military research

What is YOUR World War II Story?

July 24, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 5 Comments

When I lecture in the U.S. and Europe, people always ask me, ‘Why did you start researching World War II?’

My business did not start out in WWII research, but genealogy. When I was finishing my history degree I took a class in 1996 which required a family history project. Once I started, I was hooked. Being Czech, as far as I had traced in 1998, I was determined to finish my degree, return to Chicago and become a great Chicago Czech researcher. Funny how we make plans and life happens……A year after I started my business in 2010, I began working with an Italian American in Chicago. Five years later I became a Chicago Italian researcher with an expertise on the people from Ricigliano, Italy and surrounding villages. Today I am still working with this client. His project went very quickly beyond a few generations. Each year I create several books for him documenting his entire family from past to present, with photographs, biographies, and stories. This client has written many pieces of what is becoming his memoir. I know my Italian client’s family better than my own Czech ancestors.

By the end of the the 2nd year of my business, I had published several books. One on my cousin, the Flying Tiger Robert Brouk, and several Genealogy teaching books for kids and adults. This laid the foundation for what was to come.

So how did I move from genealogy to WWII? Over the course of several years of personal research into my own family’s military history, my relatives who died in service pushed me to research their stories. So I did. I researched and wrote about my WWI great grand uncle Michael Kokoska, KIA in France 1918. My Flying Tiger cousin, killed during training pilots after his AVG service ended in 1942. My cousin Frank Winkler, KIA in France in 1944. My cousin and guide for many years, James Privoznik, KIA in Belgium during the Bulge in 1945. I wrote a lecture, Finishing the Story, to help educate genealogists on some of the records I was using. That led to a book called, Stories of the Lost, where I told the stories of all those men. Along with that book, I also released the second in that series called The Tiger’s Widow, which is about the widow of Robert Brouk, Virginia Brouk, who became a WAAC then WAC in 1943 and served in Egypt.

The more I researched and looked for resources to help the process along, I realized there really were not any. Anything that did exist was so out of date, the information was basically useless. Records access changes all the time. The only book I found focused on the Army and had one chapter dedicated to records. In my mind, this lack of educational materials was unacceptable.

I began researching service men and women across all branches of the military during WWII. With each individual, and each client who hired me, I learned more about how to research and how to write the stories. I was connected with researchers overseas who live in the Philippines and Europe, research adopted soldiers, specific units or battles, or doing Missing In Action research. These connections led to a lot of sharing of information between us and the ability to connect with other people on both sides of the ponds. I also read several “expert” websites to see what information was being shared. One expert in particular really irritates me every time I read his answers. There is a lot we can learn from those who irritate us – the question is, how do we take this and turn it into something positive to help others.

The more I read online, the more I see there is a lot of misinformation being given to people about WWII research and records access, even from genealogists doing research today. Researchers should stay on top of these issues and disseminate current information. The question was, how could I change all the misinformation being spread?

The answer came in the form of several more lectures which teach people how to research. No one else in the country is lecturing on this, as far as I have been able to tell. It also led to the creation of the only books on the market today, which teach people in the U.S. and Europe, HOW to research and write the stories of American service men or women across any branch.

My genealogy to WWII journey has taken me down many interesting roads and across the sea many times. It often led me down deep, dark, emotional trails to help me grow and change. WWII research is not all sunshine, unicorns, and rainbows. It causes us to examine things we prefer to avoid, and feel things we may have held apart from our hearts for a long time. James was a large part of that journey and in two months I’ll make my third journey to visit him as this chapter in our story ends.

It is also coming full circle this year as many endings happen. New ways to use genealogy to help European researchers has emerged. A major expansion to my business is also taking place which is exciting! My guide James has been by my side every step of the way, guiding my work, introducing me to people, and leading me to a life I could have never imagined for myself…….the publication of 14 books within the last 5 years. The creation of more than a dozen lectures. Travel to Europe multiple times. I met my amazing fiancé in the Netherlands and I’m now living on two continents. I had no idea Fairy Tales really do exist! I get to speak all over the U.S. and Europe. And, I’ve met so many incredible, passionate researchers and family members of WWII soldiers.

The most important part of the journey is that my research, writing, and speaking has provided a lot of education and healing for myself, the soldiers I research, and their families. For this I am extremely grateful. I truly have the best job and am living my life’s purpose. I’m so grateful for the opportunity.

Where will the road or airplane lead next? I have some plans and ideas that are exciting. You’ll have to come back and keep reading to see what happens!

Why did you start researching World War II? Please share your story with us in the comments.

