As we commemorate D-Day, Pearl Harbor Day, the Fourth of July, and even Veterans Day and Memorial Day, many of our thoughts may turn to the military heroes in our family's history. Where do we begin in our search for information about their military service?

Your first step would be to determine when and where in the armed service a soldier served, and whether he or she was in the enlisted ranks or an officer. Clues may be found in family stories (keep in mind that military stories—like the proverbial fishing tale of "the one that got away"—are often exaggerated and should be taken with a grain of salt), old newspaper clippings, correspondence, scrapbooks, journals or diaries, service medals and memorabilia, and photographs of the soldier in uniform. The grave marker of a veteran may also contain information about military service as well.

Another hint may be found in the draft cards on Ancestry.com. In 1917 and 1918, 24 million men registered for the draft! All of these World War One draft cards are available for searching on Ancestry.com. In addition, some 3 million World War Two draft cards from the fourth draft, called the "Old Man's Registration," are also available on Ancestry.com. While the existence of a draft card doesn't mean your ancestor served, it can be a great starting point to help you discover if he did.

Once the facts have been established, you can move on to military records. U.S. Military Records: A Guide to Federal and State Sources, by James C. Neagles is an excellent reference tool to find out what types of records are available for various branches of the armed forces and how to obtain them.

In the case of my grand-uncle Edwin Dyer who served in World War I, my mother and I discovered from letters he wrote home that he was in the 105th Machine Gun Battalion. We were able to obtain a record of events for his battalion through the United States Army Military History Institute, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania 17013-5008 (Upton Hall). The Military History Institute is home to a plethora of historical military documents, which it makes available to the public. There is a pamphlet available called "A Guide to the United Stated Army Military Institute," which details what records are available. The Institute is online at: http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi

In response to our inquiry, we received copies from the Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War, American Expeditionary Forces, (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1931 pages 130-139). The record of events give us a chronological timeline for the 105th Machine Gun Battalion, 1st Cavalry, 27th Division, beginning with "Organization and Training" (15 July 1917 - 27 April 1918). This section detailed the organization of the 27th Division and which brigades formed the division. It also tells us where they were trained and that "2500 recruits and selective service men fill out the 27th Division." By weaving the information in his letters with the timeline of events for his division, we were able to learn much about his service in the war.

We also visited the U.S. Army Center of Military History website and checked the listing of Medal of Honor recipients (these include full-text citations for each recipient detailing how the honor was earned). Although Edwin did not receive this honor, by browsing the World War I recipients, I found several other members of his division who all received medals for actions within the span of a few days. Their stories also shed light on the actions of the division.

With a good guide to military records, and a little detective work, you can preserve the memory of the military heroes in your family. What better way to celebrate this Memorial Day than to honor those who served our country? Below are some links and resources to help you in your search:

Articles
"Somewhere in France" by Juliana Smith (Edwin Dyer's story)

Reference Materials
The Source: A Guidebook of American Genealogy,
revised, edited by Loretto D. Szucs and Sandra H. Luebking
Chapter 9, "Research in Military Records,"
By Johni Cerny; revised for the current edition by Lloyd DeWitt Bockstruck and David Thackery

NARA's Military Service Records
http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/military/

Databases
List of Military databases at Ancestry.com
http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/military/main.htm

Links and Addresses
Note: While some of these facilities, agencies, or organizations may hold some information on individual veterans, many are more focused on historical information regarding military history, units, and conflicts. Please refer to the Web pages for details on the holdings, research, and reference policies before requesting information.

American Battle Monuments Commission
Courthouse Plaza II, Suite 500
2300 Clarendon Boulevard
Arlington, VA 22201
Tel: 703-696-6897
http://www.abmc.gov/home.php

Dept. of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Tel: 202-233-4000
800-827-1000
http://www.va.gov/OIT/CIO/FOIA/default.asp

Marine Corps Historical Center
Washington Navy Yard, Building 58
Ninth and M Streets, SE
Washington, DC 20374-0580
Tel: 202-433-3483

National Archives and Records Administration
Attn: NWCTB
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
Tel: 202-501-5410 (Genealogical Staff)
202-501-5400 (Record Availability)
Fax: 301-713-6905 (Fax-on-Demand Information)
E-mail: inquire@arch2.nara.gov

National Cemetery System
Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
Tel: 202-273-5221
E-mail: ncscss@mail.va.gov
http://www.va.gov/cemetery/index.htm

National Guard Association of the United States Library
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001


National Guard Educational Foundation,
(formerly the Historical Society of the Militia and National Guard)
http://www.ngef.org/index.asp

National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Tel: 314-538-4243 (Air Force records)
Tel: 314-538-4261 (Army records)
Tel: 314-538-4141 (Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard records)
Fax: 314-538-4175
E-mail: center@stlouis.nara.gov
(General information only, no e-mail requests for records)

Naval Historical Center
Washington Navy Yard
901 M Street, SE
Washington, DC 20374-5060
Library:
Tel: 202-433-4132
Fax: 202-433-9553
Museum:
Tel: 202-433-4882
Fax: 202-433-8200
Operational Archives:
Fax: 202-433-2833
Ships History Branch:
Tel: 202-433-3643
Fax: 202-433-6677
http://www.history.navy.mil/

U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency
Mail:
HQ AFHRA/RSA
600 Chennault Circle
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424
E-mail: AFHRANEWS1%RS%AFHRA@MAX1.au.af.mil
http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra/

U.S. Army Center of Military History
Location:
Building 35
102 Fourth Avenue
Fort McNair
Washington, DC
Mail:
103 Third Avenue
Fort McNair, DC 20319-5058
Tel: 202-761-5413
E-mail: cmhweb@cmh-smtp.army.mil
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/default.htm

U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry
9235 Gunston Road, Room S-112
Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5579
Tel: 703-806-4968
703-806-4969
http://www-perscom.army.mil/tagd/tioh/tioh.htm

U.S. Army Military History Institute
22 Ashburn Drive, Carlisle Barracks
Carlisle, PA 17013
Tel: 717-245-3611
E-mail: MHI-SC@carlisle-emh2.army.mil (Special Collections)
MHI-AR@carlisle-emh2.army.mil (Archives Collection)
MHI-HR@carlisle-emh2.army.mil (Historical Reference)
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/

U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office (G-CP-4)
2100 2nd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20593
Tel: 202-267-0948
E-mail: rbrowning@comdt.uscg.mil
sprice@comdt.uscg.mil

U.S. Merchant Marine
http://www.usmm.org/index.html

U.S. Military Academy/Museum and Archives
Building 2107
Pershing Center
West Point, NY 10996-2099
Tel: 914-938-7052
E-mail: museum@www.usma.edu
http://www.usma.edu/Museum

Americal Division Veterans' Administration: Army Awards and Decorations
http://www.americal.org/awards/

U.S. Civil War Center
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/

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