RESEARCHING MILITARY SERVICE RECORDS
I. Getting Started
Individuals beginning a search of military records would be well served by first getting a general
overview of the subject area. Excellent resources in this regard include the “Frequently Asked
Questions” publication prepared by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Equally helpful would be the “Frequently Asked Historical Questions” publication of the US
Army Military History Institute and a comparable piece compiled by the Naval Historical
Center. All of these documents are readily accessible on-line at
http://www.archives.gov/frequently_asked_questions/ military_records.html, http://carlislewww.army.mil/usamhi/1frequentlyaskedhistoricalquestions.html#Historical, and
http://www.history.navy.mil/nhc3.htm respectively.
Additional research guidance is offered by the genealogy section of the National Archives and Records
Administration site, http://www.archives.gov/research_room/genealogy/research_topics/military.html. Individuals
unfamiliar with the military may find particularly enlightening the Navy’s description of the contents of a service
record, http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/questions/nrecords.html.
II. Researching Military Service Records
A.
Records of Individuals
Federal Government Resources. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), Military Personnel Records,
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html, is a repository for the personnel,
health, and medical records of all discharged and deceased veterans (all branches of the armed forces) who served
after 1900.
Veterans and their next-of-kin may now use “eVetRecs” to request records from the Center,
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs. Veterans and next-of-kin without Internet access and all others
may submit their requests in writing to:
National Personnel Records Center
Military Personnel Records
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
If possible, use a Standard Form 180 for this request. The form may be downloaded from
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records/standard_form_180.html. Copies of the
Form also may be obtained by dialing the NARA’s Fax-on-Demand system at (301) 837-0990 and requesting
document number 2255. Requests may be submitted by mail or by fax to (314) 801-9195.
If you cannot obtain a Standard Form 180 for this request, include in your inquiry the service member’s complete
name, Social Security number and/or serial number, branch of service, and dates of service as well as your return
address. Date and place of birth for the veteran would be helpful too, as would be place of discharge, last unit of
assignment, and place of entry into service, if known. You must sign and date your request.
More than one request may be submitted per envelope, but policy requires that you submit a separate form/letter for
each individual whose records are being requested. Please allow at least 2 – 4 weeks for a reply. If you need
assistance, telephone the Center at (314) 538-2050.
Earlier records may be located through the National Archives and Records Administration,
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/veterans_service_records.html, for service during the
following periods:
Army
Coast Guard
Navy
Marine Corps
Confederate
States
Enlisted Personnel Serving 1789 to October 31, 1912; Officers Serving from
1789 to June 30, 1917
Service with Predecessor Agencies from 1791 to 1919
Enlisted Personnel Serving from 1798 to 1885
Officers Serving from 1798 to 1902
Enlisted Personnel Serving from 1789 to 1904
Some Officers Serving from 1789 to 1895
Personnel who Served 1861 to 1865
You must use National Archives Trust Fund Form 86 to request service records from these periods. To obtain this
form, send a message via electronic mail (see http://www.archives.gov/global_pages/ inquire_form.html) or write:
National Archives and Records Administration
Attention: NWCTB
700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20408-0001
In your letter, provide your name and mailing address, the form number, and the number of forms desired. (Limit
five forms per order.)
Casualty lists are available as well for some conflicts. The National Archives and Records Administration posted
on-line the state-by-state casualty lists for World War II. A county-by-county breakdown of the World War II dead
and missing from Texas for the US Army and Army Air Force may be accessed at
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/wwii/ army_aaf_honor_list/texas.html.
Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard WWII casualties from Texas (including an indication of those individuals
held as prisoners of war) may be found at http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/wwii/
navy_marines_coast_guard_casualties/texas.html. Korean War casualty information may be retrieved at
http://www.archives.gov/research_room/research_topics/korean_war_casualty_lists/us_army_adjutant_general_reco
rds.html. Information from subsequent conflicts is posted by the Defense Department’s Directorate for Information
Operations and Reports, http://web1.whs.osd.mil/mmid/casualty/castop.htm.
State Archives. State agencies may be valuable contacts as well. The Military Records and Research Branch of the
Kentucky Department of Military Affairs, for example, contains more than 300,000 discharge documents for
Kentucky veterans beginning with individuals who served in World War I through modern day. It also contains
historical records of Kentucky militia and National Guard units dating from 1792.
Oregon’s State Archives offers a detailed listing of the resources it has available regarding the military service of
state residents. To assist researchers, the state has prepared the Oregon Military Department Records Guide, 18471986. For a complete state-by-state listing of helpful state agencies, see the end of this document.