WWII Education – Tarawa and a Study of Graves Registration Service During WWII

July 22, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Throughout the course of my World War II research the last several years, one of my primary focuses has been the work of the Graves Registration Service (GRS). I focused on this group because so many of the soldiers, sailors, and Marines I research were Killed In Action or never recovered. Many people have no idea about the number of records the men of the GRS created and how valuable they are. These men created one file available to all researchers, for every service man or woman Killed In Action or unrecovered (still MIA.) This file is the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) for identified service members or X-File for unidentified service members. You can read more about the IDPF and other records in the Education section of my website.

Through one of the Facebook groups I’m in for World War II, I saw a post about a book called Tarawa’s Gravediggers by William L. Niven. Having researched several Tarawa Marines and observed many conversations, sometimes very heated on Facebook, I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to understand why our Marines and other service personnel buried on Tarawa are still being recovered.

In general, from what I observed through research and conversations, the American people were not educated enough during and after the war as to what took place with the burials on Tarawa or any other location. Today, Americans are uneducated for the most part regarding the job GRS did (or did not do) on Tarawa or in general during the war. Too many people today are angry and frustrated over the fact we still have so many MIAs from World War II, yet have no comprehension as to why this is. This book does an excellent job explaining the process and resulting issue of unrecovered men.

One reason people are angry is because many often look at the past through they eyes of today. They think if we have DNA today which can identify people and remains, why didn’t they use it during the war? That technology, like so much other technology, was not available then. During the war, our clerks and GRS men were using paper, pencils, index cards, and forms. There were no computers available. No databases to store and sort information into. We need to remember to look at the past and put it into historical context rather than jump to anger over what was not done, just because it can be done today.

Whenever I get a book like this, the first thing I look for is the bibliography of sources used, footnotes or endnotes, and the appendix. This book does not contain an official bibliography of sources used. It does contain a list of general records used by the author. It also contains no index, footnotes or endnotes.

Niven explains at the very end of the book in his section on Replication and Validation, how he did his research, how he set up the book, why he did not use footnotes, where he got his sources, and why this work is important. I wish he would have put this at the beginning of the book because it would have made the book make more sense. I also would not have wondered why a historian who was creating such an important work failed to document his information. Niven had a purpose in how he arranged the material for publication. Maybe this means I should be reading the end of these types of books first, if authors are putting this kind of information there.

Every author is different in the way they present their information. What is right for one is not necessarily right for another. While I wish he had included an index, that would have lengthened the book by scores of pages. I was lucky enough to find William Cowart, a still MIA Marine, discussed on pages 11-12. He is one I researched and hope is recovered soon.

What will you find in this book?

This book is the result of years of research, data analysis, database creation, validation, and writing. It is more than 460 pages long and contains the most in-depth information on Tarawa I have ever seen compiled in one place. The book includes the methodology Niven used to work through the problem of locating every cemetery and information on every Marine or other service man buried on the island. There are countless pages of tables showing what he compiled in his database. He has photographs and maps with explanations as to what they are and their importance.

Why is this book important to those researching non-Tarawa Marines?

Many may wonder why they should read this book if they do not have a family member listed as unrecoverable from Tarawa. I encourage you to read the book because of the depth of research Niven conducted. The analysis is unlike what most researchers do, but he has a lot to teach everyone who picks up the book and is looking for information on their soldier. He also provides a lot of information on the GRS and their records. This is important for anyone researching someone who died during the war or is still unrecovered.

Niven also is very honest and forthcoming about potential errors in his work. Why? Because people make mistakes. He discusses the errors found among various official military records he used throughout his research. He discussed errors he made in entering the data into his database. He shows us that no one is perfect. No record is perfect and all of this must be taken into account with any research we do.

Finally, Niven gives a great description of many military records available for all branches of the military. Each of these were used in his study and are of great value to all researching soldiers, sailors, or Marines in World War II.

Want to know more about this incredible book? Pick up a copy today. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your comments.

Need more help?

To learn more and go deeper into your research, pick up one of my Stories from the World War II Battlefield books if you are in the U.S. or Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier if you are in Europe.

Please contact me if you need to hire a researcher to help you with your family’s World War II research.

WWII Education – Where Can You Find WWII Education?

July 20, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

World War II Education comes in many forms. There are countless books written about every aspect of war, soldier’s experiences, battles, and high level histories. Museums like the National World War II Museum in New Orleans has an annual conference featuring specific periods of the war and provide high level discussion and analysis of the war. Universities offer courses on general military history, World War II, battles, and other higher level topics.

