programs and other genealogy and military research programs through 2024. Contact me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to book me for your genealogy society, library, senior center, veteran program, or school.
Research a Veteran
Exploring the Basics of Military Research
This is part 1 of the research strategy.
All the records DID NOT burn. Answers can be found and stories written no matter what anyone tells you. There is a strategy to correctly research 20th century military service, regardless of branch. In this session you will learn:
- Where to begin your research at home.
- What questions to ask.
- The first part of the research strategy to learn any veteran’s story from any 20th century war and and military branch.
- What records you need to establish the foundation and where to locate them.
- How to create a timeline of service.
- How to begin writing the story.
I use storytelling along with the records to help you understand the deeper impacts of service. You might want a tissue for the story at the end of this session.
Exploring the Greatest Generation
Adding Context to the Veteran’s Story
This is part 2 of the research strategy.
Contextual records are everywhere, not just the National Archives!
Once you have established what units your service member was in and where they served, it is time to explore unit-level records.
In this program you’ll explore:
- The second part of the research strategy to piece together your veteran’s story.
- How to add to your timeline of service and expand the narrative.
- Explore various histories, journals, photos, and maps for all the military branches.
- You will learn about the most valuable foundational records to put your service member into context and write a richer story everyone will want to read.
These records help you write the narrative to your stories. They will also help you understand why your veteran was who they were after service, and probably bring up more questions for you to consider.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
Ancestral Healing Group Zoom Meetings Scheduled
In 2020-2021, I ran a lot of Zoom meetings for military research and genealogy/ancestral healing. A lot of things shifted and I stopped doing them for a long time. Now, I’m bringing back online community meetings to discuss genealogy, military research, writing, ancestral healing, inherited trauma, genealogy tools, books, and more!
This time I’m doing things a little differently.
Announcing the Ancestral Healing Group!
These sessions will run on select Wednesday evenings. All current dates for sessions can be found at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School Store. You can choose the session(s) you’d like to attend and register. There is a small fee for these sessions. Current sessions will be September 20, 27, October 4, 18, November 1.
Because these are paid programs, those who register will receive a link to download the session replay. So even if you register and something comes up, you can still get the video replay. Registrants will have one week to download the file before it’s gone.
Each session will have a different topic so you can register for as many as you’d like! When applicable, there will be a worksheet of additional topic resources.
Would you like to join us? Register today at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School Store to save your spot!
© 2023 World War II Research and Writing Center
Honoring Our Heroes Program
Announcing the Honoring Our Heroes Program!
Starting Saturday 9 September at 10:00 a.m. CDT, I’m hosting six weekly webinars on researching your WWI and WWII service members and writing their stories. These will run weekly through 21 October. There will not be a class on 7 October.
In these 75-90 minute sessions before Q&A, you will get all the information you need to research and write your stories. I’ll even be sharing some travel planning tips for those who are traveling for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day in 2024 and the 80th of VE Day in 2025!
Early Bird registrants (offer expires 4 September) receive a discounted price and a 30-minute coaching session.
Programs include:
- Research a Veteran (Research strategy part 1)
- The Greatest Generation (Research strategy part 2)
- World War II Sacrifice
- Exploring the Online Battlefield
- Your Doughboy’s Story (WWI research)
- Battlefield Stories (start writing your stories)
Learn more about each program & register today.
The Early Bird Pricing and Coaching Session offer expires 4 September and then the price goes up. Grab your spot today!
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
New Program Available
Saturday 12 August I’m speaking for the Genealogy Study Group of West Michigan.
This NEW program is now on my website for booking at your society or organization through 2024. You can view all my program options here which includes a PDF download.
Program: Circle of Influence. Using Genealogy & FAN to Identify Family Patterns and Trauma
We’ve heard of the FAN concept in genealogy – Friends, Associates, and Neighbors – as a way to locate genealogical records to prove the “John Smith” in the records is or is not your John Smith. Have you ever considered using this concept another way to help you identify why an ancestor was the way they were or carried certain patterns?
Using case studies, in this new program we will explore the FAN concept with an added F for FAMILY and create the web of who was involved in an ancestor’s life or even your own, that influence who you became, the beliefs, behaviors and patterns lived and possibly any traumas that may have been passed down.
Email me at info@wwiirwc.com to book a program for your organization.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
Research a Veteran Workbook & Journal Now Available!
Available in Paperback
July 12, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the fire that destroyed thousands of Army and Army Air Force and Air Force Official Military Personnel Files at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. Since then, countless families have been unable to obtain their veteran’s files because they were told, ‘All the records burned.’ However, this isn’t quite true that no information can be discovered.
