genealogy

Share Your Soldier’s Story

January 31, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

The World War II Research and Writing Center receives a lot of messages and emails from people seeking information about a soldier. Some people really just want someone to hear the story they have to tell. Others need assistance in locating a record, identifying people in a photograph, or locating family members. Many have no idea where to begin their search in the U.S. or Europe. And a few have traveled to Europe to walk in their soldier’s footsteps, stood in historic places, or are preparing to travel.

Everyone has a story.

Last August I launched a program, Honoring World War II Service Together, to help bridge the gap between American and European genealogists and WWII researchers, to help educate researchers and preserve more stories of war before they are lost in time. Part of the mission of the work I do in the U.S. and Europe, is to help others tell their stories of war. Whether you are a family member, grave adopter, tour guide, researcher, genealogist, film maker, photographer, or anyone else interested in the stories of war, I invite you to tell your stories.

I am taking guest article submissions for the World War II Research and Writing Center’s website. To have your story considered for publication on the website, it must contain the following:

The story of the soldier, sailor, or Marine, you wish to share written in English.
- No more than 1000 words.
Include one or two photos to accompany the story. You must have rights to these photos and provide a caption and source of the photo.
Tell our readers why are you interested in this soldier’s story. Are you a family member, grave adopter, re-enactor, other.? Please explain why sharing this story is important to you.
Provide details about his or her military service and life.
- Please add a section at the end of the story telling our readers what sources you used to tell the story so our readers learn about other record sources. Everyone comes to a story through different avenues. (IDPF, OMPF, newspaper articles, family members, letters, Morning Reports, Mission Reports, War Diaries, photos, etc.)
If you are a grave adopter, were you able to connect with this soldier’s family? How did that experience help you and the family learn about the soldier, the war, and answer questions that may have been buried for years?
Important! What questions do you still have or what information are you seeking?
How can people contact you if they would like to learn more or share information with you?
- Please include your email, website, or Facebook page if you have one so people can contact you directly.

Submissions can be emailed to info@wwiirwc.com with the subject STORIES OF WAR SUBMISSION – please put the story in the body of the email. Photos can be attached. If your story is selected to be posted, you will be notified.

Looking for an American Soldier in Dijon 1944/1945

January 31, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

This is a guest post written by a woman in France looking for an American soldier. Please contact her directly via her email listed in this article.

Hello, I am looking for an American officer, who was in the tanks, in Dijon in the years 44 / January 45, he would have been killing towards the pocket of Colmar.

In January or February 45, his jeep would jump on a mine … I have no element on his battalion … apart from the two photos in uniform, would it be possible to finally put a name on my photos.

I am at your entire disposal if you have any questions for me.

I thank you in advance.

Email: Marie-antoinette Sainte-croix

Why Was I Chosen?

January 30, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Family.

History.

Brotherhood.

Honor.

Duty.

Stories.

Themes which bring us together.

I was thinking about stories and storytelling this afternoon when I pulled up speeches I wrote to give at WWII reunions the last couple of years. There were things I had forgotten I wrote and spoke of, and powerful questions we should be asking ourselves. I believe the WWII research or genealogy research we do, is more important than finding facts, or adding names, dates, and places, to our family tree. The reason we are drawn to military or genealogy research runs deeper. Not everyone realizes this, and not everyone stops to question, ‘Why?’

Why was I chosen to walk this path?

Why are we researching the dead?

Why do we feel compelled to research the dead?

Are we paying attention to their stories or just collecting names and facts?

Are we paying attention to the miracles and healing that show up because of our research?

On 16 July 2016, I had the honor of meeting and listening to World War II Marine, Hershel “Woody” Williams, say in a speech about his project on Gold Star Memorials, “Miracles happen every day. Miracles happen whether we are paying attention to them or not.”

Woody is the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from the Battle of Iwo Jima.

He explained it is his dream to have at least one Gold Star Memorial in every state. A place where family members can grieve over their lost loved ones. There are many monuments and statues honoring veterans in our country, but nothing for the family members who sacrificed so much.

