From The Top

This month we honor those that fought for their country. The military does a great job of compiling information about the people that served. While compiling my own genealogy, I sent off for my military records, assuming that I would get back a one or two page document giving my name rank and serial number. Instead I received a thick package of information that detailed where I was stationed in Viet Nam and in Germany, that the area had been sprayed with agent orange, what action I was involved in, medical records and much much more. It also contained information on where I was living when I entered the army and where I was released. There was also information on who my parents were. In all the packet was about a half inch thick.

My Fathers W.W.II packet was much smaller but again was filled with lots of valuable information about him, his service and his parents. As I go back through my family I have been able to find interesting things about all those that served. This has helped me to understand my forebears and see why they did some things in their early years.

If you haven't yet sent for the records of you ancestors, I think you will find them to be very illuminating and they will fill in some of the gaps you have in the knowledge you have about them.

George Ferguson
Genealogy Forum Leader