How often though, in the U.S. or Europe, do you see education addressing how to conduct research and put together the story of your soldier, sailor or Marine? I’m not talking about a unit’s history or the history of a battle in which your soldier fought. I’m talking about individual research, which most people get stuck on. I have found it rare, which is why I wrote the research books I published and created seven different lectures I give in the U.S. and Europe. Please contact me if you need a speaker for your organization in the U.S. or Europe. My current programs include:

The Day that Lived in Infamy: Navigating Basic World War II Records
Beyond Pearl Harbor: Exploring Advanced World War II Records
Finishing the Story: Recording the Military Story
Stories of the Lost: Remembering the Dead
Navigating World War II Records on Fold3.com
Writing the Stories of War
Stories of Our Past

If you know of someone teaching courses or giving programs on the soldier’s experience and the research process, I would love to know about them.

General World War II Education

The National Archives in the U.S. offers an annual Genealogy Fair. If you visit their website, you can see prior year’s offerings which include handouts and videos. These videos are an excellent resource to understand, in general, what the National Archives offers researchers. The videos do not often get down to specific WWII research, but offer a general review of the types of records and dates they cover, within the collection. I recommend watching them to learn more about the types of records available.

If you enjoy genealogical conferences and local society programs in the U.S., you may find a program on WWII research, though from what I have observed, it is rare to find anyone teaching what I am. If you are attending the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference which starts 31 August 2016, I will be giving two WWII talks and sitting at the vendor table for AncestorStuff at specific hours during the time the vendor hall is open, to answer questions. There will be a limited number of my books for sale and orders can be taken by AncestorStuff. Details coming soon as to when you can meet me at their table.

Education for Teachers and the General Public

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) has several collaborative programs with different organizations to provide teachers with World War II soldier research experience and trips to the battlefields and cemeteries. This program is ABMC Education. The teachers research a soldier, write a eulogy which they give at his or her grave overseas, and create lesson plans based on Common Core standards. These lesson plans are available for free online.

The ABMC website offers videos and other resources for anyone interested in the history of their overseas cemeteries and specific battles. They also offer educational resources for teachers.

Both of these resources combined will provide you with a different perspective on what information is available for soldiers for both WWI and WWII. I encourage you to explore what they have to offer.

Books To Guide Your Research

If you live in Europe and have adopted a soldier’s grave or his name on the Wall of the Missing, pick up my research book, Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier.

If you live in the U.S. and need assistance researching, check out my books, Volumes 1 and 2 of Stories from the World War II Battlefield, which are the only ones available which teach you step-by-step how to do WWII research.

Hire a Researcher

Need more assistance? Contact me to discuss a project. I am taking new clients at this time and there is no wait list.

WWII Education – The Research Process, Do’s and Don’ts

July 18, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 2 Comments

Conducting World War II research for several years, speaking with researchers and family members around the world, and observing what information others tell people, I’d like to provide a few pieces of information to help you in your journey to discover your soldier, sailor, or Marine’s service story. This article will briefly explain the Research Process, and some Myths and Traps researchers fall into.

An article can only cover so much. To learn more, please pick up a copy of one of my research books. I explain the process in-depth for all military branches, in over 700 pages in my two books, Stories from the World War II Battlefield.

The Research Process

World War II research has a process which I encourage people to follow. It is one I have used and honed to more easily navigate the military record spider web.

Two of the most important pieces of information you should locate are the Service/Serial Number and Unit of a soldier – down to the lowest level (Company in some cases) the soldier was in. This will help you navigate other records beyond their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF.)

Offline Research

Important! Most of the records you can use to research military service are not available online. However, there are online resources you can use to move research forward. There are some records, specifically the OMPF, which are not available online. Many company and unit level records, maps, photographs, and other documents are only available in paper format in a repository in the U.S.

World War II documents are not located solely in the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis or the National Archives in College Park. They exist at Presidential Libraries, University Libraries, museums, libraries, private collections, and institutions like the Army War College or Naval Heritage and History Command. This list is by no means the full list of available repositories in the U.S. You may also find records in overseas libraries, archives, and museums.

Online Research

Military research is often best begun after you have written down what you know, by searching for information online to add to the questionnaire. It also allows you to see what records do exist in digital format and what exists in paper format in various archives. Fold3.com has digitized many unit-level records from the National Archives in College Park, but it is small amount compared to what actually exists there.

Create a Timeline of Service

Everyone should create a timeline of service based on what you know about your soldier’s service history. A timeline should list the date (either full or a year) and the event which happened. Noting where you found that information, even if it was a family story, is important. A timeline of service may look like the following. Note, Adam Jones is a fictional name.

January 1942 – Adam Jones joins the 1^st Infantry Division
November 1942 – North Africa Campaign
July 1943 – Sicily Campaign
30 July 1943 – Wounded in the Sicily Campaign
February 1944 – Hospitalized in England
June 1944 – Normandy – D-Day Campaign

Start the Military Records Requests

Learn more about the military records you should be requesting when you start your research in this article, WWII Education – The Difference Between the OMPF and IDPF.

