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Healing the Generational Wounds of War

May 27, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Exploring the other side of genealogy and military research

The trauma of World War II did not end when the war ended. The trauma didn’t just happen to those who served. It also happened to those on the home front in America. Those who were living the war every day while bombs went off around them. Those who had to find a new way to create a life after displacement when the guns finally went silent.

The trauma didn’t end but was passed through the extended family energetically. It passed down the generations through DNA. Everyone suffered and there were no tools to process and heal back then. Many of us, me included, have suffered in silence, not knowing what caused some of our issues. This is something the genealogy and military research communities rarely discuss.

I have heard quite often from genealogists that trauma work requires a licensed mental health professional. Professional researchers should not be delving into such things. While I agree that some people may need to seek professional mental health assistance, I do not believe that is true for everyone.

In the past, when going through a divorce, I had gone to therapy. It kind of helped. However once I consciously stepped onto my spiritual path and began the deep dive into healing myself and raising my consciousness, I saw no reason personally to return to that type of help. For more than 10 years I have worked exclusively with energy healers of all sorts. Each one has helped me peel back the layers of ancestral and personal trauma. That is what works for me. It may not be what works for you.

I have also heard that genealogy and military records won’t specifically tell you the trauma or how it impacted your family and YOU. While one specific record or group of records may not tell you how your veteran suffered or how that trauma was passed down through the generations, it is a puzzle piece to your overall research and healing journey.

Using tools like my Circle of Influence or the Genogram or Timelines or any other number of things, allows you to work with individual records to piece together the story of the trauma. These tools in combination with the records will provide a clearer picture of your life and that of your ancestors.

The Living

Millions of veterans returned home carrying memories of combat, loss, survival, shame, hatred, anger, and grief they often could not speak about. Many buried their pain while others expressed it through drugs, alcohol, emotional or physical withdrawal or abandonment, anger, and abuse.

Upon discharge from military service, veterans were told to “move on,” stay quiet, get married, create a new life and get a job. Yet unspoken trauma rarely disappears. It moves through families in silence, emotional distance, anger, addiction, fear, perfectionism, repeated patterns and relationships, and even the stories that were never told. I know firsthand how those family secrets can start to destroy us.

Jennifer Holik, the author, with her WWII Navy grandpa, Joseph Holik.

These emotions were taught, lived, and observed by the children in families of veterans. Those children then lived those behaviors they witnessed growing up. The children carried their own shame, anger, grief, and hatred along with that of their parents. Once those children were grown and had children of their own – the beliefs, behaviors, patterns, trauma, and emotions passed down. Only now the energies are so decontextualized it is challenging to understand where it began.

Children of WWII veterans had no tools to process or understand any of it. Support was given to a veteran if he was diagnosed with a mental health condition – maybe. The family received no support until well after Vietnam. The veteran definitely received treatment if he was locked away in a VA Hospital like my grandpa. Although when I say definitely I kind of mean those veterans were experimented on with drugs and procedures to “advance” the study of mental health healing. In the end, based on my research, I think it likely did more harm than good.

Children who grew up without a father at home due to mental health were in a sense, “orphans” of war. Each carried his or her own questions and emotions about the war. The children of veterans, now, in 2026 as elderly adults, with greater military records access and a father who is likely dead, are now able and ALLOWED to ask questions. Say the family secrets out loud. Learn what really happened. Process. Heal.

The Dead

Families whose service members never came home also suffered. Most went without actual truthful answers about what happened to their service member when they died. Some families were not able to bring the remains of their loved one home due to financial strain or family drama.

There is one record that I and many others have brought attention to in the last 15 years that may help provide answers and healing. This is the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). The IDPF provides answers on the death of the individual, Missing and Unrecoverable status, temporary and permanent burial and so much more. Because of this one file, many families are now able to process the grief that has pervaded the family system for decades. They are able to learn the truth. When they also work with a professional military researcher like me, they can also process the information with someone who understands.

