How To Find Military Service Records for Veterans

Did you know that you can use online tools to gather information for official military records? All you need is some information about your relative to find fascinating details from their service records.

Lt. B. Moore, USN, 1958 

When Dad would talk of his time in the Navy, he would captivate the room with his adventures and narrow escapes. I took notes, but there are gaps that I can no longer fill in with a quick phone call. I wish I'd asked more questions while I still had the opportunity. He's gone now, but not forgotten. Rest in peace, Dad.

During the 24 years my dad spent in the service, the names of ships changed as often as the names of the bases where he was stationed. Brooklyn Naval Yard, Key West Naval Station, Charleston Naval Shipyard in South Carolina and Naval Station Norfolk, VA were ports where he served within just a few years.

Finding out the names of the ships on which he served was something I waited too late to ask. But there is a way to get the official records that would answer my questions, and it was surprisingly simple.

He served as a Plank Owner aboard the USS Rich, a Gearing Class Destroyer. A "plank owner" is an individual who was a member of the crew of a ship when that ship was placed in commission. 

Filling in the gaps as I reconstruct the timeline of my father's military service assignments was definitely easier with help from the Naval Archives. Below you'll find what is required for requesting records for your own veteran.

Who Can Request Records?

If you are a veteran or a deceased veteran's next of kin, you can request records through the National Personnel Records Center. There's no charge for this service, and it's straightforward whether by mail, fax, or online.

The next of kin can be any of the following:

• A surviving spouse that has not remarried
• Father
• Mother
• Son
• Daughter
• Sister
• Brother

What Will You Need For Proof of Your Kinship?

Information needed to request the Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF) includes the following:

• The veteran's complete name used while in service
• Service number
• Social security number
• Branch of service
• Dates of service
• Date and place of birth (especially if the service number is not known).
• If you suspect your records may have been involved in the 1973 fire, also include:
• • Place of discharge
  • Last unit of assignment
  • Place of entry into the service, if known.
• All requests must be signed and dated by the veteran or next-of-kin.
• If you are the next of kin of a deceased veteran, you must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary.

What is a Standard Form 180?

Personnel records and Service Treatment Records (STR) of military service members who retired, were discharged or died in service over the past sixty-two years are available to the next of kin of the veteran.

When the Standard Form 180 is submitted to the appropriate agency, depending on the branch of service, it requires only a minimal amount of information to complete the form, including the exact name the veteran used during service, their social security number, date and place of birth, branch of service and date entered and released from military service.

The form asks if this veteran is deceased and, if so, the date, and if the person retired from military service. They offer a checklist of items that may be requested, such as a form DD214 (which is the military discharge "Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States"), an important form useful when filing for military benefits and other business.

The requester can ask for All Documents in the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), Medical Records including Service Treatment Records (outpatient), inpatient and dental records.

The form does ask your purpose in obtaining these records. Although the answer to this is voluntary, it may result in a "faster reply" when answered. When I submitted my Form 180, I listed my interest in writing a chronology for the veteran's descendants and for publication of stories related to military interest.

Your signature is required on the form along with any proof of death, such as a death certificate, and the relationship you have to the military service person, for example, next of kin. In my case, it was as the daughter. I didn't have a copy of the death certificate but they accepted the obituary from the newspaper along with the funeral card showing the birth date and date deceased of the veteran.

After making a copy of my request, I mailed it off on March 7, eager for the return of my packet. I called to follow up on the request on March 25th and spoke with an efficient, well-informed staff member who found my request quickly and let me know they were "working on it" pending copies of certain documents. He said I could expect to receive something by the middle of April.

Living in military housing, most of our childhood friends were other Navy kids both at school and in the neighborhood. We moved often as the duty stations changed about every 2 years.

Our military ID cards gave us access to the Commissary for groceries, the base exchange (BX) for supplies, and the base theater where for 10 cents we could see the latest movies and spend our Saturday mornings. We enjoyed countless hours swimming at the Officer's pool on base. We took classes for self-defense in Judo and Jiu Jitsu and competed in tournaments against other students.

The Navy was our world and it was a good life.