Woody continued and spoke about those left behind. Family members who lost someone in the war and the veterans who lost their buddies.

He asked an important question:

Why was I chosen to represent those who never got to come home?

I smiled when he asked that question, because I ask myself the same thing daily, as I research another WWII soldier who never made it home from war. They all have stories to tell and lessons to impart. It is a miracle to hear someone else question the same thing I do. To feel the same thing I do. Most people do not discuss this.

Every time I think I have answered that question for myself, someone else shows up to say, ‘You aren’t finished yet. The reasons you identified are not the only reasons. You must keep researching, writing, healing, and telling our stories. We are more connected than you realize.’

Have you ever asked yourself that question as you collect facts and photographs about the soldier you are researching?

Why were YOU chosen to represent those who never got to come home?

Jennifer overlooking the French landscape from Chateau-Thierry.

European WWII Travel – Let’s Go!

January 21, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

2017 is well underway now and so much is happening at the World War II Research and Writing Center. Shifting things around to add some amazing new services later this year to make your experience of researching, writing, traveling, and preserving the stories of our WWII soldiers, sailors, and Marines, more incredible and healing. The majority of my education articles are only going out through my newsletter. One was sent this month. Have you signed up so you receive this valuable information?

As things shift here the last few weeks, I’ve felt a bit uninspired to write for the website. I realized last night, it is in part because of an influx of new WWII clients with which I have been busy. We have also reached the part of Chicago wintertime where we hardly see the sun. That is a bit depressing. Last night I pulled out my Germany travel book to see where I’d like to visit when I’m in Europe this year. If I could instantly zap myself somewhere, I’d transport myself either to a tropical beach where there is sun, or Europe to journey through battlefields, castles, cemeteries, churches, fortified villages, museums, and find more stories to tell along the way. Europe feels more fun than sitting in cold, dark, Chicago.

I love exploring new places in Europe, whether they are related to World War I or II, or not. It is good to have a balance of both war and peace. I enjoy climbing endless stairs to reach the top of a church steeple or tower to admire the view. I like exploring stairways between buildings or within castles, to see what is around the next bend. The architecture everywhere you look is incredible, whether old or more modern. Everywhere you go, you touch the past and the present, all full of history. Some places I feel a strong past life connection to, while other places just exist. No matter where I travel, there are traces of war going back centuries.

I love staying in historical places, old chateaus with the feeling of ghosts wandering the halls and stairways, places that have tiny nooks where you can sit and think or write, hotels that were once Headquarters for our US troops during the war, farmhouse B&B’s, and even more contemporary lodgings. Each has their own story and when you take the time to connect with the owner and hear those stories, they can change your perspective on your travels and your life.

My favorite times on each trip, are those when I feel fully connected to wherever I am and have time to sit and absorb it all. Time to write in my travel journal so I capture the memories, essence of a place, realize new things about myself, and dream new dreams. Time to take as many photos as I want, from as many different angles, to capture what is beautiful and feels good for me. For many reasons, there were not enough of those moments on my trips the last two years. This year I promise myself to have more moments like that.

Contemplating potential travel this year, I wonder where I should go and what I should see. So many possibilities!!!! Having visited parts of France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria, I plan to add England (London and Oxford) to my list this year. That much is certain.

I wonder in what places my soul will feel at home. What churches will bring peace. Who I will meet along my journey. What new things I will learn to share with others.

Thankfully the internet is full of websites for tourist destinations and the bookstore has a lot of travel books and magazines to browse. The travel books I already own are tabbed with bright colors indicating things on my wish list to see. Through all my personal and client research, there are many battlefields I wish to visit. Walk where the soldiers walked.

As winter moves on, are you also planning European travel to see and experience new things? Are you planning to walk where your soldier walked during the war? What places have you visited that touched your heart? Where does your heart and soul yearn to go next? What places do you wish you could visit again? What experiences do you wish to have again? Are there places you suggest I visit (if I haven’t already?) I’d love to hear about your trips. Please share with our readers in the comments.

