“Scott Levins, the Director of the National Personnel Records Center, recently received a letter of thanks from the folks at JPAC, mentioning the names of 32 men missing since the Korean War who had been identified, thanks to the efforts of this center, and could now be sent home for burial.
Some of the names listed were the names of young men whose records I had processed.
Sometimes, I take a quick look at the ages of the men and women whose records I am working on. I realize that most of them are less than half my age. I’ve had a good life so far. Sometimes, their lives ended just when it should have been beginning.”
—excerpt from Why I Do What I Do, by Michael Pierce, preservation technician at the National Archives at Saint Louis.
Our mission is to preserve, protect, and make available the records of the Federal government, and this includes the millions of files of veterans, living and deceased.These records are housed at the National Personnel Center in St. Louis, and can be accessed by veterans to received benefits, or by families and researchers.
To learn more about these records, watch this video.
Image: A grief-stricken American infantryman whose buddy has been killed in action is comforted by another soldier. In the background a corpsman methodically fills out casualty tags, Haktong-ni area, Korea. August 28, 1950. Sfc. Al Chang. (Army, 111-SC-347803)
Enlistment paper of William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody from his compiled military service record, 7th Kansas Cavalry, Civil War., 02/19/1864
Photograph of Utah Battery on McCloud Hill , 02/05/1899
From the Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer; Images Collected by Brigadier General Adolphus W. Greely, Chief Signal Officer (1887-1906)
Taken on the second day of the Battle of Manila, at the outbreak of the Philippine-American War.
Shortest tenure on record
Colonel P.G.T. Beauregard assumed command of West Point and superintendency of the United States Military Academy on January 23, 1861. He resigned on January 28, 1861, after his native Louisiana seceded. Two days later, Colonel Richard Delafield, Beauregard’s predecessor and successor, sent this letter to Brigadier General Joseph G. Totten, about Beauregard’s resignation.
Letter from Colonel Richard Delafield Regarding His Assumption of Command of the United States Military Academy at West Point After the Resignation of Colonel P. G. T. Beauregard, 01/30/1861
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On January 23, 1920 a message was sent to all units in the First Naval District announcing that the war in which the Central European powers and the United States were involved would now be known as the World War.
Circular Letter No. 20-20: The European War Shall be Designated as the World War, 01/23/1920
January 21 is National Hug Day
Have you hugged someone today?
A stern warning
Four days after President Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, U.S. Brig. Gen. R. H. Milroy put the citizens of Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia, on notice with this order. It warned that all those who opposed the Proclamation would be treated as “rebels in arms.”
U.S. Brigadier General R. H. Milroy’s Order to Citizens of Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia in Reference to the Emancipation Proclamation of President Abraham Lincoln, 01/05/1863
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16 Inch Disappearing Carriage Model 1917 under Construction, 12/30/1920
Records of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance
A 16 inch Disappearing Carriage Model 1917 artillery piece under construction at the Watertown Arsenal in Watertown, Massachusetts. A major military arsenal since the early 1800s, the site of the Watertown Arsenal has since been converted to civilian use and now houses a shopping mall and office park.
Morning view of Barrancas National Cemetery on Veterans Day, 11/11/1982
Sorry, No Furs Coats For Yeowomen…
This circular letter addresses how women should dress in the military, an issue that arose as women entered the service for the first time.
Circular Letter Number 199: Uniforms, 11/08/1918
Classics Restored: The Negro Soldier and Let There Be Light, November 7 at Archives I
In honor of Veterans Day, we premiere high-definition versions of two classic World War II–era documentaries, preserved and digitally restored by the National Archives Motion Picture Preservation Team.
The Negro Soldier (1944; 43 minutes) was produced by Frank Capra’s Army motion picture unit to help unite white and black troops in the fight against the Axis. Let There Be Light (1946; 58 minutes), commissioned from Academy Award®-winning director John Huston by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, follows the treatment of emotionally traumatized GIs.
The screening will be introduced by Dr. David Culbert, author of Film and Propaganda in America: A Documentary History.
Wednesday, November 7, at 7 p.m. in the McGowan Theater at Archives I.
Dogtag of Looking Back Isaac
An aluminum dogtag from the remains of Private Looking Back Isaac—killed north of Flirey, France, on September 12, 1918. Unmarried and without children, he was buried in an American cemetery.
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Armed with an M14 rifle, a US Navy Sea-Air-Land (SEAL) team member hides in the foliage at the edge of a river while providing cover for fellow team members during a tactical warfare training. He is using a flotation device to minimize his swimming movements, 09/01/1987
Are you ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics to start? We sure are! Hopefully, this document will help hold you over until the opening ceremony starts tonight!
A year before the 1948 Summer Olympics, which happens to be when London last hosted the Olympics, the House and Senate passed H.R. 2276 at the recommendation of the Secretary of War. This bill authorized members of the military to participate in the games, and for the payment of, with certain limitations, training and attendance. The House first passed the bill on June 2, 1947 by a voice vote. The Senate amended the bill to include all branches of the military (not just the Army, as passed by the House). The House then agreed to the Senate changes on June 25. President Harry Truman signed the bill into law on July 1. The US went on to win 84 medals, the most at the games, with athletes competing in 19 different sports.
Senate amendments to HR 2276, June 3, 1947, Sen 80A-C2, Records of the U.S. Senate
