A pain in the butt for some, bliss for me. I can't even begin to explain how good it feels to find that one piece if information that's been eluding you since you started looking into your soldier! The piece that will explain so much, and open the door to sooooooo many more questions and avenues to wander down and rabbit holes to happily fall into. If you don't live in that crazy group, there's options to still add the military service information to your soldier's life.....
I found this wonderful website that gives info and offers help in navigating those military records and everything that comes floating your way once you start looking for more than when your soldier entered service, when he exited and whether he received any medals... The months of looking under, around and behind any piece of information that feels like it "Might, maybe, possibly, although it's remote so maybe not" have a connection to your soldier, or explain something that's been tickeling your brain are worth it, but help from people who not only know where to look, but can explain why they looked there... is really priceless. It's called Golden Arrow Research Especially if you're interested enough to want to have that part of your family members history recorded, but either have no clue where to start, or inclination/opportunity to do the work yourself, this is a great option. There's options for all combination of records, depending on your soldiers military life.
- The straight up Personnel File (OMPF) if he served in war or peace time equally, and he "just" entered and exited the Service
- The "Death file" (IDPF - Individual Deceased Personnel File), which already explains itself a little. This would most of the time, contain, his "regular" Service Record, as well as the circumstances of his death, and his interment information. Whether he was buried in a National Cemetery or in the little town his family has lived in for 100 years. The final information of where his remains are interred, will be mentioned, because there (most likely) also will be a request for a gravestone and final arrangements in regards to his belongings at time of death.
- World War 1 Burial Files
- After Action reports, recording what happened during whatever the unit's assignment was, was over. This sometimes includes personal notes about a soldier, so just because your soldier didn't get a special citation, doesn't mean he didn't get a special mention. This, btw, also holds true for Morning reports and Unit reports....
There are so many wonderful ways to find information on your soldier, and this team will happily and most of all thoroughly explore all the possibilities for you, if you are not able to do it yourself.
Before getting lost in research, and while you can, hug a loved one and hug them hard!
July 17, 2026
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