The manila envelope marked Official Business came from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, arriving in remarkable time just thirty days after my request was mailed. It included a list of decorations, medals, badges, commendations and campaign ribbons that he was awarded.

There were records indicating his pay scale, ports of duty, dates he took leave and even the service training he completed. Copies of his enlistment papers listed classes he took in high school and which sports he played written in his own hand. I'm still discovering interesting facts about my father's military service from the documents I received.

If you're a historian or just fascinated with the details of your parent's military service, requesting this information about your veteran is the way to get started. Follow the link to the National Personnel Records Center to begin your quest.

I wish you all the best in your search to find out more about your family history.

Veteran Personnel Records at the National Archives

The Host, by Stephenie Meyer - Book Review

What if an alien invasion is the reason for the political and social unrest? Author Stephenie Meyer provides a scenario of possibilities that may reveal the current media trend of disinformation.

The story, written by the best-selling author of the Twilight series, begins with the transformation of a female professor who begins to question her existence and her occupational choice.

She's inexplicably drawn to the desert in search of something she can't quite explain. Against the rules of the new societal norms, she takes off on a quest to explain the strange images that flood  into her dreams. When the images invade her mind during her wakened state, she can't resist the urge to explore their roots.

In the new norm, television has changed dramatically, along with sports, the news, and human interactions. Cooperation is the norm, with helping others being the primary objective. Football has lost its competitive edge with players finishing the game with hugs and handshakes for their opponents. Both teams receive a trophy. Violence is replaced with kindness and complacency. The news contains only feel-good stories of people, world leaders, and celebrities acting charitably. Murder and crime is at an all-time low.

These changes would seem ideal if it weren't the results of an alien invasion.

Everything You Do - Bryan Adams

Look into their eyes, and it's easy to tell. One quick beam of a flashlight will reveal them. The transformation of humans from their natural state of combat readiness—fight or flight responsiveness—has morphed into dormant, non-violent, docile and helpful citizens ready to assist their brothers and sisters with any need.

What's wrong with this picture? The reason for the abrupt changes in the way things have always been can be explained by an alien invasion. These tiny creatures who take over the mind of their host are a peaceful lot.

In this case, the alien beings are tiny enough to live within their victim's body undetected. There is one easy giveaway to their existence: Around the inner iris of their captive's eyes, a shining iridescent presence can be detected, along with a scar at the point of insertion at the back of the neck. The invaders use skilled surgeons who operate under the influence of implanted beings to conduct the procedure, placing the worm-like alien creature along the spine. Once there, it extends thousands of microscopic tentacles into the bodies of their host to control all aspects of their subject.

Attempts to remove the beings result in the unfortunate death of its captive host, although experiments to remove the invaders are ongoing. One such surgeon, a member of the resistance, suffers the emotional consequences of these questionable operations which challenge his Hippocratic oath and his own conscience. He struggles with the pressure to rid the population of this invader, yet, is torn by the results he experiences by doing so.

The main character, an alien known as Wanda, short for wanderer, is a complex being who has hosted on at least nine planets during her lengthy lifetime. Living out the lives of the species who reside in each of these worlds, she has taken their memories along for the long journey to Earth. Traveling in a cyber freezer while en route to the next ill-fated planet, her kind will occupy the homes and the minds of their inhabitants. She is among those destined to set up the new world for total invasion.

The trouble starts when the lingering memories of the human in which she is implanted begins to invade her own consciousness. The love her host body, formerly known as Melanie, continues to feel for not only her brother but also for her former mate and lover, Jared, drives Wanda into the desert on a journey from which she will not return.

Out in the middle of nowhere, a colony of humans has escaped detection and have begun a commune of cooperative efforts within a series of caves. With incredible ingenuity, they have created underground gardens, a kitchen with ovens heated by the natural elements, sleeping quarters and even hot baths for their residents.

Wanda is forced to join their community, first as a prisoner, and later as a contributing member who teaches classes about her species, captivating the youthful audience with her stories of life on other planets. As her inner voice grows louder, she is convinced that her human occupant of the body where she now resides, is still actively hanging on to her former life.

