20th Century Military Research Education

FINDING THE ANSWERS: Researching 20th Century Military Service

Learn what records, tools and strategies to use research WWI, WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam military service for all branches.

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Finding the Answers Through WWII Writing

Stories have the power to transform us. Throughout our lives, the stories we have heard may shape our identity. They ...

$45.00 USD

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Learn Everything You Need To Research WWII Service Even If The Records Burned

Getting Started

Get help learning where to start, what records to use, and understand what they contain.

Research Online

Learn how to harness the power of online resources and social media to add more to your soldier's story.

Research Cycle

From your questions and family stories to the completion of research. We help you tell the story.

Plan Travel

Learn what to do before you travel to Europe to walk in your soldier's footsteps. Travel agents benefit from our planning tips.

Writing the Story

Learn how to write your soldier's story with ease.

“Finding the Answers Through WWII Writing: Wonderful course! Explores many angles of writing not usually found in most courses. Looking at different perspectives of people involved in the stories and sharing what impact it has on us. Really thought-provoking!”

Lisa Alzo

“Jennifer, thank you for offering this WWII writing course. Until now, I have been reading my father's unit's morning reports and unit histories, and methodically writing down details and putting together a timeline. Your course has opened my eyes to more than just the words on the page. I can see my father in the reports. I was a typical daddy's girl, so needless to say, I loved my father dearly. I thought I knew everything about him. Now I am beginning to understand more about my father, the person, and how the war impacted him and our family. I never thought about it until I started internalizing your questions and revisiting his life and mine. My father died before I started my family genealogy 20 years ago. In the beginning, I just wanted a picture of him in his uniform; no luck with that. That led me to look at his DD214 again, and to start searching his military history. I watched your Roots Tech presentation as it live-streamed and something told me to contact you. This course is a blessing to me. I'm learning so much through your guidance. My story is developing. Thanks again, Marie ”

Marie

“G Company 120th Infantry Regiment 30th Infantry Division Project William E. Jones Jr. For the past 72 years I’ve thought about and tried to research the short life of my oldest brother William Edward Jones Jr. He was KIA on 13 January 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge somewhere in Belgium. Bill was sixteen years older than me, my godfather, but I have no memory of him since the family was split up not long after my birth. If you believe in serendipity or things happening without explanation then you’ll understand when I say that he reached out to me on several occasions throughout my life, through strangers who knew him in life, or guided me to places and situations that unveiled his life for me to see. My latest unexplained encounter with him took place January 2017, I was doing some ancestry research. All of my previous attempts when I reached out to the War Dept. were unsuccessful as all of the records pertaining to his service had been destroyed in a fire in 1973. Somehow during my research I’d entered the Ancestry Blog site, on the screen in front of me was an article written by guest writer Jennifer Holik, the title “Writing Stories from the Heart” caught my attention, and I decided to read it. Jennifer described in this article her search for information about her cousin James Privoznik, who was KIA during the Battle of the Bulge on 11 January 1945. It wasn’t lost upon my sub-conscious that this was the same battle Bill was KIA just two days later, it also didn’t escape my mind that this was the month of January, and I was here reading this by chance or serendipity. I felt that it was Bill guiding me to uncover and learn about his life during WWII. I also knew from my past attempts I wouldn’t be able to do this on my own, so I contacted Jennifer through her website, in the hope of engaging her help. Fortunately she was able to take on researching for me Bill’s service, which she completed this August 2017. I now have a comprehensive picture of his life during his military service from his induction to his death. There was also the added bonuses of family history, like letters from my mother and father regarding the disposition of bill’s remains and personal effects. Jennifer who traveled to Belgium for personal reasons, and to participate in this May’s Memorial Day services, took time to provide for me present day pictures, and videos of the towns he fought in and monuments erected to the 30th division. I really can’t adequately express my emotions or appreciation for Jennifer’s efforts. It was truly a labor of love.”

Clarence Jones

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