Those of Us Who Research and Heal

Researching wartime service, home front sacrifices, prisoner of war experiences, displacement, or the loss of loved ones using records and tools can reveal emotional patterns and behaviors that descendants may still carry today. Genealogy, military records, letters, photographs, and oral histories allow families to reconnect the human story behind the silence.

When we begin asking questions with compassion instead of judgment, we often discover that our ancestors were doing the best they could while carrying extraordinary burdens. Understanding the experiences of both veteran and civilian, through the military records, can create empathy, strengthen identity, and help families break cycles of emotional suppression and unresolved anger and grief. The research can also help children and grandchildren of veterans understand the context of service which created who the veteran became. Thus, who they became.

Healing begins when families acknowledge the truth of what happened. Exploring WWII trauma is not about reopening wounds for the sake of pain; it is about giving voice to experiences that were never fully processed. By telling these stories, honoring sacrifices, and recognizing the emotional impact of war across generations, we create space for healing, resilience, and connection. Our ancestors’ stories are not only military history — they are part of our emotional inheritance. When we understand them, we better understand ourselves.

Learn More

If you are ready to learn more about ancestral healing and war trauma, join one of my Ancestral Café sessions or take a class. My current offerings include both military records research classes and ancestral healing, family patterns classes, like the Circle of Influence, Introduction to Genograms, Timelines and more. Offers rotate each month.

I also take military research clients and book clients. For a free consult to discuss your specific project needs, email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com .

Stop Calling Every WWII File a Service Record

May 26, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

One of the biggest problems in WWII military research today, especially in genealogy and story writing communities and Facebook Groups, is the habit of calling every military-related file a “service record.” I’m here to tell you after 15 years of deep diving into WWII branch records to write my books and teach, that not every record is a service file.

To be clear and correct – a service file is the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). This set of documents provides puzzle pieces to someone’s service history. It does not provide context. It does not provide a day-to-day list of all the places someone served. It provides overall detail and puzzle pieces.

While the phrase “service record” may sound harmless, it creates enormous confusion for researchers, genealogists, and families trying to understand what records they actually possess OR what they need. Then to add fuel to this terminology fire – researchers and writers keep saying the “service records” are on Ancestry or Fold3. This is absolutely incorrect.

Let me state that again. OMPFs are not online on Ancestry or Fold3. You might find a PEP OMPF on NARA Catalog – but those are for important people and are only a handful of all OMPFs which exist in full or part.

71st Infantry Division. General Wynman pinning the Purple Heart on T/Sgt J. Cassidy.

A “Service Record” is Not…

A “service record” is not any of the following which you will find online at various websites.

Army Morning Reports (Army and Army Air Force)
USMC Muster Rolls
Naval Muster Rolls
IDPFs
Draft Registration Cards
BIRLS index data
Headstone Applications
Payroll Records and Rosters
Naval Deck Logs, War Diaries, After Action Reports, Unit Histories, Journals, Diaries, and more

OMPF Contents

The OMPF documents a service member’s military career while they were serving. It may include enlistment papers, assignments, promotions, training, medical information, and discharge records. You might discover family letters, vital records, probate records, mental hospital commitment papers, and other things as well.

The OMPF is not the IDPF

Taking this a step further – many people confuse the OMPF as being the same thing as an Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). They are not. Yet the two are constantly confused online, in articles, and even in research discussions. These files were created for entirely different purposes and contain very different information.

An IDPF was created after death while someone was in military service. It focuses on the recovery, identification, burial, and final disposition of a deceased service member. These files often contain correspondence with families, eyewitness statements, burial reports, and investigative materials. Calling an IDPF a “service record” minimizes the unique purpose of the file and can lead researchers to misunderstand the story the records are actually telling.

It is also important to clarify that the OMPF was impacted by the NPRC 1973 fire. The IDPF was never at NPRC until the last few years. Therefore it was not impacted by the fire.