The character, Wanda, is befriended by some of the cave-dwellers and suffers abuse at the hand of others. Her persistence and optimism under pressure is as admirable as her submissive and passive behavior at the hands of her captors is degrading and offensive.

Those who are not fond of Wanda resent her acceptance by the founder of the safe place where they live. One heavy-handed abuser catches the woman alone in the hot springs and tries to drown her in the pool. Her response to his attack draws varied reactions from the collective who hold a trial to determine the outcome of the incident.

A complicated psychological thriller, this story evokes emotions of the reader who can compare the alien invasion situation to present-day prejudice, oppression, and fear of those who are unlike us. It draws the reader into a web of entanglement between both humans and aliens, demonstrating a familiar pattern of violence and resistance to change.

Along with the introspective, the story presents a realm of medical issues concerning right to life and modern medicine practices. The innovative nature of the alien race brings with it a variety of cures, medicines, and practices that, on the surface, pulls one in favor of their presence. Their restrictive and lackluster lives, on the other hand, makes one pull for the tenacity and resilience of their conquered hosts.

A captivating read, Ms. Meyer's book takes us into a world of what-ifs. It explores the depth of human interaction and the residual effects of love for others, whether borne of passion or familial ties. It demonstrates the differences in families and siblings, husbands, wives, lovers, and the ever-present curiosity of children whose acceptance of the unexplained is inspiring.

Love, hate, passion, survival, revolution, innovation, and a story that draws the reader in from the beginning is the basis for the success of this book, which has since been made into a movie. This book is one I've read more than once and turn to for tawdry escapism and entertainment.

Though she's the author of the Twilight series, a blockbuster story about vampires, this venture into the science fiction realm is by far Stephenie Meyer's best work.

Gift Ideas for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents

Choosing a gift for a nursing home resident can seem difficult, but these ideas are sure to please your loved one.

If you ask your senior what they want for a birthday or holiday, they'll likely tell you they have everything they need. But do they? 

What your loved one wants most is you spending time with them. Whether you're sharing a meal or clipping their nails, your presence reassures them that they are valued.

If you're not able to visit for whatever reason, consider these gifts that my family members appreciated when they lived in a skilled nursing home. 

Many facilities offer a guest meal for visitors. Sitting and sharing over a meal is true quality time. If guest meals aren't available where your relative lives, you can always bring a bag lunch or a takeout meal. Ask your senior what they might like from their favorite place.

These are some of the top 10 requested gifts:

1. Cotton socks, slippers, sweat suits, and clothing that's easy to get on and off. Avoid zippers and buttons that might be hard to unfasten.
2. Homemade cakes, cookies, candy, individual puddings, Ensure or Boost, sugar-free food items or fast-food favorites like milkshakes.
3. Gift certificates for the hair salon at the facility. Clean hair lifts the spirit.
4. Audio and video recordings of their favorite songs, movies, and TV shows.
5. Large print books, adult coloring books, or audio books.
6. Colored pencils, paint-by-number kits, yarn and craft supplies.
7. Office supplies like small tablets and ballpoint pens.
8. Board games like Scrabble, dominoes, jigsaw puzzles and crossword puzzle books.
9. Nail clippers and emery boards.
10. Bird feeders and seed to refill them.

Limited funds? Here are some cost free activities that you can do.

• Offer to comb or style your senior's hair.
• Give a hand or foot massage.
• Trim your senior's fingernails.
• Write a letter on their behalf. Stamp, address, and mail the letter.
• Read them a story.
• Sing their favorite song.
• Play a game together like Dominoes or card games. Work a puzzle together.
• Attend an activities session with the group.
• Join in on the stretching exercises.

Edible gifts like homemade cookies, cakes, candy, and pies are things that most residents enjoy getting. If your senior is on a restricted diet, you can customize your holiday baking to include sugar-free gifts.

If you're not a seasoned baker, choose other edible gifts like individual pudding cups, packages of peaches or pears, crackers with peanut butter or cheese, juice boxes, or wrapped candies that are easy to open.

Another welcome activity at any skilled nursing facility is the music from volunteers who perform for the residents. Sometimes they like to sing along, wave their arms, clap to the music,  nod their heads, or even get up and dance.

