Branch of service and unit: Was your relative a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, or Coast Guard? You can get a greater understanding of what type of service or combat your relatives might have experienced by knowing where they were stationed and what battles they participated in, if they served during a conflict period.

You could also learn that an enlistment date occurred shortly after your relative got married-just days before they headed overseas or into combat. Enlistment and muster information: These show dates when a person first joined (or left) the military and may provide facts about where and when they did basic training.Here’s the information you’ll typically find in U.S.

Or you could learn that your ancestor’s time in a military hospital-in a location far from home-suggests how your great-grandparents may have met. But you might discover a traumatic experience through prisoner-of-war records, which could explain gaps in your family's history and why your ancestor didn’t want to talk about their time during the war. You may find stories of heroics that some people were too modest to pass on to their descendants. military record can illustrate different aspects of your family member’s military experience. What Information Can Historical Military Records Provide?Įach type of U.S. But by exploring your ancestor’s service through old military records, you can start to piece together-or expand upon-their stories.įor instance, you might learn how your grandfather got wounded in the Korean War, how your great-grandfather got that scar that shows up in old family photos, or that your Civil War ancestor was involved in the Battle of Gettysburg. Some war stories get passed down through generations, others may never have been shared, and still more are likely to have been lost over time.

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