County Records. Although the federal government is the primary source for military records, other sources may be
close at hand. Local governments, for example, merit a researcher’s attention, as veterans may have filed their
military discharge documents (e.g., DD-214) with the county clerk or recorder.
B.
Awards, Decorations, and Campaign and Service Medals
The Institute of Heraldry provides comprehensive information on Army awards, badges, decorations, insignia, and
medals, https://www.perscomonline.army.mil/tagd/tioh/tioh.htm. For assistance in deciphering abbreviations
relating to these items, see the Data Codes Quick Reference Guide listed on https://www.perscomonline.army.mil/
tagd/awards/index.htm.
2
Similar information for US Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy service and campaign medals may be
reviewed at http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/ribbons/index.html,
http://www.af.mil/news/airman/0101/medals.html, and http://www.history.navy.mil/medals/index.html,
respectively.1
For instructions on how to request original or replacement medals and awards, go to the NPRC’s site,
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records/awards_and_decorations.html.
C.
Unit Insignias
Detailed information about Army unit insignia is available from the Institute of Heraldry, a unit of the US Army
Personnel Command, on-line at
https://www.perscomonline.army.mil/tagd/tioh/Branches/BranchandCollarInsignia.htm.2 The Institute also provides
information on rank insignia for enlisted personnel and officers,
https://www.perscomonline.army.mil/tagd/tioh/Rank%20page/USArmyRankInsignia.htm. Similar information for
the Air Force may be found at http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/wwwroot/heraldry/ heraldry.html.
Additional information on enlisted and officer rank insignia may be found at
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/enlisted.html and
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/officers.html>. Grunt, the Ultimate Military Site, also provides
researchers with illustrations of all badges and insignias for all services at http://www.gruntsmilitary.com.
D.
Burial Location
The Department of Veterans Affairs recently offered an on-line locator service for most of its 120 national
cemeteries, http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1. For veterans buried overseas, the American Battle
Monuments Commission also facilitates the search for their final resting place, http://www.abmc.gov/abmc4.htm.
III. Understanding What You Find
A.
Abbreviations/Acronyms
The Department of Defense posts a searchable version of its current Dictionary of Military Terms at
http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/doddict. For guides to military acronyms and terms commonly used during WWII,
see:
United States War Department, Dictionary of United States Army Terms, War Department
Technical Manual 20 – 205 (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944);
http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/page78.html.3
United States, Navy Department, Office of Naval History, Glossary of US Naval Code Words
(Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1948). On-line at
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq79-1.htm.
United States Navy Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Office of Naval Records
and History, Glossary of US Naval Abbreviations (Washington, DC: United States Navy
Department, 1949). On-line at http://www.history.navy.mil/books/OPNAV20-P1000.
1
The site also includes an interesting discussion of battle streamers and a detailed listing of awards for all
service branches.
2
In the alternative, you may write the Institute at 9325 Gunston Road, Building 1466, Room S-112, Fort
Belvoir, VA 22060-5579. Telephone the group at (703) 806-4972 or 4975.
3
A current version of this document is on-line at
http://www.afms1.belvoir.army.mil/dictionary/disclaimx.htm.
3
Abbreviations that individuals may encounter frequently, especially in conjunction with World War II research, will
include:
AA
AAA
AAB
AAC
AAF
A/B
AD
AEF
AGF
AGS
BB
BN
Btry
Cav
CBI
CIB
CMOH
CO
Co
CP
DET
DNB
DOI
DOW
DSC
ETO
FA
GCM
Gp
HQ
KIA
LOD
LC
Antiaircraft
Antiaircraft Artillery
Army Air Base
Army Air Corps
Army Air Force
Airborne
Armored Division or Active Duty
American Expeditionary Force
Army Ground Forces
Armed Guard Service
Battleship
Battalion
Battery
Cavalry
China-Burma-India Theater
Combat Infantrymen’s Badge
Congressional Medal of Honor
Commanding Officer
Company
Command Post
Detachment
Died, Non-Battle
Died of Injuries
Died of Wounds
Distinguished Service Cross
European Theater of Operations
Field Artillery
Good Conduct Medal
Group
Headquarters
Killed in Action
Line of Duty
Landing Craft
B.