Last Chance to Pre-Order Faces of War for CRASH Museum Event

January 19, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

International WWII historian, speaker, and author Jennifer Holik, will be presenting Stories of War at the CRASH Air War and Resistance Museum ’40-’45 on Saturday 25 February at 13.00. Her program will be a combination of WWII research and tips on writing the stories. Admission to the museum is € 3,50 per person and that includes the lecture.

During 1944 and 1945, thousands of men and women serving in the U.S. Army, Army Air Forces and Navy, fought to defeat Germany and liberate Europe. Their stories are those of life and death, hope, friendship, love, memories of those left behind, and dreams of the future.

Many questions surround the service history of these men and women. How does one conduct research from Europe? What records are available and how can they be accessed? How can individuals connect with families of the fallen, the sweethearts, or who shared their homes during the war? And finally, how can we preserve their stories? In this engaging and informative presentation, Jennifer shares:

A trip through time, exploring the service history of several Army and Army Air Forces personnel.
Resources to search prior to obtaining military records.
Information on obtaining Official Military Personnel File and the Individual Deceased Personnel File.
How to reconstruct service history.
Resources for the Prisoners, the Missing, and the Dead.
Tips on weaving military, genealogical, family, and historical records together to create a story.
A formula for writing a military story.
Writing prompts to get your writing flowing.

Would you like to learn more about WWII research? Pre-order a copy of Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier by 20 January 2017, to pick up at the event, from the Foundation United Adopters American War Graves (Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven.) The foundation will bring pre-ordered books to the event and have a limited number books available that day for sale. The foundation will donate all proceeds to its The Faces of Margraten tribute at the Netherlands Cemetery.

Jennifer will have a limited number of copies of her writing book Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 3: Writing the Stories of War.

Resources to Help You Write Your Stories of War

January 13, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

On my Facebook page this week, I posted a comment about writing our stories of war and asked why more people are not writing. Here are some possible reasons I, and others believe causes stories to be lost.

Most people are interested in skimming the basic facts and not digging deeper.
The myth that records do not exist persists. Therefore, there is little to no story to tell if an individual has little information with which to begin.
Research is done online only, almost nothing is discovered, and the researcher stops.
The idea of writing a story is daunting.
People have no idea where to begin writing.

There are many ways to tell a story and resources exist to help you do so. When I teach WWII research and writing programs, I tell everyone,

The most important part of research is the writing.

Why is this the most important part?

The story is saved.
As you write, you’ll see where there are gaps in your knowledge and research. You’ll also see where errors pop up due to transcription errors or errors in the military records.
You will learn more about your family’s life and military service.
Lessons of war, life, healing, and love can be passed through writing and the sharing of story.

Here are some resources to help you start putting your stories on paper. One word. One sentence at a time.

Stories from the WWII Battlefield Volume 3: Writing the Stories of War
Explore the Writing Resources I developed.
Book me to speak in the U.S. or Europe for one or a full day of WWII research and writing programs.
Hire me to write your story or book!

Would you like to learn more about WWII research and writing? Be sure to sign up for my free monthly newsletter.

Learn How To Research Your Adopted Soldier at the CRASH Museum

January 2, 2017 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

A trip through time, exploring the service history of several Army and Army Air Forces personnel.
Resources to search prior to obtaining military records.
Information on obtaining Official Military Personnel File and the Individual Deceased Personnel File.
How to reconstruct service history.
Resources for the Prisoners, the Missing, and the Dead.
Tips on weaving military, genealogical, family, and historical records together to create a story.
A formula for writing a military story.
Writing prompts to get your writing flowing.

Jennifer will have a limited number of copies of her writing book Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 3: Writing the Stories of War.

I Hope You Write

December 9, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

I am a writer.

I am a historian.

I am a healer.