Write the Story

I encourage everyone to write the story of their soldier. Once written, please share it with your family, a military reunion association, museum, journal, or other means so the story is not lost.

Research Do’s and Don’ts

As I said, military research is a process. Every new document we find, or idea we use to locate information, shows us the best (and sometimes worst) ways to locate information and pieces it together. A few Do’s and Don’ts for you.

Don’t assume the one or two things you know about your soldier’s service is all there is to the story. Usually it is not.

Do look for all possible leads and records to piece together the timeline of service.

Don’t assume if your soldier died during the war and has an IDPF, that this file contains his entire story.

Do look into other available records because you are only seeing one moment in time for this soldier.

Don’t assume your soldier was only in one unit the entire war, especially if he was in for several years.

Do start with the unit and place and time you have for your soldier and work forward or backward as needed. If you look at the IDPF for my cousin James Privoznik, KIA on 11 January 1945 and buried in Luxembourg, it will tell you he was with the 358th Infantry Regiment 90th Infantry Division. Had I taken that one piece of information and looked for everything I could have on the 358th, I would have had the wrong story for James. Based on other documents, he was only in the infantry 14 days. Patton needed replacement riflemen during the Battle of the Bulge and pulled from the rear echelons. James was in the 790th Ordnance Company the other nine months he was overseas with the 90th Infantry Division. And Ordnance soldier has a different experience of the war than anyone else in his Division.

I’ve also heard people say they have one unit in one moment in time and are going to retrace their father’s steps through Europe based on that one piece of information. I encourage them to do their homework because again, it is very possible he was not with that unit the entire time.

Don’t forget to look up all acronyms and abbreviations for your military records or skip deciphering them.

Do check online or my WWII Toolbox on this website, for dictionaries to explain what you are looking at in the military records. Once you understand the lingo, the records make a lot more sense.

Don’t assume one reporter who wrote a newspaper article has your soldier’s entire story. I’ve had researchers overseas who adopted graves tell me they got the entire story from one newspaper article and a phone call to a reporter. Unless the family and reporter researched the soldier’s service, you do not have the entire story.

Do investigate other records and resources to learn more. Usually a reporter is looking for answers to a few questions to write a short article. As I stated earlier, an article can only contain so much information. There is always more to learn if you seek the information.

Books To Guide Your Research

If you live in Europe and have adopted a soldier’s grave or his name on the Wall of the Missing, pick up my research book, Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier.

Need more assistance? Contact us to discuss a project.

Want More Resources?

Visit the WWII Education Website and grab your military research worksheet pack. This pack comes with 14 pages of questions, checklists, and resources to help you start your military research (WWI – Vietnam).

Also explore my military research books.

WWII Education – Difference between the OMPF and IDPF

July 17, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 4 Comments

Working on graves registration records. Source Army Signal Corps.

I wrote an article about the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) which contained information on how to request it, what it contained, and how to share information with organizations who honor our war dead. Several people were confused about the difference between the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), also known as the military service file and the IDPF. This article will clarify what those files are, where they are located, what they contain, and how to obtain copies.

Difference between the two files:

OMPF: Created for every single service man or woman in every branch of the military.

IDPF: Created for only those who were unrecovered and still considered Missing In Action or those who died in the war.

Official Military Personnel File (OMPF)

What: Also known as the military service file, the OMPF is the record of a soldier’s service from enlistment and induction until discharge or death. Some files are quite lengthy if a soldier was in service for many years. Other files are short because the soldier was inducted during the war years and served a very short time, or was Killed In Action.

These files contain, but are not limited to the following:

Birth, marriage, and death certificates for the soldier, sailor, or Marine and sometimes members of his family. I have even seen adoption records in a file.
Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Merchant Marine OMPFs have photographs of the sailor or Marine taken upon after induction. These photographs are also found in the IDPF if the man or woman died in service or is still Missing In Action.
Next of kin information can be found through vital records, insurance papers, beneficiary papers and next of kin designation papers. This is great information if you are a grave adopter in Europe and are trying to locate living relatives.
Educational records and letters of recommendation.
Training information.
Medical and dental information.
Service information: Training places and dates; type of training received; scores for tests and training; dates of service overseas; medals and citations earned.
Death information if the soldier died while in service.
Often the files contain handwritten letters from family members, especially fi the soldier died in service.

Where: The OMPF is held at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. These files are available to anyone if a soldier died or was discharged on this date 62 years ago. So at the time of this article posting on my website, this means any OMPF for soldiers who died or were discharged by 17 July 1954, is available to anyone to request.