Military Ranks
LCI
LCM
LCP
LDF
LST
LSV
LVT
MC
MIA
Mort
MOS
MP
MT
NCO
NMI
OLC
Ord
PH
Plat
POW
PUC
QM
Rcn
Regt
Sig
Sqd
TF
Tk Bn
TD
T/O
Tr
WIA
Landing Craft, Infantry
Landing Craft, Mechanized
Landing Craft, Personnel
Local Defense Forces
Landing Ship, Tank
Landing Ship, Vehicle
Landing Vehicle, Tracked
Medical Corps
Missing in Action
Mortar
Military Occupation Specialty
Military Police
Maintenance
Non-commissioned Officer (e.g., a sergeant)
No Middle Initial
Oak Leaf Cluster (signifies repeat of award)
Ordnance
Purple Heart
Platoon
Prisoner of War
Presidential Unit Citation
Quartermaster
Reconnaissance
Regiment
Signal
Squad
Task Force
Tank Battalion
Tank Destroyer
Table of Organization
Troop
Wounded in Action
The individual service branches vary in the names they use to designate the grades/ranks of enlisted personnel
and officers. Comparable information for all services is available at
http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/insignias/index.html and http://fas.org/man/dod-101/comp/org.htm.
During World War II, grades/ranks were as follows 4:
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
4
United States War Department, Dictionary of United States Army Terms, War Department Technical
Manual 20 – 205 (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office, 1944), p. 125. Note the availability
of job descriptions for all Naval personnel at http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ratings/navrate.html.
4
Private (Pvt)
Private First Class (Pfc)
Technician Fifth Class (T/5)
Corporal (Cpl)
Technician Fourth Class (T/4)
Sergeant (Sgt)
Technician Third Class (T/3)
Staff Sergeant (SSgt)
Technical Sergeant (TSgt)
First Sergeant (FSgt)
Master Sergeant (MSgt)
Sergeant Major (SMJ)
Warrant Officer – Junior Grade (WOJ)
Chief Warrant Officer (CWO)
Second Lieutenant (2Lt)
First Lieutenant (1Lt)
Captain (Capt)
Major (Maj)
Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol)
Colonel (Col)
Brigadier General (BGen)
Major General (MajGen)
Lieutenant General (LtGen)
General (Gen)
General of the Army
C.
Apprentice Seaman (AS)
Seaman 2nd Class (S2)
Seaman 1st Class (S1)
Petty Officer 3rd Class (PO3)
Petty Officer 2nd Class (PO2)
Petty Officer 1st Class (PO1)
Chief Petty Officer (CPO)
Warrant Officer (WO)
Commissioned Warrant Officer (CWO)
Ensign (Ens)
Lieutenant – Junior Grade (Ltjg)
Lieutenant (Lt.)
Lieutenant Commander (Lt.Com)
Commander (CDRO
Captain (Capt.)
Commodore (CDRE)
Rear Admiral (RADM)
Vice-Admiral(VADM)
Admiral (Adm)
Fleet Admiral (FADM)
Private (Pvt)
Private First Class (Pfc)
Corporal (Cpl)
Sergeant (Sgt)
Platoon Sergeant (PlSgt) or Staff
Sergeant (StfSgt)
Gunnery Sergeant (GunSgt) or
Technical Sergeant (TSgt)
1st Sergeant (FSgt) or Quartermaster
Sergeant (QMSgt)
Sergeant Major (SgtMaj) or Master
Technical Sergeant (MTSgt)
Warrant Officer (WO)
Commissioned Warrant Officer (CWO)
2nd Lieutenant (2Lt)
1st Lieutenant (1Lt)
Captain (Capt)
Major (Maj)
Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol)
Colonel (Col)
Brigadier General (BrigGen)
Major General (MajGen)
Lieutenant General5 (LtGen)
Military Units
For administrative and tactical purposes, military forces are organized in various size units. 6 Army personnel may
be grouped in the following manner:
Squad – Small unit of 9 – 14 men, commanded by a sergeant.
Platoon – Three or more squads, commanded by a lieutenant.
Company – Basic combat unit consisting of three or more platoons, commanded by a captain.
Total force averages about 120 soldiers.
Battery – Artillery combat unit with three or more heavy guns. Similar in size to a company,
commanded by a captain.
Battalion – Three or more companies or batteries, commanded by a lieutenant colonel. Total
force averages 500 – 800 men.
Regiment – Large unit formation, consisting of three or more battalions, commanded by a
colonel. Total force ranges between 2,000 – 3,000 men.
Brigade – Two regiments with supporting artillery and support troops, commanded by a brigadier
general. Used in World War I but not in World War II.