Terminology Matters

Precise terminology matters because accurate research depends on understanding records in their proper context. When researchers use vague or incorrect labels, misinformation spreads quickly and expectations become distorted. Families deserve clear explanations about the records connected to their ancestors, and researchers – whether hobbyist or throwing together a quick story for Fold3, must do better in teaching the differences between military file types. If we want stronger WWII research in the genealogy and military research communities and Facebook Groups along with more accurate storytelling, we need to start by calling records what they truly are.

Would You Like to Learn More?

If you need help with your WWI or WWII research, reconstructing Army or Army Air Force service, or writing a book, I do take clients.

If you would like to learn how to research, click here to see upcoming small group coaching sessions to learn how to use Fold3, NARA Catalog, research Army or Navy service, find POW records, and more. These sessions come with extensive workbooks, plenty of Q&A for attendees, my 2-part research strategy and the replay. Need a researcher? I am taking research and book clients – email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to set up a free consult to discuss your project.

Military Monday – Ancestry.com

May 25, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

When it comes to WWII research, Ancestry.com is often one of the first places people turn. Ancestry doesn’t hold complete service or military death records. The website does contain several key collections that can help you begin reconstructing a veteran’s military story and putting together that valuable Timeline of Service.

One of the most widely used resources is the U.S. WWII Draft Registration Cards (the “Fourth Registration” for older men and earlier registrations for younger men). These cards provide essential identifiers—birth date, address, employer, and physical description—which help confirm identity and distinguish between men with the same name. While they don’t document service directly, they are often the foundation for everything that follows, especially if you are researching someone with a common name.

Another critical collection is the U.S. Army Enlistment Records, 1938–1946. This database offers details such as enlistment date, service number, branch, education level, and sometimes occupation. It’s one of the few easily searchable datasets that ties an individual to military entry, giving you a starting point for building a timeline. Pro tip – also search the NARA version to ensure you get all the indexed fields.

You’ll also find transport and movement records, such as Army Transport Service passenger lists (1917-1939) and some Navy muster rolls (in select collections). These can reveal when a service member deployed overseas, returned home, or transferred between locations—helping you trace movement even when official personnel files are missing. Pro tip – NARA Catalog has more Navy Muster Rolls than can be found on Fold3 or Ancestry.

Don’t overlook the value of civilian and postwar records on Ancestry. Census data, city directories, and even WWII-era newspapers (through linked databases) can provide context about a service member’s life before and after the war. In some cases, local newspapers reported unit assignments, promotions, or casualty status, offering clues you won’t find in federal records.

A Few more key databases:

World War II Military Personnel Missing In Action or Lost at Sea, 1941–1946
WWII Hospital Admission Card Files, 1942–1954
Honolulu, Hawaii, National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl), 1941–2011
World War II Prisoners of the Japanese, 1941–1945 (also check NARA.)

The key to using Ancestry effectively is understanding its role: it’s a launch point, not the full archive. Use these collections to identify names, dates, and possible units—then take that information into deeper repositories like the National Archives and Records Administration. When combined, these sources allow you to move beyond basic facts and begin reconstructing a meaningful narrative of WWII service.

If you’d like to learn more about what is available on Ancestry, Fold3, NARA Catalog, and other sites, grab a copy of my Online Toolkits. Three PDF guides that cover NARA Catalog resources, General WWII research tips plus Ancestry, Fold3, and more. And a new guide on Civilian Conservation Corps Records.

As always, click here to see upcoming small group coaching sessions to learn how to use NARA Catalog, research Army or Navy service, find POW records, and more. These sessions come with extensive workbooks, plenty of Q&A for attendees, my 2-part research strategy and the replay. Need a researcher? I am taking research and book clients – email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to set up a free consult to discuss your project.

