Golden Arrow Military Research

03/12/2024

Deck Logs are the detailed record of the events on board a ship. If you have a Navy veteran who served at sea, the Deck Log for their ship is a remarkably detailed diary of everything they experienced.
Organized as daily entries, the log reports the weather and water conditions and the precise location of the ship at that time. Events recorded include duties, crew injuries, special duty details, and maintenance. Combat engagements are described in detail. You'll also find mention of Army and USMC units being transported, landing events, and sightings of other ships.
Many Deck Logs are available online, although not every vessel's log has been preserved.

01/12/2024

Without a body, some families of fallen soldiers found it impossible to accept the death of a loved one. This mother continued to hold out hope for years after the war, even suggesting that her son might be alive somewhere suffering from amnesia. The file contains copies of similar letters and official responses written right up to the time the mother passed on.
Providing closure for families is one of the reasons why the work of the Graves Registration was so important, and why we have such a wealth of information from them today.

30/11/2024

Give the unique gift of real personal history

30/11/2024

Congratulations to Clint Hayes on the publication of "Zeamer's Eager Beavers"! This is definitely one to add to your bookshelf!

Zeamer's Eager Beavers: The Incredible True Story

29/11/2024

Check out this handy resource for finding USMC serial numbers. No more poking through endless muster rolls!!
Link to our website in comments-

28/11/2024

27/11/2024

The US had 16,000,000+ active duty personnel in November of 1944. Celebrating the US tradition of Thanksgiving dinner for them was a massive undertaking, but it gave them a reminder of home and a sense of community in the middle of war.
In these pics, the 5th Division prepares pans of turkey and steam heats garbage pail sized cans of water for boiling vegetables.

26/11/2024

This excerpt from a former prisoner-of-war's statement illustrates some of the difficulties faced in uncovering veteran POW experiences.
There were established ETO camps like Stalag IV-B which were used for holding and processing, but prisoners were frequently formed into labor details and shipped out to other locations. Some were sent to established places like factories or mines where some recordkeeping was done; others were sent to clean up the aftermath of Allied bombings and kept on the move. These mobile groups were frequently broken apart and reassigned.
As Allied forces moved into Germany and German forces broke down, prisoners were abandoned in the chaos. Fleeing guards burnt records in the camps, leaving large gaps in our knowledge. Deaths and escapes went unrecorded. Much of what we are able to determine comes from piecing together statements from other prisoners and using Red Cross reports.

26/11/2024

Check out the newest resource on our website - the USMC Serial Number Locator!!
Access it under 'Archives' from our home page menu.

25/11/2024

Here's an unusual find - a KIA certificate for a US Marine. Since these were generally sent to the family, they are rarely found in the files. This one seems to have made it back during the process of identifying his remains.

22/11/2024

Believe it or not, the pilot actually landed this wreck safely!

21/11/2024

Captain Franklin Van Valkenburgh was lost on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. This is the entry in his officer's service record - the inclusion of the narrative illustrates how strongly feelings ran in the aftermath of the attack.
Van Valkenburgh entered the Naval Academy in 1905, and was commissioned in 1911. During WWI he served as an engineering officer on the battleship USS Rhode Island (BB-17). Post war, he taught for a time at the Naval Academy and attended the Naval War College. He spent a portion of his career working ashore, but in January of 1941 he took command of the USS Arizona. He would spend the last months of his life readying her for a war in which he would become one of the first US casualties.
On 7 December 1941, Captain Van Valkenburgh was last seen on the navigation bridge of the USS Arizona, directing his crew's response to the Japanese attack. A survivor confirmed his presence there when a bomb hit the area. Captain Van Valkenburgh's body was never found, but his Annapolis class ring survived the fires.
His courage and refusal to leave the bridge for a more protected area would earn him a posthumous Medal of Honor.

20/11/2024

This is what happens when the base crew is left unattended next to piles of spare parts.
Admit...we kind of want to take it for a spin!

19/11/2024

Every date on this card leads to more information! A researcher can't ask for a better find in a personnel file.

18/11/2024

The Army took a guy with 15 months of chemical warfare and toxic gas handling experience....and made him a cook.

17/11/2024

Visit us today to get started!

16/11/2024

That's one single file, friends.
Clocking in at over 3000 distinct pages, including some duplicate carbons and copies, we are pretty proud of our work on this one!

15/11/2024

Even pilots get a little crazy by the end of the week....