Division – The command units for large formations of three or more regiments, with various
supporting troops, commanded by a major general. Total force exceeds 15,000 soldiers.
Corps – Two or three (usually the latter) divisions, commanded by a lieutenant general.
Army – Two or more corps, commanded by a general (four stars). The 36 th Infantry Division was
assigned to the 5th Army in Italy and the 7th Army in Southern France.
5
The Marine Corps had no rank equivalent to General or Admiral during World War II.
See http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/comp/org.htm. Information on the individual service branches may
be found at http://fas.org/man/dod-101/army/unit/index.html, http://fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/unit/index.html, and
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/usaf/unit/index.html.
6
5
To assist those eager to understand the often-confusing organizational structure of the US Navy, the Federation of
American Scientists offers an “Overview of Navy Units” at http://fas.org/man/dod-101/navy/ unit/overview.htm. A
detailed description of the Air Force structure is available at
http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/wwwroot/rso/organizations.html.
IV. Additional Reference Materials or Resources
A.
Records of US Ships and Naval Units From the Modern Era7
The National Archives has custody of a wide range of records relating to ships and other Navy units for the period
from World War II through Vietnam, with a heavy concentration in WWII records. Available records include, but
are not limited to:
Action Reports (WWII)
Armed Guard Logbooks and Reports8 (WWII)
Casualty Reports (WWII – late 1950s)
Deck Logs (1941 – 1967)9
Movement Report Cards (i.e., Records of the Tenth Fleet, WWII)10
Muster Rolls/Personnel Diaries (WWII – 1970)
Records of Individual Convoys (i.e., Records of the Tenth Fleet)
Submarine War Patrol Reports (WWII)
War Diaries (WWII)
To learn more about the scope of these materials and to request records for a given ship, write to the following
address.
Modern Military Records Unit (NWCTM)
National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
In your letter, include the ship/unit’s name, the date/time period of interest; your full name, address, and telephone
number; and as much other detail as possible about the information you would like to obtain. Due to the volume of
requests received and the time needed to identify all appropriate records, Archives staff requests that you limit your
request to five items per each letter. Allow approximately 10 – 12 weeks from the initial inquiry to receipt of the
records.
A charge will be imposed for reproduction/mailing of the records,11 however, do not send any cash/check/charge
card information with your initial inquiry. Staff of the Archives will review your request and send to you by mail an
estimated of the cost and payment information. Follow the directions contained in that letter to order the desired
records.
7
Ship plans may be obtained from the Maps and Plans Work Group, Special Media Archives Services
Division (NWCS), Room 3320, National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 207406001.
For photographs of Naval ships, contact the Still Pictures Reference Team, Special Media Archives
Services Division (NWCS), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 207406001.
8
For the cargo ships and troop carriers protected by the Armed Guard Service.
9
Deck logs consist of brief records of the administrative activities of a ship.
10
These file cards list the ports of arrival, due dates, dates of actual arrival, and the dates of setting sail to the
next port as well as convoy information, if applicable.
11
Reproduction of the records is handled by a private contractor, not federal government personnel. A
minimum charge of $10 is imposed on all mail orders.
6
B.
State Archives and Historical Agencies
AL
AK
AZ
AR
CA
CO
CT
DE
FL
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MO
MT
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
SC
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY
http://www.archives.state.al.us/referenc/military.html
http://www.archives.state.ak.us
http://www.lib.az.us/archives
http://arkansashistory.arkansas.com/resource_types/military_records
http://www.ss.ca.gov/archives/level3_genie.htm
http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/military.html
http://www.cslib.org/other.htm#
http://www.state.de.us/sos/dpa/collections/civilwar/ cw08.shtml
http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/barm/fsa/militarypension.htm
http://www.sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/serv_sta.html#military
http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/archives/research_series/rseries3.html
http://www.in.gov/icpr/archives/family/fam.html#MS
http://www.iowahistory.org/archives/research_collections/state_gov_records/state_government_records.html#Military
http://www.kshs.org/genealogists/military
http://www.kdla.ky.gov/collections/military/request.htm
http://www.sec.state.la.us/archives/archives/archives-library.htm
http://www.state.me.us/sos/arc/archives/military/ military.htm
http://www.mdarchives.state.md.us/msa/refserv/genealogy/html/ militrec.html
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arccol/colidx.htm#military
http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-17445_19273-109771--,00.html
http://shop.mnhs.org/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=420&bhcp=1
http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/resources/military.asp
http://www.his.state.mt.us/research/library/pamphlets/genealogy.asp#Military
http://www.sos.nh.gov/archives/genealogy.html
http://www.njarchives.org/links/archives.html
http://www.nmcpr.state.nm.us/archives/ancestors.htm
http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/researchroom/rr_military.shtml
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/archives/special/military.htm
http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/archives/veterans.htm
http://www.state.nd.us/hist/sal/gen/infmilitary.htm
http://www.ohiohistory.org/resource/archlib/military.html
http://www.odl.state.ok.us/oar/resources/genealogy.htm
http://www.ok-history.mus.ok.us/res/militaryrecords.htm
http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/milit.html
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/milit2.htm
http://www.digitalarchives.state.pa.us/archive.asp
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=124
http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/newgenealre.htm#military
http://www.schistory.org/news3.htm
http://www.state.tn.us/sos/statelib/pubsvs/mailmil.htm
http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/arc/service/introhelp.html
http://www.archives.state.ut.us/referenc/militar2.htm
http://www.bgs.state.vt.us/gsc/pubrec/referen/military.htm
http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/mil/index.htm
http://www.vahistorical.org/research/cw_history.htm
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/history/genealogy.aspx
http://www.wvculture.org/history/military.html
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/military
http://wyoarchives.state.wy.us
7
C.