History and Confusion: There is a lot of confusion of the OMPF – does it exist or did it burn? In 1973 there was a devastating fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri. Approximately 80% of the Army, Air Corps/Army Air Forces/Air Force, and National Guard (under the authority of the Army during WWII) burned. Is that the end of the story? NO!

NPRC gets thousands of requests for OMPFs and other records every week. The facility holds records from WWI, WWII, Federal Employee Records, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and other records. The service files are not the only thing held there. Many researchers receive letters that say, “All the records burned.” Sometimes that really isn’t the case. I have copies of complete files and some files which are burned around the edges (or have mold or water damage.) Some files I have are partial and contain only bits of information.

Obtaining Records: If you work with a researcher, you have a much better chance of getting information out of NPRC. We are able to request and stay on top of whether or not there is a service file. My team is also able to ensure we at some point see a file that does exist. Case in point, last year my researcher at NPRC requested a Navy file for a client. NPRC found it, processed it and sent it to the wrong department in May. It was November before we saw the file and that is only because we stayed on top of the progress of locating it. Anyone who would have requested it by mail would never have received it most likely or it would have taken much longer than 7 months. NPRC also sometimes pulls the “right name but the wrong file.” This happened a couple years ago and my researcher caught the error and was able to save me hundreds of dollars in copy fees. We are also able to locate Morning Reports, Monthly Reports, Payroll, Air Force Award Cards and other records held there.

You do have the option to go to NPRC in person to conduct research. And you can send in Form 180 to request a copy of the OMPF. When you send this form in, the OMPF is the only thing they will sear€ch for you. Often you will pay $25 for a Final Payroll Record and a sheet that says the soldier served. This is a far cry from the available information there if you go there or work with a researcher.

Types of File Codes if the File was Affected by the Fire:

“P” File is a Final Payroll File. These are typically what NPRC charges you $25 for. You get the Final Payroll Record which has little information on it and usually a sheet stating the soldier served.

“B” Burned File. This file means the file is partially in existence and has damage. You never know exactly what remains until you see the file.

“R” Reconstructed File. This file means a few pieces of information were located to reconstruct enough information to prove service. If the soldier has an IDPF, often some of those papers come from this. I’ve also seen Final Payroll, and items family members sent to NPRC (newspaper articles, copies of letters, copies of the Separation and Discharge Papers, etc.)

Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF)

The IDPF is a file created for every soldier, sailor, or Marine who was listed as Missing In Action (MIA) and never recovered or who died in service. These files were never at the NPRC in St. Louis and therefore not part of the 1973 Fire of what was destroyed. These files are currently held by the Army Human Resources Command (AHRC) in Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

To learn more, please read the post about the IDPF to learn the specifics on this file.

Sharing Information:

There are many researchers seeking information on our deceased soldiers and many organizations and foundations which use the files to honor service men and women. One such foundation, the Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven (Foundation United Adopters American War Graves,) runs the Fields of Honor Database in the Netherlands. The Fields of Honor Database has a mission to compile information and photographs, in their free online database, for all those buried or listed on the Wall of the Missing at ABMC cemeteries in Margraten, Netherlands, Henri-Chapelle, Belgium, and Ardennes, Belgium. You can help them accomplish this mission by contacting them and sharing your soldier’s information.

Books To Guide Your Research:

If you live in Europe and have adopted a soldier’s grave or his name on the Wall of the Missing, this foundation is also selling my research book, Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier.

If you live in the U.S. and need assistance researching, check out my books, Volumes 1 and 2 of Stories from the World War II Battlefield, which are the only ones available which teach you step-by-step how to do WWII research. Need more assistance? Contact me to discuss a project. I am taking new clients at this time and there is no wait list.

Also join our mailing list to receive information on new articles, classes, resources, and more.

Still confused or have questions? Please email info@wwiirwc.com to discuss a research project or writing project. We are taking new clients.

WWII Education – Requesting the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF)

July 16, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 13 Comments

IDPF Request image — Tarawa Marine still MIA, William F. Cowart. Photo from his IDPF and OMPF.

Information is current as of 21 October 2024.

One of the most important files a researcher needs if he or she is investigating the life and death of a soldier, sailor, or Marine who was Killed In Action or died in World War II, is the Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF.)

Caution! I have heard from many overseas researchers that when they have the IDPF for their soldier they are researching or whose grave they have adopted, that they have the entire story. This is incorrect. The IDPF provides information on a soldier for one moment in time. It is usually never the entire story as many soldiers were in more units during their overseas service, than the one listed on the IDPF. Please investigate other records to learn the full story about your soldier.

What is the IDPF?

