Tip # 26...How many of your ancestors served in wars?

Today was catch up day for me on numerous household chores and obligations. It sounds boring and mundane, but it was cleansing. I need to file, balance accounts, and organize my life a little bit every day rather than waiting until these chores overtake the household. I renewed subscriptions and uncluttered files. Clean up a bit here, there and do not relapse. Do not allow clutter to overtake the entire house.

I am fairly reasonable about certain areas of the house in temporary clutter, as long as temporary has flexible meanings. Temporary, of course, is my clutter. Someone else' s clutter can never be considered temporary. I give someone else's clutter maybe 24 - 48 hours maximum.

I have not yet turned into a neat freak, but I aspire to be one. I am so much more at ease with my life when things are organized, it is somewhat euphoric for me. So, although I did not clean up everything, I made some major dents in a lot of work. I also organized photos (tip # 13).

Which brings me to my tip #26. For years I have been meaning to track the military records of two family members. I checked web sites and hunted around. I never had the right information or time to complete the request. But, I knew it was serious time for JUST DOING IT when I read Genealogy Insider at http://www.familytreemagazine.com/insider/PermaLink,guid,50d13a1b-5ffa-4ada-a5df-b35d1e66b41a.aspx which details just opened records from World War II. Since both of my family members served in WWII, I knew today was the day to do it.

And, I did. Both requests will be mailed tomorrow. I also discovered two wonderful sites honoring the Marine Corps 4th Division and their mission in Saipan.

http://genealogytrails.com/wis/WisWWIIHonorRoll1941-1945pg01.html
http://www.nps.gov/archive/amme/court_of_honor/unit46_plate9column5.html

Although I had searched for information about Saipan in the past, today was the day for my search of military records.

World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Gulf War played a role in shaping family lives. Research your ancestor’s or family member’s role in the military. Many service records before are available online. You may even be able to track back to the Civil War or Revolutionary War. While I never believe war is the answer to any conflicts, as a family historian I want to be sure I understand how it impacted my family.