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Not the First in Your Family to Serve?
Here’s how to find old military records
As a Legionnaire, more than likely you’re not
the first in your family to serve your country.
But what do you really know about your ancestors’ military
service? Where did they serve, what branch were they
in, what battles or campaigns did they participate in?
Today, it’s easier than ever to discover information
about your family. Millions of names are available in
databases worldwide, along with thousands of government
records available for your search. Some conduct searches
for nominal fees, but many are free.
Some of the military records now online and available
for search include:
Death lists and casualty indexes
Draft records
Pension records
Registration cards
Roster for specific military units
General service records
Most successful searches can be conducted using only
three pieces of information:
1. Name, including surname and nicknames
2. Military branch, if known
3. Time period during which your ancestor served.
Where to start:
We
recommend the following web sites to start your journey
in locating your ancestors’ records.
www.ancestry.com,
and use their Military Records Center. Access is free
for 14 days.
National Archives and Records Administration if you can verify you are a next of kin
Related links
Revolutionary Links and Resources
Civil War Links and Resources
Korean War Links and Resources
The World War I Document Archive
The
Internet’s Best World War II Links and
Resources
The
Center of Military History
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