So where do you start? Click here and have a look at this simple flowchart first.
In addition to all the information provided on the various pages of the website, there is a free on-line message-board where you wil find numerous fellow searchers who have also subscribed to the service. They are all at varying stages of their own searches, some having completed their own search and remaining online to help those who are just starting out.
or send an email to: message-board
We also have a live chat room where you can converse with fellow searchers who may also be online at the time.
Write to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) to find out more about your father/grandfather’s military records
The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is situated in St. Louis. The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) is the repository of millions of military personnel, health, and medical records of discharged and deceased veterans of all services during the 20th century. NPRC (MPR) also stores medical treatment records of retirees from all services, as well as records for dependent and other persons treated at naval medical facilities. Information from the records is made available upon written request (with signature and date) to the extent allowed by law. On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at NPRC (MPR) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files. The affected record collections are described below:
Army - Personnel discharged November 1, 1912, to January 1, 1960 - Estimated Loss 80%
Air Force - Personnel discharged, September 25, 1947, to January 1, 1964(with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.) - Estimated Loss 75%
No duplicate copies of the records that were destroyed in the fire were maintained, nor was a microfilm copy ever produced. There were no indexes created prior to the fire. In addition, millions of documents had been lent to the Department of Veterans Affairs before the fire occurred. Therefore, a complete listing of the records that were lost is not available. Nevertheless, NPRC (MPR) uses many alternate sources in its efforts to reconstruct basic service information to respond to requests.
NARA has recently completed a major task of putting the World War 2 Enlistment Records online.
The U.S. Embassy web-site has information on - Tracing Former Military Personnel in the U.S.
Various US Military websites can be accessed via the following links:
A list of US installations in the UK during World War II may help you locate where a GI might have been based.
A list of Black Army/Air Corps Units stationed in the UK may help those looking for Black/African-American GIs
Or a list of US Army Air Force Station Numbers in the United Kingdom in World War Two may help.
Tewkesbury Historical Society has set up a useful webpage with information about the US base at Ashchurch
Useful information about 134th Infantry Regiment with further links to other websites and data.
35th Infantry Division Association website
Social Security and Service Numbers explained
The Second World War Experience Centre has a wealth of useful research information.
The Imperial War Museum Duxford has some useful links, including :-
The American Cemetery at Maddingley in Cambridgeshire.
Casualties might provide some useful information, if you believe that your GI Father might have been a casualty of the war.
Order and pay for United States Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Certificates on line, or by fax, phone or mail.
If the GI father you have been searching for is deceased, Vital Records lists some links to obtaining further information and records including Social Securty Death Index.
The VA Graveside Locator may help you locate the graveside locations of deceased family members.
Insignia details some useful sites for identifying Patches, Ranks and Medals.
On-line international telephone directories are a good starting point for a search. Teldir provides access to a seletion of them.
The Salvation Army UK Territory - Family Tracing Service, 101 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BN
One-Step Webpages has been designed by Stephen Morse as a portal for on-line genealogy. Here you will find a whole host of links to databases and public records.
Public Record Center is another similar portal with links to various useful search engines, websites, public records and databases.
Find a Missing Person Here has a whole host of web-site addresses that might help.
GISEARCH.com claims to be America's Most Comprehensive Military Search.
An excellent book to read before you start your search is - How to Locate Anyone who is or has been in the Military by Lt Col Richards S Johnson. Published by MIE Publishing POB 340081 San Antonio Texas 78234
Some Reading Matter details a number of books that have been written about World War II Campaigns in Europe and WWII US Forces in the British Isles.
The General Register Office for England & Wales can provide useful information on how to access Adoption Records. They are located at: Smedley Hydro, Trafalgar Road, Southport PR8 2HH or phone 0870 243 7788.
The Family Records Centre is where you can find out information relating to births, marriages and deaths and obtain certificates.
Janet Baker the daughter of an African-American GI has produced some notes on the 1989 'War Babes' lawsuit taken out against the NARA for refusing to release information about GI fathers.
Once you have traced your GI father, you may wish to know about Dual Citizenship and whether you can hold two passport. The Foreign Affairs Manual will also provide some extremely useful information and is used by the US Embassy when considering Citizenship claims.