Golden Arrow Military Research

18/01/2025

This detail from a court martial shows one way Morning Reports were used historically - as evidence of a soldier's status within their unit. In this case, the report was the first piece of evidence presented by the prosecutor to establish that the soldier had gone AWOL.
The Records Administration Branch, AG Depot in St Louis, MO, is still in operation today as a Veteran's Administration records facility. Morning Reports were microfilmed and moved to the custody of the National Archives in St Louis, which still holds the films.

17/01/2025

This Naval Air After Action Report has a fantastic amount of detail about a single flight over Iwo Jima during the battle for that island. Aerial bombardment was used to soften enemy positions as Marines landed on the beaches and moved upward into the mountain jungle.
The bomb report is particularly interesting - 42 rockets and two 500 pound 'General Purpose' bombs concentrated into 400 square yards over 45 minutes resulted in the terse assessment 'Area was devastated'.
That's probably an understatement.

16/01/2025

Military records contain all kinds of great information, but sometimes it's easy to overlook. This tiny little stamp gives the exact date this sailor applied for a passport, and the exact location. Applications like this were kept, and are generally still accessible today. These applications contain family information, birth and parent info, criminal records, and all kinds of great facts, opening up another research opportunity.

15/01/2025

A tiny memo from a Merchant Mariner casualty file tells us that survivors were taken to the UK, giving us the next location for research.
When researching a veteran whose service was interrupted, we sometimes look at other crew or company members to pick up a trail.

14/01/2025

Here, a helicopter coming in low brings a water drop in support of firefighters from the 355th Combat Support Group on the ground. This photo from 1970 could have been taken in California today.
Helicopters have their roots in centuries of vertical flight experimentation, but it wasn't until the 1930's that a practical version emerged. In WWII, they were deployed by US military forces for short range rescue and reconnaissance, and by the Vietnam era they were indispensable for a myriad of military and civilian uses.
Watching the precision operations of the firefighters in California brought to mind the extraordinary chopper pilots of Vietnam, who ran evacuation and scouting missions in jungle terrain, many times under heavy fire. Nearly 5,000 of those pilots lost their lives.

Today, we stand in awe of the brave military and civilian pilots working to end the hellish California fires from the air, and all those who went before them as pioneers of the air.

13/01/2025

Naval personnel records from the turn of the 20th century were kept on one oversized sheet that folded down into a pamphlet. The sheet was designed to record events over a two year enlistment, and the sailor carried it with them from ship to ship.
Since every entry started with the ship name, stamps were used for convenience and clarity. This is a nice selection of stamps, even showing how different font choices sometimes reflected the spirit of the ship's name.

13/01/2025

On our website you'll find helpful databases, explanations and education on military records, and many other resources.
Please visit us to find out how we can help you uncover your veteran's story!

11/01/2025

The Army Air Force was not going to waste a perfectly good bombing run if the primary target was unavailable!

10/01/2025

"What a helluva way to die!"
There are multiple versions of the lyrics floating around and some spirited debate over whether the lyrics are 'Gory, gory' or 'Glory, glory' (we're coming down on the side of 'gory' because gallows humor), but this remains one of the best known cadences of WWII. The song may or may not have started as a catchy reminder to paratroopers to check their equipment, but it quickly became an anthem of fearlessness in the face of death.

We really wanted to share a version from PFC Vincent Speranza, who was tireless in his efforts to honor WWII veterans and inspire following generations both as a teacher and and a speaker. He sang this song with gusto at many memorials and gatherings right up until his death at the age of 98 in 2023. There are many recordings of him, but the sound quality isn't always great and he frequently adjusted his lyrics to his audience.
You might also recognize him as the soldier who accidentally became a legend by using his helmet to bring draft beer to a wounded buddy in Bastogne.

Now that you have an ear worm (you're welcome - know that we're suffering right along with you) we encourage you to search up some PFC Speranza versions, because poor sound or not he was the real deal.

This Song is a Memorial to all the fallen US Soldiers of World War 2

10/01/2025

A fun re-enlistment description of a sailor's tattoos in 1904 - he sported 'friendship', a wreath with faith, hope, and charity, and an anchor. He must have enjoyed his tattoos; subsequent enlistments add a few more each time until the surgeon had to start writing sideways in the margins to fit them all in!

09/01/2025

The deadly influenza strain which popped up in 1918 found a perfect host in the massive movement of troops around the globe. The first cases had been reported in the spring of 1918; the second wave arrived in the fall and proved to be far deadlier.
This unfortunate soldier was on a Naval troop transport when he fell ill, and the report describes the situation as 'epidemic aboard this vessel'. Ships and military bases were particularly hard hit because of the close quarters. One-fourth of all US military personnel would contract the disease before the pandemic ended.
Influenza deaths of active personnel were classified as 'In Line of Duty', which cleared the way for families to collect Army life insurance payments and benefits. This classification was important, since nearly 45,000 active duty service members lost their lives to the disease - the flu accounted for almost half of those killed in Europe.