On-Line Resources About Military History
Individuals and organizations interested in military history are among the most active users of the Internet. As a
result, a tremendous volume of information is available on-line about any conflict or military unit, especially those
of the modern era. Included among the sites that may be valuable reference sources include:
Air Force Enlisted Heritage Research Institute, http://cepme.maxwell.af.mil/heritage/index.html
Air Force Historical Research Agency, http://www.au.af.mil/au/afhra
Air Force Historical Research Agency, Research Division,
http://www.maxwell.af.mil/au/afhra/wwwroot/rso/rso_index.html 12
Air Mobility Command Museum, http://www.amcmuseum.org
American Civil War Homepage, http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.htm
Army Air Forces, http://www.armyairforces.com13
Army Historical Foundation, http://www.armyhistoryfnd.org/armyhist/armymain.html
Buffalo Soldiers, http://www.buffalosoldiers.net
Civil Engineer Corps, Seabee Heritage Center, http://www.ncbc.navfac.navy.mil/cecmuseum
Civil War Center, http://www.cwc.lsu.edu
Civil War Manuscripts Project, http://www.chs.org/kcwmp/default.htm
Civil War Official Records, http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa. (128 volumes of Confederate &
Union Army records; 31 volumes of Confederate & Union Navy records)
Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss
Congressional Medal of Honor Society, http://www.cmohs.org
Fleet Air Arm Archive (British site), http://www.fleetairarmarchive.net
Historic Government Publications from World War II, http://worldwar2.smu.edu
Historic Naval Ships Association, http://www.hnsa.org/index.htm (list of historic naval ship
museums)
HyperWar (annotated history of WWII), http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar 14
Korean War, http://www.korea.army.mil/org/history
Korean War Commemoration, http://korea50.army.mil/history/index.shtml
Master Index of Army Records, http://www.army.mil/cmh/reference/records.htm
Military Medical History, http://history.amedd.army.mil/default_index2.html
National D-Day Museum, http://www.ddaymuseum.org
National Museum of the Marine Corps and Heritage Center,
http://204.2.118.231/store/mchf/index.asp
National Museum of Naval Aviation, http://naval.aviation.museum/museum.html
National Museum of the Pacific War, http://www.nimitz-museum.org
Navy Bureau of Medicine,
http://navymedicine.med.navy.mil/default.cfm?seltab=bumed&ecmid=93E9008D-802ED019-ABBA0925B2764081&docid=10259
Naval Historical Center, http://www.history.navy.mil15
Naval Historical Foundation, http://www.navyhistory.org
Pearl Harbor Casualties (Civilian & Military),
ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/hi/military/pearl.txt
Rutgers University, Oral History Archives of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the
Cold War, http://fas-history.rutgers.edu/oralhistory/home.html
Texas Military Forces Museum, http://www.kwanah.com/txmilmus
US Air Force History Support Office, http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil
12
Excellent source for information on USAF acronyms, abbreviations, lineage and honors, force structure,
and unit histories (e.g., wings and squadrons), supplemented by a fine overview (including colored illustrations) of
campaign streamers from World War I to modern day.
13
Offers a glossary and other valuable features.
14
Includes detailed information about Ships of the US Navy, 1940 – 1945, http://www.ibiblio.org/
hyperwar/USN/USN-ships.html.