I am many other things, which I captured in my numerous journals, pieces of blank paper, the back of military records, post it notes, and documents on my computer, especially over the last four years.

Some of us write because we are in transition in our lives and need help sorting our thoughts and feelings. We write for a place to dump problems. We write to keep track of all we are grateful for. We write ideas for future books. We write when our souls scream out, ‘it is time to heal all this negative stuff so you can be lighter and stand in your true power.’ We write in times of grief. Whatever the reason, many of us write and whether or not we ever show this side of ourselves to anyone else is up to us.

My life made a major transition in June 2012. Not only did I move out with my boys to get a divorce, but I was also on a new, uncharted path with my work. No longer was I only doing genealogy work for clients or teaching how to research. I was writing the stories of war and learning how to do that type of research, sometimes tripping down a path I could only see a few steps in front of me, trusting the universe would take care of me.

The universe DID take care of me. I followed the energy of my business and went where it said to go. I set yearly goals, thinking I wanted to accomplish x, y, and z, only to get to the end of the year to find I reached a handful of goals. Not only did I accomplish those seemingly few things, but I wrote out at least a page or two of things I never expected to learn, do, or create. By 2015 I made shorter goal lists and trusted I’d be where I needed to be with work and let the universe help carve the path I was walking.

My journals are stacked high now and contain happy and sad things, a lot of channeled writing, and many pages of discovery about who I really am, what I want, and where I’m going. My soul kept asking the question this year, when are you going to write YOUR story to share? My response was, ‘what do I really have to say about all that?’ My friend Ginny, who I wrote about in my book The Tiger’s Widow, has said numerous times the last few years, ‘I’m watching you grow, transform, and write your story which needs to be told, but I don’t know the end.’ Ginny and I spent time together for the first time, before my major transition in 2012. She has been a guiding light and inspiration.

Do you know the love story of Ginny and Robert Brouk, my Flying Tiger? Robert Brouk was fighting the Japanese prior to Pearl Harbor, with the American Volunteer Group, the Flying Tigers, in China during 1941-1942. Robert returned to Chicago in July 1942 and met Ginny a month later. Late November they married and went to Orlando, FL, where Robert was stationed and training pilots. On December 19, 1942, Ginny watched Robert die in a plane crash when the squadron was returning from Kissimmee to Orlando. She was a widow at 20 after three weeks of marriage. That was just the beginning of their story. You can read Robert’s story in Stories of the Lost and Ginny’s in The Tiger’s Widow.

Robert and Ginny’s story provided light in the darkness and hope when I thought no good future was in store. Tragedy and loss come to us to help us grow stronger and though it may take decades to understand why something happened, sometimes we get answers. With those answers come great healing for all involved. That was what happened for Ginny and I in 2012 and continues today. After Ginny lost her second husband just before we connected in 2005, she began hand writing her life’s story. She did this to heal and not fall into a depression from which she would never recover. We have that in common. We write to save ourselves and heal. She probably didn’t realize when she started writing that some of those pages would help a woman struggling through a major transition, or bring love and hope to the world.

Last night the words demanded I start writing to share my story. Will this story ever see the light of day? Will anyone beside me ever read it? Maybe not. Sometimes no one else needs to read it. The process of writing our story is often more important. It brings insight, growth, healing, and love. I have a feeling that whatever all this soul writing turns out to be, will somehow contribute to the world. I feel there are pieces that will see the light of day and be used in new projects. My pain, joy, struggle, healing, and love will somehow help someone else. We are all connected you know. We may endure our own darkness, struggles, and pain, but none of us is ever really alone.

There is a song called, I Hope You Dance, about a wish that we all dance and enjoy our life. My wish to you is I Hope You Write. Tell your stories even if you are the only one to read them in this life. When you do, your world will shift in amazing ways.

