Fighting Forebears

The History Detectives Team | August 27, 2009 8:09 AM | 5 Responses

In this weeks episode, History Detective Eduardo Pagan, investigated a portrait painted in a German POW camp during World War Two and the American soldier who painted it. You can use the following tips to investigate combatants in many US conflicts.

When trying to find information about someone who fought in the military, you should start your search in official military records. It is important to start with a reliable source, because it gives you a good point of reference when comparing other sources.

The military records you will most likely need are at the National Archives, a point of call for Eduardo on his investigation. There are 41 different National Archive centres, based in 20 states and also the District of Columbia. However, unlike other archive institutions there is no set protocol about where certain documents are situated. This can often mean that it is hard to find exactly where you should be looking. At History Detectives we recommend consulting official published histories or scholarly reference books, which usually contain detailed information about their source documents - giving you a clue as to where certain documents are based.

You can also consult government offices and organisations for records, for example, many agencies are trustees of Civil War records. To obtain access to these records, find out which agency holds the records you need and then contact them. Most agencies will require you to submit a written request, often using special forms.

To search for the location of official military records, a good resource to use is the Master Index of Army Records on the US Army Center of Military History website. The Index is a concise site offering information on where to find official records, images, and “unofficial materials” such as unit histories, personal papers, and photos.

Where possible try to find two sources that can place an individual at the scene of battle. Often you cannot rely on Muster Calls or Roll Calls, as a soldier may have been absent, for example, on temporary duty, with illness or even on assignment. Newer records are generally more reliable; nevertheless, it is always better to have another source that backs up your findings.

Libraries and bookstores are another source of information, offering many books on US conflicts and combatants. When consulting books, first establish how reliable the information is. What is the motivation of the author(s) and how does their information compare with reliable sources? A responsible author will always include acknowledgements, footnotes referring to primary sources and a bibliography.

Your final port of call is the Internet, although looking for information online can be a tricky process and you should approach it with some caution. Often internet sources are extremely unreliable and there is a greater tendency to distort or manipulate facts. Due to privacy laws and issues of national security, access to modern military records is restricted. In an investigation of this kind, the Internet is best used as a resource to search archives rather than to consult unsolicited websites that may twist the facts.

Remember not to mix information from reliable sources, such as government sites, with information you find from personal web pages. Unofficial sources will require corroboration before you can hold their facts against official documents.

If you are researching the Civil War, you can find plenty of links and information about the sources we use at the History Detectives here. We have also put together a checklist that includes the different steps you should undertake when carrying out your investigation.

Have you found out any information about a combatant? What did you discover? Do you have any tips? We would like to know. Let us know in the form below.

You can also join our Facebook group where you can meet other fans and share information.

Find Out More:

Investigation - Stalag 17 Portrait

Detective Techniques - Military History

More Leads

Checklist

Comments

Donald, when searching for living persons our first stop is always the white pages online. The National Personnel Records Center will certainly hold the information you're looking for, but it may take a while before your request is processed. Alternatively, you could search one of the commercially available military personnel databases. Good Luck.

Posted by The History Detectives Team on September 3, 2009 9:58 AM

I'm trying to locate old Navy buddies. I saw your Master Index for the Army. Is there a central locator for the Navy?

Posted by Donald Adkins on September 2, 2009 1:32 AM

Just would like to say how much I enjoy your program. I love Monady night's .Your search to get answers for people's question's amazes me. I hope this program never endsa. It is my favorite program of the week.
Keep up the good work. Thanks again

Posted by Deborah on September 1, 2009 2:56 PM

Hello Chris,
If you have a story you'd like the History Detectives to investigate, you can tell us all about it by filling out this form: http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/about/submit.html
Good luck and best regards,
History Detectives

Posted by The History Detectives Team on August 28, 2009 10:18 AM

I would like to see more shows, than just the summer. Its a great program and I really enjoy it every monday. I also wanted to ask how could I get the History Detectives to come do a story at my home? My phone is 931-334-3758. Thank ya'll and keep going in search of history.

Posted by chris ball sr on August 27, 2009 6:16 PM

ADD YOUR COMMENT

As you post, please keep the following rules in mind:

• Keep your comments focused on the topic at hand.
• Don't use profanity, personal attacks or hate speech.
• Don't promote a business or raise money.
• When all else fails, think "Golden Rule": Treat others the way you'd like to be treated yourself.

Name

Email Address (optional)

Remember personal info?

Enter your comment here (You may use HTML tags for style)

By clicking submit, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions of our Submission Guidelines.