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Finding your family’s military roots

U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center provides resources for research

[ORIGINAL CAPTION] See You in Berlin. Resolute faces of paratroopers just
before they took off for the initial assault ofD-Day. Paratrooper in foreground has
just read Gen. Eisenhower's message of good luck and clasps his bazooka in
determination. Note Eisenhower's D-Day order in hands of paratrooper in
foreground.

 National Archives and Records

[ORIGINAL CAPTION] See You in Berlin. Resolute faces of paratroopers just before they took off for the initial assault ofD-Day. Paratrooper in foreground has just read Gen. Eisenhower's message of good luck and clasps his bazooka in determination. Note Eisenhower's D-Day order in hands of paratrooper in foreground.

More Americans are researching their family histories than ever before. Often, they want to learn about an ancestor’s military service.

Where did they serve and for how long? What units did they fight with and, perhaps, were they awarded any commendations or medals for their service?

The U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle is one of the best resources in the country for researching military history. Authors of widely read books on military history have researched their work using the USAHEC archives.

The archives include over 400,000 books, featuring topics on strategic leadership, landpower, and military history. There are also unit histories from the U.S. and from several nations in both World Wars, which can be quite helpful when researching a family members military service.

The USAHEC is also home to an artifact collection totaling 70,000 objects, including over 40,000 that are searchable online, and more being added every day.

On Friday’s Smart Talk the guests will use the example of Corporal Clarence Patton – a relative of Smart Talk host Scott LaMar — to demonstrate the type of information and sources USAHEC can provide. Corporal Patton served with the 25th Reconnaissance Squadron, 4th Armored Division during World War II. Corporal Patton was awarded a Distinguished Service Cross – the nation’s second highest military honor for actions he took in battle, but was killed two weeks later.

Joining Smart Talk to reveal their research findings are

Richard Baker, Lindsay Strehl, and Geoffrey Mangelsdorf

 

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