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Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven

WWII Education – Resources to Research Your WWII Soldier’s Service

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Getting the boats. Photo courtesy Tom Scholtes.
Getting the boats. Photo courtesy Tom Scholtes.

In the month of May we honor and remember those who served during World War II. First on V-E Day, 8 May, and next on Memorial Day, 30 May. Have you researched the service of your World War II Soldier, Airman, Sailor, Marine, or Civilian? If not, why? What’s stopping you from learning what your soldier did in the war? The 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis? If that is what is holding you back, you should know there are many resources to reconstruct your soldier’s service history.

No matter what branch of service your family member served in, there are resources to help you learn how to do the research step-by-step and also write the story.

This month start working on your research and writing with three great resources. You will not find books that walk you through the steps of World War II soldier research anywhere else. Pick your copies up today and explore my website for full examples of military documents and files, and additional free resources for research and writing. Feel free to share your favorite website resource in the comments!

Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 1: Reconstructing Army, Air Corps, and National Guard Service Records

Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 2: Navigating Service Records for the Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Merchant Marines

Stories from the World War II Battlefield Volume 3: Writing the Stories of War

Faces of War: Researching Your Adopted Soldier A book specifically for the ABMC grave adopters in Europe! Your purchase will support the Dutch non-profit organization Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven (Foundation United Adopters American War Graves).

Cover Vol 1Cover Vol 2Vol3 cover screenshot tempFacesofwar cover lowres

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2016 Jennifer Holik

Book Launch: Faces of War – Researching Your Adopted Soldier

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Now available!

FacesofWarimagesWould you like to meet the author and get your book signed on 29 May at Margraten, Netherlands? There are two ways to pre-order your book.

  • Support the Foundation United Adopters American War Graves (Stichting Verenigde Adoptanten Amerikaanse Oorlogsgraven.) The foundation will donate all proceeds to its The Faces of Margraten tribute at the Netherlands Cemetery.
    • The foundation offers the opportunity to pre-order the book and have it shipped to you by mid-May.
    • The foundation offers the opportunity to pick-up the book during the May 29 book signing. 

You can pre-order through the foundation until 8 May.

  • Pre-order through the author and pick up your signed copy at my book signing at Hotel Groot Welsden on Sunday 29 May in Margraten, Netherlands. Books are $33.00. Books must be picked up between 11.00-12.00 on Sunday 29 May at the Hotel. You can pre-order through the author until 5 May.

Author Book Signing Details

You can also order the book from the author’s website and have it shipped to your home at any time.

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.

© 2016 Jennifer Holik