The First Five Steps to Find Your Veteran’s WWII History
Ever wonder what your father or family member did during World War II?
Five steps to start your path to discovery.
(Steps 1-5 apply to all military service branches).
Connect with family members. Did anyone in your family save your veteran’s documents and memorabilia? Ask around—maybe a brother, sister, or cousin saved some letters or a newspaper article that could hold valuable clues to your veteran’s history. Re-establishing family connections and old friendships can be one of the most rewarding parts of the journey—the silver linings you never expected.
Listen to family members and anyone who knew your veteran. Create a list of questions and ask everyone what they remember. Do the stories sound similar? Are there new stories you have yet to hear? Are there any leads you uncover—i.e., where was your veteran stationed, where did he train, who were his fellow veterans—any names—and what group did he serve with? What organizations did your veteran belong to after the war ended? Is there any information to be gathered from these organizations or past contacts?
Locate your veteran’s discharge record. Most veterans were instructed to keep the original copy of their discharge records to apply for loans and other veteran benefits. Find out if anyone in the family still has those records. The discharge record provides valuable information about your veteran’s military service and is a jumping-off point to start your veteran search. (See my blog post entitled, “The Discharge Record: Why is this document so important?”). Suppose you do not have a copy of your veteran’s discharge document (sometimes referred to as DD214/Separation Documents). In that case, you can request the record online through the National Archives website at the following link:https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records.
Request a copy of your veteran’s Official Military Personal File. One of the first steps to learn more about your veteran’s military service is to request their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). This file may include documentation about accession, training, education, assignment, performance, discipline, decoration, casualty, and separation from service. OMPFs can be requested online at the National Archives Records Administration (NARA) website: https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/standard-form-180.html. For more information about requesting your veteran’s OMPF, refer to my blog entitled “The NPRC” and also my blog entitled “The Fire: An American Disaster.”
Search government and museum websites. Government online sites such as the National Archives (https://www.archives.gov/) and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (va.gov) are military records and history repositories. The National World War II Museum in New Orleans is a valuable resource for learning more about World War II and provides resources to help you learn more about your veteran. Go to their website at https://www.nationalww2museum.org/. From the website, click on the tab “The War” and then click on the tab “Research a Veteran”: https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/research-veteran. You will find documents to download, such as the “Research a Veteran Guide” and instructions on hiring research experts for more help.
See my blog entitled “Resources to Find Your Veteran” for information on additional online sites to help with your research.