War, Love, and Healing

December 1, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

bob-in-uniform-holding-book — Robert Brouk

I’m often asked when I teach, why did I start researching and writing about World War II? My business began 6 1/2 years ago in genealogy. That was my dream and focus. About 20 years ago I started researching my family’s history and my uncle told me about a cousin, Robert Brouk, who was one of the original AVG Flying Tigers. At the time, that meant nothing to me because I didn’t know about the Flying Tigers or much about WWII. Then I started researching……..

Robert flew in the 3rd Squadron with the Flying Tigers and when they were disbanded in July 1942, he returned to Chicago. A month later he met Ginny Scharer and the two fell in love. Robert was ordered to report to Orlando, FL to train pilots in October 1942 and not wanting to be apart from Ginny, he proposed. The two were married late November 1942.

Three weeks later, Ginny watched Robert die in a plane crash in Orlando while training pilots. At 20 years old, she was a widow. No one in the family knew what happened to her after that. Robert’s parents and brother were dead and the story, it seemed, died too. My uncle, in 1996, was retiring from work and decided to investigate Robert’s life. He spent hours searching through old microfilm newspapers in Cicero and Berwyn, IL looking for stories on Robert. He came up with stacks of papers. Robert was Cicero’s Home Town Hero because he had fought the Japanese around the time of Pearl Harbor. His story and appearances in the Chicagoland area were written up in newspapers across Cook County, for months!

For my part, I started investigating the Flying Tigers. I contacted their reunion association and posted a message in 1996 on the Flying Tiger message boards. Nine years later in December 2005, Robert’s widow’s grandson saw my post. Ginny was still alive and had Robert’s AVG war diary, photos of his service, and some things he brought back from Asia.

Ginny and I exchanged many hand written letters and she sent me his war diary. She had also lost her second husband and had been hand writing giant volumes of her family’s history. To this written history she added photos, documents, newspaper clippings, and other items. She sent me copies of the pages that told the love story of her and Bob.

Ginny being inducted into the WAAC. Photo courtesy of Ginny Davis and used in “The Tiger’s Widow”

I sat on Robert’s war diary until 2010 when I started my business and decided, as a bucket list thing, I’d write a book. Robert died so soon after the Tigers were disbanded that he’s barely mentioned in any other books. His memory had to be preserved.

Once I wrote his story, all my other relatives who died in WWI and WWII showed up and said, ‘if you write his story you have to write ours.’ That began the start of my writing career and also my journey into the world of WWII research.

So what happened to Ginny after Robert’s death? A few months later, the minute she turned 21, she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, which later in 1943 became the Women’s Army Corps (WAC). She ended up overseas in Egypt where she met her second husband Harvey. What a story they have! Harvey had a brother, Fred, who was a co-pilot on a bomber that went down 2 November 1943 in Austria. He now rests in Lorraine Cemetery.

When I wrote Ginny’s story, The Tiger’s Widow, it was meant to be a biography. However, after my editor went through it and returned it, I let the book sit for several months while I finished writing Stories of the Lost. When I returned to Ginny’s book, it took me four days, a box of tissues, and allowing my heart and soul to crack open, heal, and pour love out into the book. I cried most of those four days I edited and rewrote her story. The book didn’t want to be a biography, but a love story, and Fred and I were to be added as characters.

You never know, when you start a new project, book, or genealogy search, exactly where it will lead. I have learned with each new WWII project I start, book I begin to research, program I write, or client I speak with about their family member’s service, there are always lessons to learn. There is often a tremendous amount of love for the soldier. And there are many unanswered questions that the research or project help to answer, which brings immense healing to the client, myself, and all those living or dead attached to what I’m working on.

We are all connected in this universe through love.

I’d like to share with you some of that connection with the first chapter of Ginny’s story.

Five Hearts Joined Together

Love knows no boundaries of time and space or life and death. It exists forever in our hearts as we remember and honor those who have gone before us. Through those memories we pass life lessons on to the next generation. We teach others there is light after darkness, hope after despair, and love is the glue that puts shattered hearts back together. This is a story of five hearts separated by time and space; hearts which would meet in the perfect moment. It is a story about never ending love that lived on even after death.