The IDPF is a collection of documents created when a soldier was declared Missing In Action and never recovered or died in the war. When I say a soldier died in the war, it could be he was Killed In Action, died as a POW, or died of wounds. Regardless of how he died, he died while serving. These files contain a wealth of information about a soldier, range from 20 pages to over 100, and include but not limited to the following information:

Location, time, date, and cause of death.
Location, time, date and place of temporary burial. Sometimes this is an isolated grave or unknown location until after the war.
Documents which detail burial, disinterment, final burial information.
Handwritten letters from family members.
Letters from the military, Congressmen, U.S. military organizations to the family.
Maps, search area testimony and documentation if the soldier was recovered from a crash site or not located immediately.
Dental and physical charts and information.
Stateside service training locations and dates.

Myth: Some researchers will tell you a soldier’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), also known as the service file, was included in the IDPF. This is incorrect. If your soldier’s file burned in 1973 you will not find a duplicate in his IDPF. Specific details from the OMPF may be included, but not always. It depends on the circumstances of the soldier’s death.

IDPF Access. The National Archives at St. Louis (same location as the NPRC) has the IDPFs for:

Request the IDPF

Hire us to have the IDPF pulled with other records available that NPRC will not search for you. We will provide analysis of the file and records obtained to reconstruct your service member’s history and suggested resources to pursue next.
Or, download Form 180 and select the box that says OTHER and write in IDPF and wait up to several months to receive the file.
Send NARA a letter stating you wish to have a copy of the IDPF under FOIA. State the individual’s name, branch of service, serial/service number, date of death, and birth date. If you have a common name then you might include a little more identifying information.

National Archives - St. Louis
1 Archives Drive
St. Louis, MO 63138
314-801-0800

Can I help you with your research?

Are you ready to learn the bigger picture of your family member’s military service? Email us at info@wwiirwc.com to set up your free phone consultation today to discuss project options, fees, and time.

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Faces of War Now Being Sold by Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery

July 14, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

Exciting news! Another foundation in the Netherlands is now selling my book Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier.

Now you can purchase a copy and support the Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten.

Book Description: The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates and maintains 25 permanent American military cemeteries overseas. In many of the countries in which these cemeteries are located, men and women officially and unofficially, through Adoption Foundation programs, adopt the graves of American service men and women in the ABMC cemeteries.

Researching the service and life of a soldier while living in Europe, has its challenges, primarily because the records they need are located in archives in the United States. There is also the challenge of the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The fire destroyed roughly 80% of the Army, Air Corps/Army Air Forces, and National Guard personnel files. This is not however, the end of the story where researchers are concerned.

All the tools researchers need to start exploring their World War I or World War II soldier, civilian, sailor, or Marine’s service, are included in this volume.

The tools include:

The basics of starting research and creating a timeline of service.
Resources and strategies for online and offline military research.
Resources for obtaining a wide range of information on a soldier’s death and burial.
Instructions for ordering and using military records to reconstruct service history for men and women.
And, tips for placing the soldier into historical context using higher level records.

Through examples, checklists, and document images, researchers are taught how to locate and analyze records for any branch of the military. This volume focuses more on World War II records, but the process for a World War I soldier and records created, are similar. Once you understand the research process, it can be applied to either war.

McHenry County Genealogical Society Conference Saturday

July 6, 2016 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

This Saturday, 9 July, I will be presenting four World War II programs at the McHenry County Genealogical Society Conference. Hope to see you there!

The Day That Lived in Infamy. Navigating World War II Military Records

All the records burned! A fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, in 1973, destroyed approximately 80% of the Army, Air Corps, and National Guard records. This is not the end of the research possibilities for these soldiers. Many alternative record sources exist to reconstruct service history for these branches. Regardless of service branch, many records exist to tell your soldier, sailor, or Marine’s story. Learn how to research the records of World War II for any branch of the military in this informative program.

Navigating World War II Records on Fold3

Researching the service of a World War II soldier is more than the Official Military Personnel File we might locate. That file is helpful in creating a timeline of military service, but we must move beyond it to find more of the story. Looking beyond the individual records, we can find unit histories, battle reports, mission reports, war diaries, and other higher level materials, which provide context in which to put our soldier.

Many of the records you need to research your soldier’s service, are not online. However, Fold3.com has digitized many unit level records from the National Archives at College Park, MD, to help you with your research. As with any digitized collection, searching by your soldier’s name will not usually yield you enough of the materials available. There are many tips and tricks to locating the gold within the massive amount of paperwork available.

This new program, available Summer 2016, will teach you how to navigate the extensive records of Fold3.com. The tips you learn in this program will help you with any digitized record set.

Stories of the Lost

A continuation of “Finishing the Story,” we will explore the records available to tell the stories of those who died in service. We will also discuss those who took care of our Soldier Dead, the Graves Registration Service men. Learn about their job and the reasons it took so long to have our soldiers repatriated and what happened to the personal effects during the course of recovery and repatriation.