Reconstruct your WWII Veteran’s Service

May 23, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

We all know there was a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis in July 1973. We know approximately 80% of the Army and Army Air Force and Air Force Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) burned. This has led people to believe nothing can be discovered. A myth that is untrue. Yet there is another myth circulating which is, ‘If I have the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) also known as a service file, then I’ll have my veteran’s entire story.‘

Nope. You won’t.

I hear a lot of people tell others when they teach or write or give an interview that the OMPF is the goldmine and that’s basically all you need. Just as people are now saying Army Company Morning Reports are all you need. It’s just not accurate.

People believe that if you have the OMPF you never need to reconstruct service (because it didn’t burn). No. It’s not the only piece of gold you need. Everyone is reconstructing military service even if you have the OMPF. It IS a goldmine of information but it’s also just one large piece of a big puzzle.

Before the pitchforks come out and people start coming at me, let me explain.

The OMPF is a vital record set for your research. It will:

Contain a lot of puzzle pieces for your research project.
Contain information on enlistment; discharge or death; wounds or illness; awards and commendations; training; POW experience; MOS (job); rank(s); overseas service; places where training took place; major battles or campaigns fought; medical information; possible Court Martial information; photos (sometimes); family letters (sometimes); vital records/divorce papers/court docs/mental health papers, adoption papers (sometimes) and many other pieces of information.
Provide you with enough information to create a timeline of service and then proceed with unit level records for context and other records and resources.

It will not:

Arrive in complete chronological order.
Give you the context and full details about an illness, wound, or death (usually).
Provide all details about POW experience.
Will not give you the context of every battle and experience in training or combat.

Let’s look at an Example: USMC WWII OMPF

I’m putting together a report for a client whose father was in the Fourth Marine Division during World War II. I have his full OMPF. When I received it, I looked it over and started putting the pages into more of a chronological order. Now, it’s important to note that no file can be in complete chronological order because some pages have multiple dated entries that may not be in order.

As I put together this Marine’s timeline of service, I’m jumping from 1943 to 1944 to 1945, back to 1944, back to 1945, as I review the information on each page.

Example #1: At the beginning of the file there is a slim document that lists all the units this Marine was in along with dates and some ships on which he sailed when leaving the U.S. and returning. This is a skeleton for my timeline of service – knowing what dates and where he was. But there is more later in the file.

Example #2: one page lists multiple detailed paragraph movements of the men via LSTs or LSMs, ships or airplanes from 1943 to 1945. I have dates, vessel numbers or names, and where they were going. Some of this information is on other pages but with additional details. So it requires maneuvering all over the research report to enter information.

Example #3: Within many pages of this file I can also find additional unit details along with the rank changes for this Marine. Those also jump all over the timeline.

There are many other details within this file but the bottom line is, using this file I can put together a good foundation of the units, where someone was, and what the basics were of his experience. If I want to know more and understand the context of his experience, I have to consult many other records. This is why research should be done in two parts to accurately reconstruct someone’s history and tell the correct story.

Every record we obtain helps us tell the greater story. If the basics are all you need, the OMPF may be enough for you. Just know, there is so much more we can get to fill in the gaps and really understand someone’s journey through war. When we understand their experience, it helps us understand who they were once the war ended, how they raised their family and lived, and what may have been passed down through the generations to us to carry and heal.

Need Help Reconstructing Military Service?

If the OMPF burned in the 1973 fire at the NPRC in St. Louis, then you have a more challenging job, but answers can still be found. Schedule a free consult with me to research your veteran’s WWI-Vietnam service today by emailing me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and I’ll help you find answers.

Alternatively, you can take one of my small group branch-specific coaching sessions or a session on Army Morning Reports and start learning how to reconstruct military service. I rotate the branch programs each month. Visit my online store to see what’s on offer currently.Do you need help researching your WWI or WWII veteran?

Remembering Michael Kokoska

May 22, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Honoring my family’s war dead this Memorial Day weekend

The ancestors will guide you. They will help heal you—if you allow them to work through you. That is how I transformed a genealogy business into a thriving military research, writing, and teaching career while healing myself along the way. I allowed the ancestors to speak through the work.