08/01/2025

Photos of the same Marine taken 18 years apart! His first enlistment was 24 July 1928; he re-upped all the way through WWII. We usually only find a single ID photo, so being able to see a progression like this is always special!

07/01/2025

Here's a fairly rare Civil War era draft exemption certificate. This man was excused from service by virtue of being the only son of a family.
It survives today because a fair portion of the pension file it was located within is devoted to sorting out several men of the same name from the same county. The pension applicant suffered a disabling war wound, and had to prove he wasn't the man who had received an exemption. The document was kept in the file as evidence.

06/01/2025

Betting that everyone stuck in the massive US storm system right now would love to catch a DUMBO call!
The DUMBO was a plane designated for sea rescue and evacuation. Most of the time, they were not dispatched with attack flights; instead, they were sent out along the return path of the planes to recover downed pilots or ship personnel after the action ended. They were heavily used in the Pacific theater where Allied forces fought island by island.
As shown here, where high casualties were anticipated the call would be scheduled prior to an attack and the DUMBO would proceed to a pre-arranged rendezvous point alongside the attack and observation wings.
DUMBOs were modified to carry life rafts and most could land in the water. It wasn't an acronym - for some reason these rescue planes were named after Walt Disney's flying elephant character, and many used cartoon character call signs!

05/01/2025

Transmissions recorded by the USS Monrovia in 18 minutes during an amphibious assault landing. The first of four waves was dispatched at 0812, the second wave was five minutes behind the first, and the third wave went seven minutes later. The fourth wave headed out as the first landed.
Air observation was critical to these landings, relaying real time information back to Division control on board the Navy troop transports. Waves started at the LD - Line of Departure - while ship bridge reports tracked individual launches. Controls were set up for each landing point, and reported obstacles, sea conditions, weather and enemy fire.
The lightning fast coordination here is astonishing!

04/01/2025

We highlighted the history of the 6888th Postal Battalion yesterday, but they hold another, far sadder distinction as well. Only four women are buried in the Normandy American Cemetery - three of them served in the 6888th.
PFC Mary H. Bankston was one of those women. She was killed on 8 July 1945 in a jeep accident. PFC Mary J. Barlow also died at the scene, and Sgt. Dolores M. Browne died of her injuries on 13 July.
Battalion commander Lt. Col Charity Adams Earley took charge of the burials of her soldiers. Instead of the standard pine box or tent shroud used during wartime conditions, the women of the 6888th pooled funds to purchase real coffins constructed by German POW's and organized traditional funerals. 6888th members with civilian mortuary experience prepared the bodies for burial.
Originally interred at St. Andre Cemetery, their remains were moved to Normandy after the war when their families elected to let them rest overseas. They were the only deaths suffered by the unit during deployment.
This effects list gives an idea of how few personal possessions the women held as they went about their work of untangling the enormous backlog of mail held by the Army.

(PS...Yes, the movie took some dramatic license. It's a movie, not a scholarly documentary. We enjoy both sometimes!)

03/01/2025

The 'Six-Triple-Eight' Postal Battalion was the only Black WAC unit deployed to Europe in WWII, and we are happy to see renewed interest in their story due to the recent release of a new movie dramatizing their wartime experience.
By late 1944 some families at home had gone months without word from their soldiers and morale was dropping among Army units as mail service slowed to a crawl. Complaints reached First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and activist Mary MacLeod Bethune saw an opportunity for women of color to make a vital contribution to the war effort. Under the command of the first ever Black female WAC officer, Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, the women of the 6888th were tasked with sorting out a backlog of millions of letters and packages which were rotting in a logistical nightmare overseas.
In February 1945, they were given six months to clean up a gigantic mail dump in Birmingham, England. Lt. Col. Adams ran 3 work shifts 24/7 in a cold, rat infested empty school. The women designed an ingenious sorting system based on Army locator cards to speed up delivery, built a card catalog to link the most common names with serial numbers, and found ways to identify damaged packages by tracing the contents. As they worked they faced both racism and doubt from the upper echelons of command, but never wavered from their motto of 'No mail, no morale.'
They finished the job in three months.
In June 1945 they were sent to France, and repeated the astonishing accomplishment a second time. Some of the mail they dispatched there had been sitting in bags since 1943. By October the French warehouses were empty, and the battalion began demobilization.
The women of the 6888th earned lasting respect in the Army for their incredible performance and conduct, although it would be the early years of this century before the general public was made aware of their contribution.
As of December 2024, only two veterans of the 6888 are still living. The legacy of these women continues to inspire us today.

02/01/2025

The origin of the tradition isn't completely clear, but during the first midwatch of a new year the sailor making the deck log entry is allowed to write it as a poem. This is a sharp departure from the strict rules of the US Navy, which require information to be logged in specific formats. It can only be done from midnight to 4 am on the first day of the year...the midwatch.

"Anchored Here In Chin Wan Bay,
On This Very Auspicious New Years Day.
Back In The States While They Romp And Roar,
We Carry On In Condition Four.
Packed Full With Marines And Our Own Ships Crew,
We Will Usher Out The Old And Bring In The New."
-Deck Log of the USS Bexar, 1 Jan 1967, author unknown