Beyond Pearl Harbor: Exploring Advanced World War II Records

The follow-up to The Day That Lived in Infamy. After briefly touching on the basics of getting started and obtaining the OMPF, attendees will learn about additional records to trace the service of their soldier, sailor, or Marine in World War II.

Memorial Day Weekend 2016 at Margraten, Netherlands

July 4, 2016 by Jennifer Holik 1 Comment

This year I spent Memorial Day weekend in Europe, specifically in Margraten in the Netherlands. The primary reason I was in Margraten was because my Dutch fiancé has a foundation, the U.S. Paratrooper Society, which lays a wreath at Margraten during the Memorial Day service. He asked me to be his wreath layer this year. Since we were going to Margraten and I was planning to release new World War II research books, it was also a good time to arrange a book signing. The book signing was one of two events that weekend where I promoted my new book, Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier.

Hotel Groot Welsden, photo courtesy of the hotel and Sutti Welsch.

Our weekend began at the Hotel Groot Welsden on Friday 27 May. I had previously arranged with the hotel to have a book signing on Sunday morning, 29 May, before we went to the cemetery. The entire staff at the hotel is fabulous. We couldn’t have asked for a better stay. There is a beautiful, calming garden behind the hotel, where we had a welcome drink and were able to relax….until the storms hit! Then we moved inside to the sitting area.

On Saturday 28 May, we visited Henri-Chapelle Cemetery in Belgium. I dropped off books for the Remember Museum. They have several of my research books for sale. Proceeds benefit the museum projects. While at the cemetery I had the pleasure of speaking with the Superintendent Bobby Bell about the goings-on there and donated a copy of my newest book on writing the stories of war.

Afterward, we had a bit of lunch in Gulpen and picked up flowers to take to Margraten, the Netherlands American Cemetery. My fiancé adopted two graves there. Charles D. Horn and Bernard Tom. I had not met Charles or Bernie on my previous trips to Margraten and it was nice to stop at their graves, lay flowers, and talk to them. Bernie has been around here, helping with research or writing from time to time. The weather was perfect and quite warm that day so after we finished visiting the graves, we returned to the hotel for a drink in the garden. It was a perfect day.

That evening we attended an event held by the Foundation for Adopting Graves American Cemetery Margraten, where I was going to give a short book presentation on Faces of War. The event was for grave adopters and families of American soldiers buried at Margraten. The evening consisted of a new documentary about the cemetery, folk music, some certificates being handed to families, and my book presentation.

The foundation asked for 10 books to sell that evening, which I provided. All 10 books were sold before the program ever began! People are very interested in the Netherlands to learn about the life of their adopted soldier. They are also interested in connecting with family members in the U.S.

After the presentation we returned to the hotel about 10:30 p.m. No one was in the bar or sitting area except the staff. The kitchen was closed but I asked if they had any dessert left because I was hungry. We had eaten dinner early to be able to attend the event. Luckily, there was still some pie left! Pie and coffee were a great way to end a successful book presentation and fantastic day.

On Sunday 29 May, I had my book signing at the hotel. Several members of the Foundation United Adopters American War Graves (Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven), who were selling my book Faces of War, attended the event with the books the were selling. I signed 30 copies of books and met several new people. If you purchase a book through the Foundation, it supports their Faces of Margraten Project and Fields of Honor Database project.

After the book signing, my fiancé and I went to a cafe in Margraten to meet his Band of Brothers re-enactment group for lunch before going to the cemetery. After lunch we went to the cemetery where it was lightly raining on and off. Thankfully the weather was not so terrible to cancel the service or make the attendees miserable.

Laying wreath — Laying the U.S. Paratrooper Society wreath at Margraten. Photo courtesy Andre Jans.

Laying the U.S. Paratrooper Society wreath at Margraten. Photo courtesy Andre Jans.

The Memorial Day service consisted of several speeches, an all-male choir singing, and the laying of many wreaths in honor of our war dead. Each of the wreath layers was escorted to the area designated for the wreaths by current U.S. military personnel. Military personnel placed the wreath with our help on the stand. A few moments of silence were allowed before we were escorted back to our seats.

I have been doing World War II research, primarily focused on those who died during the war, for several years. It is one thing to do research and be distanced from those who died, and another to be where they sleep. When I am near them, many more speak.

This day made my fourth visit to Margraten. Every visit has been special and left different impressions on me. If you read any of my Traveling in Their Footsteps articles from my trip to Europe last fall, you know I often hear the soldiers speak. When they speak, I listen.