In 2010, I wrote my first book, To Soar with the Tigers, about my AVG Flying Tiger cousin, Robert Brouk. At the time, I had no idea how profoundly that single act would change my life, nor how that book would continue to give back year after year.

After I finished Bob’s story, other ancestors who had died in war stepped forward and said, “If you wrote about him, you must write about us too. Learn how to do it, even though the records burned.”

What began as a genealogy business slowly evolved into a military research business—guided entirely by my ancestors. That first book had only been a bucket-list project. I never imagined I would go on to write more than 20 additional books. But the ancestors had other plans for me.

One of the first to appear was my great-granduncle, Michael Kokoska, alongside his brother Joseph—my great-grandfather and one of my ancestral spirit guides for many years. I wrote Michael’s story using genealogical records and the few military documents I could locate between 2010 and 2012, before I had fully developed my research strategy. His story eventually became part of my book Stories of the Lost.

Every story in that book is written differently because each one relied on a different set of genealogical, family, and military records, discoveries, and lessons. With every story, I learned more—not only about research, but about myself. Each one healed parts of me while bringing my family’s fallen soldiers back to life.

As I wrote Michael’s story, I could feel both his pain and the grief carried by his father, Joseph Kokoska Sr. You might say I channeled parts of the ending, or perhaps it simply flowed through me. While the story is grounded in documented sources and citations, there was something undeniably magical and deeply healing about writing it. I cannot count the tears I shed while writing, rewriting, and allowing myself to sink deeper into the pain my family had carried for generations.

When I teach, I often share the ending of Michael’s story. Thanks to a cousin who has since passed away, I was also able to include treasured family photographs that brought even more life to the narrative.

Bring a tissue. This story has brought big, burly grown men to tears. And truthfully, I still get a little emotional every time I share this part of the story in my classes.

5 Reasons Why You Need WWII Army Company Morning Reports

May 22, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

I speak to many people on a daily basis about reconstructing World War I or World War II Army and Air Force research in the U.S. and Europe. Everyone is asking the same question. How can I find out where my soldier or Airman was every day? His OMPF (service file) burned in 1973.

The answer is simple. You start with Company Morning Reports. Here are 5 reasons you need these records.

Company Morning Reports will help you reconstruct a soldier’s service, allowing you to document where he was every day he was in a company in a particular unit. You will also know when he changed units so you can continue tracing his service.
Morning Reports document illness and wounds and if the clerk documented things, what field hospital or other hospital he was sent to.
You’ll see changes in rank, MOS (job), transfers to temporary duty assignments so you know where he was at all times. Often, men were sent to DS (detached service) to help another unit. In those moments you also want to consult the other unit’s records to learn what was happening. This changes the soldier’s war experience.
Changes in status to MIA, POW, KIA are also listed.
Awards may be listed in Morning Reports if the clerk added that information. Many people want to know when or why a soldier received a specific award or decoration. This is one resource to help you discover that information and the often elusive General Order (GO) number.

Access Army Morning Reports

To access Morning Reports, as of May 2026, you can locate and download some on NARA Catalog, through December 1944. We are still waiting for 1945. If you need 1945 and beyond, I do take research clients. I’d love to help you with a research or book project. Email me at info@wwiirwc.com to set up your free phone consultation today to discuss project options, fees, and time.

Want to learn more about Morning Reports, come learn how to locate them on NARA Catalog in one of my small group coaching or NARA sessions. I also teach this in my Army and Army Air Force Small Group Coaching sessions as well. Current program list is available on my online course site.