Have you wondered if there were other sources to help you tell your veteran’s story? I developed a two-part strategy to help people research any veteran from any military branch in any 20th century war. This workbook and journal provides you with that strategy and plenty of checklists, instructions, writing prompts, and pages to record up to five of your family’s veteran’s information so you can write your stories. Are you ready to find answers, closure, and peace in your family’s military history? If so, this workbook and journal is for you. This workbook also is an excellent resource for homeschool families wishing to learn more about their patriotic past.
© 2023 World War II Research and Writing Center
WWII Discharge Paper Doesn’t Have All the Answers
WWI and WWII Discharge papers come in many varieties. Each document contains the same basic information but more specific data will vary based on branch. Many people think the information on this document is the end all be all for telling a veteran’s story but this isn’t quite true. The discharge paper is a great place to start your research, especially if your veteran was in the Army or Army Air Forces/Air Force and his service file burned, but it doesn’t provide you with all the answers you seek.
Let’s look at the discharge paper for my great uncle Frank J. Kokoska. This document was obtained from his WWII Veterans Compensation file. It is not in the best condition as far as being able to read everything clearly, although we can make out most of the information.
There is a misconception that the unit on a service member’s discharge is the unit in which they saw combat. This may be true. It may not be true. In Frank’s case, he did serve in combat areas with this unit. On some discharge papers, the unit listed is one in which the veteran was transferred only to be discharged. While that tells us nothing of his combat experience, it is a start point for military research. Never take the one unit on a discharge paper as total truth. You will waste time and money researching the history of a unit that may have nothing to do with your veteran’s service beyond discharge.
I’ve done several military projects, particularly for the Army where the discharge shows a job that isn’t a combat job and they may have been in campaigns that had nothing to do with the unit on the discharge paper. Additionally, I recently helped a client locate information on a family member whose MOS (job) said Cook, yet he had trained and qualified on many weapons and earned the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). So when was he a cook and when did he train on all those weapons? More importantly, what campaigns and unit was he in while he earned the CIB?
We have to learn how to read what is and is not on the discharge papers to piece the puzzle together and then search for more information.
In another client case I had a discharge that showed a 2nd Division unit yet the soldier was given credit for an Italian Campaign – Po Valley. The 2nd Division never fought in Italy so he couldn’t have been in that unit for those campaigns. This was a red flag that he was in multiple units and more digging was required.
Question everything you discover on a discharge paper because there may just be some information missing or provide a clue to lead you to further records.
Let’s examine a Naval Separation paper. There is a box on the right side in the middle that says SERVICE. This is where the units/ships/stations in which a sailor served would be listed. In some cases this list is short because the sailor trained and may have been placed on a ship or station to serve. In other cases, there may be information missing due to space to record all the information. The Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) will be able to provide more information on ships and stations. Again, question everything and do your homework to ensure you captured all units/ships/stations, regardless of military branch.
Remember, a discharge paper can provide us with many research starting points but it’s vital you examine it in detail. Create your timeline of service so you document all the details and can clearly see what information is there, what might be missing, and write down questions you have about what is on the document.
Places to locate a discharge paper
Where might you discover the discharge paper for your veteran? Here are a few places. This is not an exhaustive list of possibilities but the most likely places to begin your search.
WWI or WWII Veterans Compensation Files
County Offices (inquire which holds discharge papers. In Cook County, IL it is the Recorder).
Family papers and archives
Funeral homes
VA Records
University records
Are You Ready To Learn More?
Are you ready to start your research or writing project? Do you need assistance in exploring family traumas, patterns and ancestral healing? Email me at info@wwiirwc.com to schedule a free consult to talk about your needs. All clients receive a research report so you know what was discovered, what was not, and what’s possible to still discover.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
Research a Veteran Workbook & Journal
Available in Paperback
July 12, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the fire that destroyed thousands of Army and Army Air Force and Air Force Official Military Personnel Files at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. Since then, countless families have been unable to obtain their veteran’s files because they were told, ‘All the records burned.’ However, this isn’t quite true that no information can be discovered.
Have you wondered if there were other sources to help you tell your veteran’s story? I developed a two-part strategy to help people research any veteran from any military branch in any 20th century war. This workbook and journal provides you with that strategy and plenty of checklists, instructions, writing prompts, and pages to record up to five of your family’s veteran’s information so you can write your stories. Are you ready to find answers, closure, and peace in your family’s military history? If so, this workbook and journal is for you. This workbook also is an excellent resource for homeschool families wishing to learn more about their patriotic past.