A famous pilot met a young beauty and the two fell in love, Robert and Ginny. Their love soared with the eagles. Their time together was brief but they lived so fully in love in the moment, it is as if nothing but death could have broken them apart. Then death knocked on their door and a plane fell from the sky in a fiery ball. One heart silenced on earth but lived forever in death. One heart shattered into a million pieces.

A year later on another continent, two brothers fought a war, Harvey and Fred. The boys grew up as orphans and wanted a heart to come home to. Fred flew a bombing mission over Austria and was lost, listed as missing for a year. Harvey feared the worst and waited for word which came a year after Fred went missing. A brother’s love lived on after death.

Less than a year after Fred went missing, Ginny found Harvey. A chance meeting and two hearts became one. Pieces of Ginny’s shattered heart started to glue back together, slowly at first and then more quickly. Harvey’s heart had finally found its home with Ginny. He was no longer an orphan or alone. They found each other during a time of war when the world around them collapsed in chaos. Together they created a new world filled with joy, love, and the memories of those lost before their time.

Almost 65 years later, another heart emerged. A young woman trying to start a new life after her heart was shattered. She and Ginny, now a widow for the second time, connected. Little did they know the impact that meeting would have.

Five hearts separated by time and space that met in perfect time, would change the lives of all they touched. Their love would span decades. Their life lessons would provide hope to others in the future.

Five hearts joined forever.

Have you worked on a project or written something that helped change or heal you or those involved? Our readers would love to hear your stories of War, Love, and Healing.

You can read Bob’s story in Stories of the Lost. You can read Ginny’s story in The Tiger’s Widow.

When and Why Do I Need to Hire a WWII Researcher?

November 30, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 7 Comments

There are a lot of people who contact me about helping them find information on their WWII Soldier, Airman, Sailor, or Marine. Most are children of those who died during the war and veterans who are now deceased. I hear all kinds of stories that were passed down through the family, often which contain very little truth today when you look at the military records, and records and photographs the family has, and piece together the service puzzle. It is kind of like the telephone game where someone tells a story and by the time it gets to the 10th person it is nothing resembling the original.

I also speak to a lot of children of soldiers and grave adopters in various Facebook groups. There is so much misinformation floating around it makes my heart and head hurt. There is the belief that everything is digitized online and free. Another belief is ALL the records ever created for WWII burned in the NPRC fire in 1973 and nothing is left. I’m sorry to tell you that’s just not true. These beliefs are more prevalent it seems in European countries where researchers are looking online at old and outdated information, and not checking to see what the true facts are about records access and cost today. It doesn’t help when well-meaning people try to help researchers and never look at anything offline and insist it is all online. You can find some information online. It is rare to find everything online.

What You Need To Know

The 1973 Fire: The Fire in 1973 at the NPRC destroyed approximately 80% of the Army, Air Corps/Army Air Forces, National Guard Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs), also known as the service files. The Civilian, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Navy, and Merchant Marine OMPFs are intact. These records are necessary to your research and do not exist online. There are no plans to digitize these records. Learn more about these files and IDPFs.

Records Access: If a soldier died or was discharged by today’s date 62 years ago (so as of the day of this original post – 30 November 1954), ANYONE can access those OMPFs. If the soldier died or was discharged after today’s date 62 years ago, then you still have to be the veteran or next of kin to receive access. Next of kin is defined as the spouse, parents, siblings or children of the veteran. If you are a niece, nephew, grandchild, or otherwise related or unrelated, you will likely not gain access to the files or you will receive information that is heavily redacted.

NPRC has other records which they will not search for you to help you reconstruct Army, Air Corps, National Guard service if you send in Form 180 requesting a copy of a file.

