As summer winds down and you begin to think about your fall and winter research plans, I invite you to research your World War II ancestors. This will be important for anyone choosing to travel in 2025 for the 80th Anniversaries of VE or VJ day, the ends of World War II.
To help you do research your veteran, I’ve created a special, limited time offer, for you to learn my 2-part research strategy and learn how to find records online in the Footsteps of Our Heroes program.
This three-webinar mini-seminar is priced at only $90. This offer expires 1 August 2024. What do you receive as part of this offer?
Research a Veteran. Exploring the Basics of Military Research
Part 1 of 2 in military research.
All the records DID NOT burn. Have you ever wondered what dad or grandpa did in the war? What happened to your uncle who died? What was training and combat like? How did grandpa get wounded? What happened to the family during and after the war? Answers can be found. 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.
Exploring the Greatest Generation. Adding Context to the Veteran’s Story
Please note this is the 2nd part of my 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.
Exploring the Online Battlefield. Resources & Strategies for Online Military Research.
Many of the records you need, especially at an individual level, are not online. However, all is not lost! There are rich records and databases available to help put puzzle pieces together. In some cases, you might even hit the jackpot on digitized records to help tell your service member’s story.
In this program you’ll explore:
• You will get a taste of what can be found online for World War I and World War II. New collections are being added all the time.
• Tips for using Fold3 and other similar databases.
• Where to find unit-level context to better understand your veteran’s experience.
After we explore some online sources you may not have considered, to demonstrate the vastness of online military records, we will take a live walk-through of Fold3. Using Case Studies I will show you were to find the gold and what to be aware of as you search. All tips provided apply to any database you search online.
Are you ready to begin?
© 2024 WWII Research & Writing Center
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