15
Of particular interest may be the guide to Navy museums in the United States,
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org8-9.htm.
8
US Air Force Museum, http://www.wpafb.af.mil/museum
US Army Aviation and Missile Command (i.e., Redstone Arsenal Historical Site),
http://www.redstone.army.mil/history
US Army Aviation Museum, http://www.armyavnmuseum.org
US Army Chaplain Museum, http://www.usachcs.army.mil/museum/nav1/mainpage.html
US Army Engineer Museum, http://www.wood.army.mil/museum
US Army Military History Institute, http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi
US Army Military Police Corps, http://www.wood.army.mil/usamps/history/default.htm
US Army Ordnance Corps History, http://www.goordnance.apg.army.mil/RegimentalRoom.htm
US Army Quartermaster Museum, http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil
US Army Signal Corps Museum, http://www.gordon.army.mil/ocos/museum
US Army Transportation Museum, http://www.eustis.army.mil/dptmsec/museum.htm
US Army Women’s Museum, http://www.awm.lee.army.mil
US Coast Guard Historian’s Office, http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html
US LST Association, http://www.uslst.org
US Marine Corps History and Museums Division,
http://hqinet001.hqmc.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm
US Military Academy, http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/atlases/map%20home.htm16
US Military Aviation, http://www.globemaster.de
Veterans History Project, http://www.loc.gov/folklife/vets
Women Air Service Pilots (WASP), http://www.wasp-wwii.org
Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), http://www.twu.edu/wasp
Women of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services),
http://www.womenofthewaves.com
Women in Military Service for America Memorial, http://www.womensmemorial.org
World War I – Trenches on the Web, http://www.worldwar1.com17
World War I Document Archive, http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi
World War I Draft Registrations, http://www.rootsweb.com/~rwguide/WWIdraft.htm
World War II Documents, http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/wwii/wwii.htm
World War II Resources (Pearl Harbor History Associates, Inc.), http://www.ibiblio.org/pha
D.
Selected Reference Works18
Adamczyk, Richard and MacGregor, Morris, Jr., eds., United States Army in World War II Reader’s Guide
(Washington, DC: United States Army Center of Military History, 1992). On-line at http://www.army.mil/cmhpg/books/wwii/11-9/11-9c.htm.
Carter, Kit C., The Army Air Forces in World War II: Combat Chronology, 1941 – 1945 (Washington, DC: United
States Government Printing Office, 1973). On-line at
http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/PopTopics/chron/contents.htm.
Craven, Wesley Frank, ed., The Army Air Forces in World War II, 7 vols. (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press, 1948 – 1958).19 On-line at
http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/Annotations/cravenAAFWWII.htm.
Maurer, Maurer, ed., Air Force Combat Units of World War II (Washington, DC: United States Government
Printing Office, 1961). On-line at
http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/af_combat_units_wwii.pdf.
16
Superb on-line collection of maps covering military engagements from ancient to modern times.
Site has the capability to translate the material into French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish.
18
The US Air Force History Support Office has made available on-line a growing list of publications
covering all facets of Air Force history at http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/titleindex.htm.
19
Reprinted by the US Government Printing Office for the Office of Air Force History (1983).
17
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_____________, Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (Washington, DC: United States Department of
the Air Force, Air Force History Division, 1969).
Mooney, James L., ed., Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, 9 vols. (Washington, DC: United States
Naval Historical Center, 1959 to 1991). On-line at http://www.hazegray.org/danfs.
Ravenstein, Charles A., Air Force Combat Wings: Lineage and Honors Histories (Washington, DC: United States
Government Printing Office, 1984). On-line at
http://www.airforcehistory.hq.af.mil/Publications/fulltext/combat_wings.pdf.
Stanton, Shelby L., Order of Battle, U.S. Army, World War II (Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1984). European
Theater of Operations, on-line at http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/eto-ob/etoob-toc.htm.
United States Army, “Combat Chronicles of U.S. Army Divisions in World War II,” The Army Almanac: A Book
of Facts Concerning the Army of the United States (Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office,
1950), pg. 510 – 592. On-line at http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/lineage/cc/cc.htm.
V. Reunions
For listings of military unit reunions from all service branches, consult the US Marine Corps list of approved
reunions, http://www.usmc.mil/reunions/reunions.nsf/approved.
Last Updated: May 14, 2005 by Sharon Lawrence, Volunteer, Texas Military Forces Museum, P.O. Box 5218,
Austin, TX 78703-5218
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