What Will NPRC charge you for Form 180 requests? When NPRC sends you a letter that says, ‘We have information and it will cost you $20-$25 to receive.’ This usually means they found a final payroll record, usually a Hospital Admissions Index and maybe letters sent in by someone else requesting information. You may spend $20 on one to a few pieces of paper that may not be much help. I just helped a client in France and my researcher got the copies of what was in the OMPF (4 pages) plus Morning Reports. NPRC sent him a letter saying for $25 we’ll send you the papers. We already had them.

When NPRC sends you a letter that says, ‘We have information and it will cost you $70 to receive.’ This usually means there is a full or burned file. The number of pages you will get varies and they will not tell you what’s in the file or how many pages for the $70.

Reconstructing Service: Reconstructing Army, Air Corps, and National Guard service require additional records to piece together service history. You need a researcher to help with this OR you can visit NPRC yourself to do the work. Form 180 is not going to go deeper into the research to give you answers.

The IDPF (Death file): These are are required files for researchers and grave adopters. I’ve already written extensively about the records access and how it is changing. You can learn more here. Be sure to read the first article linked in this post so you have the full story. It is also important to understand that the IDPF lists the FINAL unit in which a soldier served. This was often not the only unit. When researchers and grave adopters assume this was it for a soldier they often spend a lot of time and money chasing records that do not apply to the experience their soldier had in the war. Doing the homework to put together a timeline of service is necessary so you know what unit(s) a soldier was in.

Where are the Records? In the U.S., military records are held in repositories all across our large country. Main records are held in our National Archives facilities, and the rest are scattered around. Records access here is generally not free. Researchers pay for copies in most repositories unless scanning is allowed. Even then there may be a usage fee to scan or photograph materials. In many cases you will pay for copies on top of a researcher’s fees if you are unable to travel to do your own research.

In Europe, many countries have digitized their archives and often (but not always,) offer the information to the public for free. The countries are smaller than the U.S., records are held in fewer locations, and many people will do their own research rather than hire a researcher. This is where there is a cultural difference between American and European researchers. In Europe, where access is more free and available, and many feel they owe a debt to our soldiers, the idea of paying for research is wrong to them. I understand this, but the reality of access and what information you need to tell a story, requires research in offline records.

What does it cost? Each researcher has their own fees for research. In general, you will also pay copy costs when records are not allowed to be scanned on-site. Usage fees or scanning fees in repositories. Travel costs for researchers visiting repositories. If you hire someone to be on-site for a day or more then lodging and meals are usually included in the fees.

Legitimate professional researchers should be providing you with a full report on what was discovered and not discovered. The report should contain at least the following:

Source citations for every fact they list so you know exactly where the information came from.
A bibliography of sources used.
A timeline or summary of service explaining what was discovered and what unit(s), battles, campaigns, etc. a soldier participated in.
Copies of all materials discovered in digital or paper format.
Suggested resources for next steps to learn more if you choose.

How Long Does it Take For a Researcher to Do a Job? This varies based on how long it takes to gain access to the records. With NPRC records, my team and I can put an initial report together often within a month. When we look at unit level records it can take up to 3 months to gather the information, analyze it and prepare a report. Because of the time it takes, project costs can be spread out over several months. This is how I work with clients. Not all researchers do this.

In General, What is Online?

This description is by no means complete but will give you an idea of what is and is not available. Regardless of whether you obtain information from a family member, online or offline, verify it against other records. Family stories get changed, military records contain errors. Verify, verify, verify.

When you find a repository that has information but it is not online, talk to a researcher about access, send a letter to the repository requesting a search, or see if they offer a researcher’s list so you can get help if you cannot visit in person. Many records and photographs are available offline in repositories across the U.S.

Free databases on Ancestry, NARA, Fold3.com are often the same. You’ll find the Army Enlistment Database which is incomplete and does not contain everyone who ever served. Casualty lists for branches or states are found online. FindAGrave has information but be careful to note who put the information online and verify its accuracy. Also pay attention to where someone is or is not buried. Just because someone has an entry does not mean he is buried somewhere. There are still many Missing In Action from WWI to Vietnam who have FindAGrave entries that make those who are not paying close attention, believe they are buried and identified.

