Week 1 - Sunday 23 April 2023 at 11:00 a.m. CDT

Research a Veteran

Exploring the Basics of Military Research

All the records DID NOT burn. Answers can be found and stories written no matter what anyone tells you. There is a strategy to correctly research 20th century military service, regardless of branch. In this session you will learn: 

• Where to begin your research at home.
• What questions to ask.
• The first part of the research strategy to learn any veteran's story from any 20th century war and and military branch.
• What records you need to establish the foundation and where to locate them.
• How to create a timeline of service.
• How to begin writing the story.

I use storytelling along with the records to help you understand the deeper impacts of service. You might want a tissue for the story at the end of this session.

Week 2 - Sunday 30 April 2023 at 11:00 a.m. CDT

World War II Sacrifice

Records & Resources for the Prisoners, Missing, & Dead

Discover the history of the American Graves Registration Service and the records they created for our honored war dead. 

In this program you’ll learn:

• What records were created by the American Grave Registration Service for World War I & World War II. How to access those records and tell your veteran's story.
• You will learn about online resources for locating information.
• We will explore POW records.
• I'll share a case study on James Privoznik who was Killed in Action 11 January 1945. Through our research, writing, and travel journey, I'll tell you his story and how I found information when most would say it is impossible.
• You will have access to some death records to peruse at your leisure.

Did you lose someone in World War I, World War II, Korea or Vietnam? Please let Jennifer know when you register. Please email me at [email protected]

Week 3 - Sunday 7 May 2023 at 11:00 a.m. CDT

Exploring the Greatest Generation

Adding Context to the Veteran's Story

Contextual records are everywhere, not just the National Archives!

Once you have established what units your service member was in and where they served, it is time to explore unit-level records.

In this program you’ll explore:

• The second part of the research strategy to piece together your veteran's story.
• How to add to your timeline of service and expand the narrative.
• Explore various histories, journals, photos, and maps for all the military branches.
• You will learn about the most valuable foundational records to put your service member into context and write a richer story everyone will want to read.

These records help you write the narrative to your stories. They will also help you understand why your veteran was who they were after service, and probably bring up more questions for you to consider.

Week 4 - Sunday 14 May 2023 at 11:00 a.m. CDT

Exploring the Online Battlefield

Resources & Strategies for Online Military Research.

Many of the records you need, especially at an individual level, are not online. However, all is not lost! There are rich records and databases available to help put puzzle pieces together. In some cases, you might even hit the jackpot on digitized records to help tell your service member's story.

In this program you’ll explore:

• You will get a taste of what can be found online for World War I and World War II.  New collections are being added all the time.
• Tips for using Fold3 and other similar databases.
• Where to find unit-level context to better understand your veteran's experience.

After we explore some online sources you may not have considered, to demonstrate the vastness of online military records, we will take a live walk-through of Fold3. Using Case Studies I will show you were to find the gold and what to be aware of as you search. All tips provided apply to any database you search online.

BONUS Program! Wednesday 26 April at 12:00 p.m. CDT

Your Doughboy's Story

Did you know you can reconstruct World War I Army service online right now? You may not learn all the details of your veteran but you will learn enough to tell a story and access unit records, even if the service file burned!  In this bonus program you’ll explore:

• How to create a timeline of service with the information you have plus what you'll discover online.
• Which websites have WWI Army records & how to locate your soldier's information & make it make sense.
• Next steps. Where do you go once you have a timeline of service? What else can be discovered online?
• Resources to discover offline information.

You will walk away from this program with actionable steps to reconstruct the military service of your WWI Army veteran using online sources.

Live Q&A Sessions Weekly

A 30-minute Live Q&A session will be held each week of the program to answer questions, provide resources, and allow for additional sharing of student discoveries.

Free Military Research Consultation

Students receive a free 20-minute research consultation to ask questions and prepare to move forward with research.