After laying the wreath and returning to my seat, the soldiers began speaking. This trip to Europe in May and June 2016, was not what I originally planned. A lot of things changed in my personal and professional life between the time I scheduled my flight and the time I arrived. Just when I thought my life was going in one direction, everything shifted. Sitting there listening to the soldiers, I heard that my life was going to change dramatically. There is a lot for me to do for World War II education, research, and writing. And nothing was going to be what I thought it would.

It appears I am now off on a grand new adventure! Stay tuned to find out what happens.

Traveling in their Footsteps – 24 October 2015

December 9, 2015 by Jennifer Holik Leave a Comment

There are days you know will change your life and nothing will ever be the same. You can feel the energy building, passion for what you do rising, and excitement for what the day may bring (and possibly a bit of panic,) reaching a crescendo. I knew this day I was going to meet someone important from a long ago past life. Then, he was Henry and I was Elizabeth. Now I knew we had a connection with war. I already had a good idea of what our souls had agreed to do in this life and felt we had done most of the work. Elizabeth told me bits of their life together in stories I wrote over the summer.

I woke up that morning early with the intention of driving the hour to Amsterdam and having breakfast at the hotel where I was going to stay that evening. As I prepared to leave I was both excited and anxious for the day. I told myself to calm down, it was just another speaking engagement and I have given this talk a bazillion times and it was all going to be fine.

The universe laughed and said,

‘Yes but you know this is not just an ordinary speaking engagement. This is no ordinary day and the people you meet will change your life.’

CRASH 40-45 Museum (44) — Outside the museum after my talk that afternoon. I was a bit tired.

I was grateful for the hour drive, alone in the dark, to Amsterdam. It gave me time to clear the anxious energy and settle down. I enjoyed a nice breakfast and made my way to the CRASH ’40-’45 Museum where I was to speak later. There I met two people from the past. Henry and a soldier I took care of in another life during a war.

The soldiers I have cared for as a WWI nurse or in other lives, show up all the time. I recognize their energy by their behavior which is always very sweet and kind. Quietly wishing them light and love and releasing them allows both our souls to be at peace. And one thing I learned on this trip is I have carried through thousands of lifetimes, the heavy guilt of not being able to save so many of the soldiers. Sometimes their bodies and sometimes also their souls. Little did I know the healing and release that was about to come for all of us in a most unexpected place.

The energy at the museum that morning was crazy and I’m sure my energy just added to it. While there weren’t a lot of people from the museum there when I arrived, there seemed to be a lot of voices. The bell over the door kept ringing when someone opened it. It felt like too much all at once in a small space. But I kept clearing the energy and breathing deeply and after a few hours and before I spoke, it died down a bit.

I had a wonderful tour of the museum given to me by Ed the museum coordinator. He showed me the main highlights of the collection and told me a lot about the history of the WWII air war in the area. We had a light lunch and then prepared for the program.

Once the program began, the energy died down. The room was ¾ filled with people who wanted to learn more about researching American soldiers. My talk was similar to my program, “The Day That Lived in Infamy” which I give at home. In all my programs I tell stories rather than run down a dry list of facts and figures. Stories capture people’s imaginations. Stories make people THINK and FEEL something. The main difference between my talk in Europe and the one at home is the ending.

At the end of my program in Europe I read the final pages of Michael Kokoska’s story from my book, Stories of the Lost. The end of the story could apply to anyone’s soldier, any war, any time period, because Michael’s father talks about his son coming home after the war. Not walking off the train, but in a flag draped casket. The story allows us to see how connected we are regardless of time and place. It brings to life the very real pain and love this father felt for his son and his sacrifice. And it provides an example of how you can take all the research and put it into something people will remember.

When I was finished reading Michael’s story, many people were crying. Breaths were held and I had to tell the audience to breathe. The impact was made.

The last of my afternoon at the museum was spent meeting people, selling and signing books, and seeing the larger pieces (an airplane!) in the other part of the museum. Then it was off to the hotel to have a bit of quiet time and freshen up so I could spend the evening in Amsterdam!

CRASH 40-45 Museum (61) — Jan, Jennifer, and Ed seeing the airplane and larger plane pieces in the second building.

Speaking at CRASH 40-45 museum (1) — Jennifer talking to a young WWII researcher of the 1st Infantry Division, Maurits Huijbrechtse.

CRASH 40-45 Museum (60) — See the airplane engine pieces behind me?

My evening in Amsterdam was a night I will never forget. As I stood at the bar in an old pub in Amsterdam drinking a Trappist beer, marveling at how incredible my life is, I almost had to pinch myself repeatedly to make sure I was really there. The rest of the night, well let’s just say it was amazing, and I found a lot of crocodiles and peace on my journey through ancient streets and canals.

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