Personal care Items are often requested. Keep in mind that some people have allergies, so choose softly scented cologne, air fresheners, moisturizers, hand lotion, and disposable hand wipes.

Remember that caps and lids may be difficult to open. As my mother grot older, packaging became more difficult for her to manage. Items with pump dispensers or easy to open containers are a good choice.

You might need to open the box of tissues and start the first one out of the box. Tasks that are simple to youthful hands can become a nightmare for a senior who struggles with arthritis.

Hair Salon Gift Certificates

Most nursing home residents would enjoy a little pampering. A beauty salon certificate for services by the on-site cosmetologist is a blessing. Or, you can ask to use the beauty shop and give your senior a nice shampoo and gentle scalp massage. If neither of those options is available, arrange to take your loved one to a salon nearby.

Something to Keep their Mind Active

What do seniors do with their time? Many seniors enjoy looking outside. My 95-year-old aunt likes watching the birds that come and go outside her window. A bird identification book helps her know which kind of birds land on the feeder. Volunteers will usually refill the bird feeder as long as we provide the seed. 

Visiting Pets Associations

One of the best ways to provide comfort and a touch of home is to invite the Visiting Dog's Association to visit your family members. It is amazing to watch the expressions of joy when seniors make contact with a well-trained, friendly canine. Some groups bring horses to meet the residents.

Make sure to find out which residents are allergic to animals and make arrangements for medication or for them to be in another area of the building.

Volunteer to Serve As A Patient Advocate

Most facilities allow and encourage family members to attend resident wellness conferences. At these meetings, family members and patients discuss medication issues and the care your loved one is receiving. It can also bring out issues that may need attention either from the staff or from family members.

Your presence helps your loved one advocate for themselves and gives them confidence to speak out that otherwise might be lacking.

Gifts For All Occasions

It doesn't have to be a special occasion to bring a gift to your favorite senior. Whether it is a purchased present or a gift of your time and effort, your loved one will treasure these small tokens of your affection.

Look What I Found At The Thrift Store

Finding reusable items in second-hand stores is like going on a treasure hunt. Here are some of the things I've found over the years.

Digging through dusty bins can really pay off if you're looking for chairs, side tables, mirrors, kitchen gadgets, pots and pans, dishes, glassware, picture frames, art, tools, books and even clothes for a fraction of the original price. It's an economical way to decorate.

One of my favorite things to collect is American-made dinnerware. If you question buying used dishes, remember that when you eat at a restaurant, you're eating on dishes that have been used hundreds of times. With the right scrubbing, disinfectant and sanitation methods, they're good to go.

Cast iron skillets make great finds for cooking steaks, fried chicken, pork chops and more. Their durable construction makes the pan safe to use on the outdoor grill, over campfires or in the oven.

Look for the manufacturer's mark on the bottom for names like Wagner or Griswold.

The skillet I found was covered in years of baked-on grease. SOS pads, elbow grease and a light coating of oil made it look like new.

Second-hand stores are great place to find vintage items as people who are downsizing donate their excess household items. Goodwill, Salvation Army, Donation Station, Friends of Strays, and Junior League stores can yield treasures from dusty attics, barns, storage units and leftovers from estate sales.

Antique stores usually have a bargain area where slow-moving items are marked down. Pawn shops and flea markets have jewelry, guitars, clocks, kitchenware, appliances, tools patio furniture and more.

This Rookwood vase from 1904 is signed by its designer, KVH, for Katherine Van Horne. It's marked with the manufacturer's stamp and a Roman numeral on the bottom for the year. Vases like this can sell for hundreds to collectors. I found this one at a garage sale.

Keep an eye out for multiple-family garage sales where people are trying to get rid of grandma's "dusty old things." You never know what you might find.

Vintage Oak Washstand from the late 1800s

If you want to learn more about the history of vintage items, auctions are good places to start. An experienced auctioneer tells a story about the items to build interest from the crowd.

Auctions

1. Arrive early and check out the items for sale. 
2. Bring a magnifying glass and a flashlight to inspect hard-to-see areas. 
3. Items are sold as is and where is. 
4. Any defects are the buyer's responsibility.
5. Find out how much the auction charges for a buyer's premium. Sometimes it's ten-percent added to the winning bid amount.