Are You Ready to Discover Your Veteran’s Story?
If you’d like to discuss what’s available to help tell your stories or perhaps you have researched and are ready to write the stories, email me to set up a free phone consult to discuss your research project. jennifer@ancestralsouls.com
Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates on books, classes, and other offers.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center
50th Anniversary of the NPRC Fire
50 years ago today, shortly after midnight, a fire raged at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, destroying vast numbers of Army and Army Air Force/Air Force Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) or service files. Read more about the fire. I was quoted in this article.
You can read all the statistics about what burned and what didn’t but no one has ever explained how files were arranged. It’s been said that certain letters (surnames) of the alphabet burned but I have often questioned if officer files had been kept in a separate location than enlisted men’s files. I’ve seen officer files full and complete within the surname range that burned, like Captain Paul White. Then I’ve been unable to get my enlisted cousin’s file, Frank Winkler, which logically comes after White in the alphabet. So the officer file is intact and the enlisted man’s is not? Crazy right?
So what do you do if your family member’s service file burned? I have the answer.
Reconstructing Military Service
More than a decade ago I developed a two-part research strategy to help anyone, regardless of military branch or 20th century war, reconstruct military service and tell their veteran’s story. There is a common misconception that if your family member was in a branch whose files didn’t burn, you don’t have to reconstruct service. This is not quite accurate. OMPFs are not set up in a way, regardless of branch, that easily tells a veteran’s story. They also do not give you all the information you may seek.
Explore my WWII research books. Everything I teach applies to all 20th century wars.
Yes, you will get the basics on a veteran like the units someone served in (usually there were multiple), what MOS or jobs they held, what kind of training they received, and maybe some medical information. There will be documents indicating transfers to units, changes in status for being a prisoner, missing, or Killed In Action. There will be changes in rank noted. Family letters, vital records, court documents, and other genealogical records may also appear in these files. But they will not tell the story in an understandable way until you reconstruct the service.
How do you reconstruct service?
Military research, for World War I, World War II, Korea, or Vietnam all follows a two-step process. First, locate information on the individual through family sources, local and state archives, and records you can obtain from the NPRC at St. Louis. For Army and Army Air Force/Air Force, this also includes Company Morning Reports. To access most of what you require, you have to go there, or hire a researcher. Email me to set up a free phone consult to discuss your research project. jennifer@ancestralsouls.com
Then you establish a timeline of service so you can see what units someone was in, where they served, and other details. Then, you access contextual unit-level records starting at the NARA College Park, MD facility where these records are held. These records contain histories, maps, photos, diaries, journals, and more to give you an idea of what training or combat was like for your veteran.
In all the projects I’ve completed for more than a decade, I’ve been able to help clients find the answers they seek. In only a couple rare cases, was this really difficult because the unit was obscure and the records simply didn’t exist to help reconstruct service. I’ve often been surprised at what I discover in the military records. I’ve learned family secrets, discovered men buried as Unknowns in our ABMC cemeteries that should have been identified. I’ve felt the pain of mothers, widows, fathers, and siblings after the loss of a loved one in war. I’ve even seen adoption paperwork, mental hospital commitment papers, divorce papers, and more. You never know what kind of story about your family exists in all the possible files.
There is not one location for all military records. Military records are not only held at NPRC and NARA so don’t stop your search there. You will find some things at State Archives, Presidential Libraries, local libraries, historical and genealogical societies, museums, and more.
Purchase my Military Research Bundle to get step-by-step instructions, a workbook, and plenty of examples and stories to help you learn the process.
Other Reasons Records Do Not Exist
The 1973 NPRC fire is not the only reasons some families can’t get answers they seek. We need to keep in mind that records existed and were created not only stateside but overseas. If records were traveling with airmen on a bomber and the bomber crashed, those records likely were destroyed and not recovered. If records were being transported on a Naval Ship and the ship sunk or there was a fire on board, records may have been lost. In a Marine Corps case I worked on, I located a unit history that indicated some of the information in the history had been reconstructed from other sources previously sent stateside prior to a fire on board the ship. The history states the dates of missing records which makes it possible for researchers to then seek out alternate records to possibly fill in the gaps.
Regardless of whether records exist or not, answers can be found. Stories about your family’s veterans can be told. If you’d like to discuss what’s available to help tell your stories or perhaps you have researched and are ready to write the stories, email me to set up a free phone consult to discuss your research project. jennifer@ancestralsouls.com
Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates on books, classes, and other offers.
© 2023 WWII Research & Writing Center