Over the course of the last 10+ years, I’ve heard a few times from a client that his or her father was court martialed during their military service. Often the client will tell a story they heard about the veteran or his service, which often includes AWOL status, desertion, alcoholism, or other issues that may have contributed to a possible court martial or legal issues with the military. Clients are curious what this means and if there is any record available to explain what happened. The answer is yes, there are.
If your veteran was court martialed, the place to begin your search is at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis. These files contain information that will help you understand your veteran’s experience, choices, possible trauma, shame, or other events and emotions that took place while in the military. Please understand, in cases of rape and murder, these files can be emotionally and mentally difficult to read.
This information can help you understand why your family is they way they are, in part due to their collective wartime experiences. The records may help you understand the choices your veteran made, which could have had generational impacts. Also, the records may possibly shed light on why you have made life choices on an unconscious level due to unprocessed events, emotions, and traumas within your family. A court martial, especially if for something like rape or murder, can have a generational impact on family members.
What will you discover in these files?
- Circumstances that surrounded the arrest and legal proceedings of your veteran.
- Testimony of the veteran about the events that led to his or her arrest.
- Court transcripts of what took place between the Prosecutor, Defender, Judge, and Veteran during the proceedings.
- Details about the outcome of the court martial – hard labor, dishonorable discharge, execution, other. As a side note, I just received a new book called The Plot of Shame. US Military Executions in Europe During WWII. This book is by Paul Johnson.
- The court martial may even contain additional details about a veteran’s service history to the point of desertion, arrest, or other event.
Accessing the Records
Now, the letters I’ve seen clients and other receive over the last several months indicate the NPRC may not be willing to copy all the files they used to for requests and instead send only the bare minimum to fulfill a request. Knowing this, you have three options to attempt to obtain records.
- Send in Form 180 off the NPRC website and request a search of the court martial documents and ask for a copy. If they are unwilling to fulfill it….
- Visit the NPRC and do your own research.
- Hire a researcher like me to find the information and help you piece together your veteran’s story.
Court martial records also exist in between the wars. I worked on a client project where this was the case just a few years prior to World War II. In essence, the young soldier ‘took a break’ from soldiering to go help family, without requesting approval for leave. This cost him an Honorable Discharge and he did not serve in World War II. This record helped clear up some family stories and questions.
An abundance of military records await you if you know where to look and how to access them. The court martial records, Morning Reports, IDPF (death file), OMPF (service file), Muster Rolls, and so many other records can help explain your veteran’s experience. These records, once compiled into a narrative with context, may help you better understand your family and yourself. Are you ready to begin researching?
Research Your Veteran’s Story
If you’d like to learn your veteran’s history, I take research and book clients. Email me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com and let’s set up a time to chat. I offer free consults to discuss the research strategy, fees, time, and possibilities.
You can also pick up a copy of my book Research a Veteran which will guide you through the initial information gathering.
© 2024 WWII Research & Writing Center