Bidders are assigned a buyer's number to be used when bidding. When the bidding gets intense over an item, the price tends to go up.

Don't worry that you'll end up buying something accidentally. If there's a question of intent, the auctioneer usually asks, "Are you waving at someone or bidding?" You'll know if you've bought something when they yell, "SOLD!"

How Much Is It Worth?

Finding values is easy with an internet search. For years, collector series books were the only source for values. They're still a great source of manufacturer's history of where certain patterns originated. Remember, an item is only worth what the market will bear.

When you check eBay for an item's worth, sign in and look at the "sold" listings. Just because someone sets a sale price doesn't mean people will buy it for that much.

Hull coffee mug in tangerine (rare) color with a matching coffee server.

Knowing what to buy is as important as knowing what not to buy. Here are some things best left at the store.

Things To Avoid When Shopping at Second Hand Stores

1. Intimate clothing, like socks, panties, bras or swimsuits, unless tagged with original manufacturer's tags and in "new" unworn condition. Always launder before using.
2. Cloth covered furniture with odors or stains are best left behind. (Crime TV makes me suspicious of red stains.) 
3. If it smells funny or has mold or water damage, think twice before buying it.
4. Avoid books or paintings that smell of mold or mildew unless they have historical value or are family heirlooms. In that case professional restoration may be required.
5. Pass on porous items like wooden spoons, wooden bowls, non-washable fabrics or other items that can't be immersed in a cleaning solution and disinfected thoroughly.
6. Consumables like make-up, body lotion, perfume, edibles and other vintage food items are likely beyond their best-use date and aren't safe to eat or use. Perfume bottles can be cleaned but the contents will likely smell strong.
7. Kitchen appliances need to be tested. Some items like mixers, toasters and lamps are safer if they're rewired.
8. Shoes are questionable unless they show little or no wear. They can be of value as theater props or decorations.
9. Some baby car seats and cribs have been recalled due to dangerous or unsafe outcomes. Check for any recalls.
10. Some old items were made with paints that contained lead or radioactive materials, like illuminated clock faces painted with radium. Avoid these.
11. If an item just doesn't feel right when you pick it up or holding it makes the hair on your neck stand up, leave it behind.

Use your good judgement on used items.

Good luck in your search for vintage items. I hope you find the treasure of a lifetime!

Burgundy Lace Dishes from the 40s

Solomon Lithograph from the 40s

Marigold Carnival Tumblers from the 60s

Hull Mirror Brown Oven Proof Dishes USA

Oven Baked Salmon in 20 Minutes

 

Fresh Baked Salmon with Iceberg Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Berries

Fresh salmon is easy to make and cleanup is a snap. This oven meal is quick, nutritious and economical.

Whether you're on a budget or just looking for something new to fix for dinner, this meal is easy to prepare, requires little clean-up effort, and is economical. One fresh salmon fillet can easily make three main dish entrees for around $15.00.

Add veggies, bread, and a green salad, and you're ready to eat in 25 minutes.

If you've looked at the price for a nice salmon meal at a restaurant lately, you'll be amazed that you can prepare this meal for less than half of the cost. Clean-up is made easy when you line your baking pan with aluminum foil and bake this delicious salmon in your own oven.

Here's how to do it:

• Select fresh salmon from your favorite grocery store. I always find good choices at Aldi where they have ocean raised (not farm raised) filets.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Use kitchen shears to cut the fish into 4 ounce portions.
• Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet skin side down.
• Season with onion salt, pepper, powdered garlic and a tablespoon of butter.

• Bake for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes with a fork
• Separate the skin from the filet using a flat spatula and a fork.
• Leaving the skin on the foil, transfer the filet to a plate or the top of a salad.

Served hot or cold, this economical meal is easy and delicious.

Refrigerate unused filets in a covered container. The next day, in a bowl, use two forks to flake the fish.

• Add a tablespoon of mayonnaise
• Add a teaspoon of pickle relish
• Add a chopped boiled egg (optional)
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Use this as a salad topper or on a sandwich. Delicious!