Reviews of Small Group Coaching Sessions

May 19, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

This year I started teaching focused small group coaching sessions rather than webinars where I can’t go deep. These are laser focused on the topic plus questions from attendees. Each session is limited to 10 people to allow me time to answer everyone’s questions. Each branch session goes in-depth on the 2-part research strategy I created 15 years ago to reconstruct military service even if the records burned for veterans and fall from World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam plus my secret weapon to change your research. So far I have taught:

Army Morning Reports
Army Small Group Coaching (SGC)
Army Air Force SGC
Navy SGC
Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine SGC
Fold3 and NARA Catalog SGC
Prisoner of War SGC
WWII Death Records SGC
Circle of Influence
Organize Your Military Research
General WWI/WWII Records SGC
and more…coming soon – USMC SGC

Reviews of some of my programs

I’d like to share just a couple of the reviews I have received so far.

Kimberely wrote…

I wanted to help my cousin research and learn more about his Dad Carmen’s WWII service which included Battle of the Bulge and D-Day. I’m not an expert by any means, but have done well enough to find many interesting documents and newspaper articles. I poke around here and there as many of us do, with not much guidance, and never completely sure if I’m doing the research correctly and worried about missing important information because you don’t know what you don’t know.

I wasn’t too sure about what types of military reports and documents were available, but picked up new ideas with different comments I’d read or websites I’d click on. I felt like I was on the right track and finally turned to YouTube to see if I could learn any tips on how to pull Morning Reports, after learning what they even were. The very first video that popped up was Jennifer Holik’s. I watched the entire video with her detailed explanation and immediately went to NARA and tried it myself and it worked! I had been getting so frustrated trying to find the Morning Reports, but Jennifer clearly explained how to find the reports and I was thrilled.

She then mentioned that she had classes and a website to check out. I knew I had to take her classes and enrolled in 4 right away and spent the week in back to back classes, and I appreciated the pricing being affordable.

She is thorough, patient, addresses each question, and as she goes into the different searches, it’s clear that she is a longtime expert in her field and niche of Military research. She even helped me to understand that my Great Uncle had switched from the 5th Division to the 103rd most likely after he was wounded, with possible explanations behind it, which really helped. She understands how to read these reports and piece a story together.

I highly recommend Jennifer’s services to anyone who wants to research and write about their loved ones who served in the Military. She’s fantastic and I’ll be recommending her to anyone who might need her help. If it were my personal project, I’d hire her to do it all for me! Thanks again Jennifer! Your help is so appreciated!

Monique wrote…

Jennifer’s courses and Zoom chats have removed so much mystery from the process of researching a military veteran. I appreciate the straightforward approach that avoids going down endless trails of research that does not yield any results. She has designed a method to work through the labyrinth of military records which makes it possible for any level of researcher to understand.

I am an experienced researcher and Jennifer opened research doors for me I was unaware of. If you’re serious about your research invest the time with Jennifer, her knowledge is the kind only gained from decades of experience in this field.

How Can I Help You?

There are many ways I can help you. These are just a few.

Military research project – reconstruct your veteran’s service even if the records burned.
Obtain Army Morning Reports for you if you don’t want to spend time on NARA Catalog.
Ghost write a book for you.
1-1 private coaching for military research, writing, project management or ancestral healing topics.
Attend a small group coaching session OR purchase access to a pre-recorded program. Explore current offers in my online store and go to the FREEBIE page to subscribe to the newsletter.

Email jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to ask questions or set up a free research project or book project consult.

WWII Records Research Classes

May 19, 2026 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Here is what’s on tap for the end of May World War II education! To find all offers, learn more and register, please visit my online course site – Ancestral Souls Wisdom School.

Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m. CST WWII Army Records Small Group Coaching (plus Morning Reports)

Wednesday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m. CST Organize Your Military Research + Timeline

Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m. CST at 7:00 p.m. CST NARA Catalog Army Morning Reports Coaching

Friday, May 22 at 11:00 a.m. CST at 7:00 p.m. CST NARA Catalog Army Morning Reports Coaching

Need Research or Army Morning Report Help?

Would you like help researching your veteran or finding Army Morning Reports? I take research and book writing clients. Email info@wwiirwc.com to schedule a free consultation for your project.

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