Newspapers. There are several newspaper websites offering free and subscription based access. Researchers can often find pieces of the puzzle (not always accurate in news articles) and photographs.

Photographs. Everyone wants a photo of their soldier. Sometimes you will find these online. Sometimes they are in the OMPF and IDPF (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine files.) Educational institutions, military institutions, archives, libraries, genealogical and historical societies may have offline collections which require a researcher to contact them for information.

Army, Air Corps/Army Air Forces company-level and unit-level records, and sometimes IDPFs, are typically not available online unless a Division or Bomb Group has digitized them and placed them online. You will not find OMPFs online. If you would like to see examples of what is online, you can look at the 7th Armored Division, 80th Infantry Division, and 100th Bomb Group, as examples. Fold3.com also has some donated collections for Army and Air Corps/Air Forces, but the collection is tiny.

Navy Unit Records can be found in collections on Fold3.com. These digitized records are not everything that exist.

Marine Corps Unit Records can be found within Naval collections on Fold3.com. These digitized records are not everything that exist.

Coast Guard Unit Records may be found within Naval collections on Fold3.com. These digitized records are not everything that exist.

So when do you need to hire someone and when do you not?

If you are thinking about hiring a researcher, please do not send in Form 180 before you do so. When you do this, we cannot gain access to the file until NPRC processes your request and you choose to go with it or decline it. On average it takes 6-9 months for NPRC to do anything about a request due to the high number they receive. If you send in a request and we want to access the file, it will require more work on your part to cancel the request, then wait for NPRC to put it back into the system for use, which based on experience has taken 1-2 months before we can access it.

You do not know how, or do not wish, to do the research on your own. This is a case where researchers can be extremely helpful. We know our way around the records access and archives. We understand how to decipher all the military lingo and abbreviations and piece together service history.

You have done research but are stuck and need an expert’s assistance. Many people prefer to do research on their own to a certain point. When they become stuck or need information faster than waiting for a government agency to provide it, we can help.

Army or Air Corps/Air Forces: If you are researching Army or Air Corps/Air Forces, it is better to work with a researcher to pull information, especially if you live in Europe. We have people on-site at archives and know within a day or two of requesting information, what is available. At NPRC we are able to pull the OMPF (whatever may exist) plus Company Morning Reports, Air Force Award Cards, IDPFs that they have available, Payroll, Monthly Reports, and other records that Form 180 will not pull for you. With this information we can put together a timeline of service explaining your soldier’s basic story. What unit(s) was he in, where did he train, when did he go overseas, what happened there? What are details of his death or return home after the war? Once we know this, we can consult unit records to fill in more details and give a broader explanation of his service through unit records and historical context.

Did you know even if the OMPF burned, we can successful reconstruct service history for your soldier or airman? We do it every single day.

Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, or Marine Corps: If you are researching Navy, Coast Guard, Merchant Marines, or Marine Corps, sending in Form 180 will get you a copy of the OMPF within 6-9 months. If you are the next of kin you can also get copies of the Medical Records attached to the OMPFs. Then you have the choice to work with a researcher for unit level records and context or find this on your own.

Where Do I Go From Here?

If you live in the U.S. and would like to do research on your own, visit my book page and pick up a copy of the only WWII research books, Stories from the World War II Battlefield, on the market to help you research. Volume 1 is over 300 pages and covers Army, Air Corps, National Guard. Volume 2 is over 400 pages and covers Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marines. Volume 3 talks about organizing materials and writing the story.

If you live in Europe, the book Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier covers all branches in over 300 pages.

Start researching online. Read the education articles on my website. Explore the Research section which contains a vast number of resources.

Hire a researcher to help you piece together your soldier’s service.

Attend a WWII program in the U.S. or Europe. I am scheduling programs through early 2018. Please contact me for fees and scheduling availability. I’m currently teaching 7 different WWII programs.

Do you have questions? Please feel free to leave them in the comments.

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