Fall In! Morning Reports with the National Archives

Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an expert archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.  Information is vital in warfare, whether it’s the latest intelligence on enemy movements or orders transferring materials and weapons. Reports relay the necessary information for soldiers, NCOs, officers, and generals, helping them to make … Continue reading Fall In! Morning Reports with the National Archives

Contact, Brawls, and Chambering: The Combat Action Ribbon

Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an expert archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, Missouri.  Not all service members in the United States Armed Forces serve in combat. In fact, fewer than 15 percent of enlisted personnel ever see combat or are assigned a combat role. How can one … Continue reading Contact, Brawls, and Chambering: The Combat Action Ribbon

Protecting Human Welfare: The Humanitarian Service Medal

Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It is part of a series on records at the National Personnel Records Center. Humanitarian Service Medal. (U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry) On June 30, 2020, the Department of Defense issued a memorandum authorizing all military … Continue reading Protecting Human Welfare: The Humanitarian Service Medal

Honoring Heroes: The Award Card Record Series

Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. It is the part of a series on records at the National Personnel Records Center. In 1973, when an infamous fire ripped through the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, thousands of records were … Continue reading Honoring Heroes: The Award Card Record Series

Becoming Bigger and Better: The NPRC After the Great Fire of 1973

Today’s post comes from Thomas Richardson, an archives technician at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, MO. It's the first in a series of posts on the National Personnel Records Center. Special thanks to Bryan McGraw, Director of the Personnel Records Division, whose interview provided historical information about the center following the fire, … Continue reading Becoming Bigger and Better: The NPRC After the Great Fire of 1973

Staff from St. Louis are “unofficial rock stars” at National Genealogical Society conference

This post comes to us from Communications intern Lia Collen. Staff from the National Archives (NARA) at St. Louis participated in the annual National Genealogical Society’s (NGS) Family History Conference in St. Charles, MO, from May 13–16. More than 2,200 professional genealogists attended the conference. Access Coordinator Bryan McGraw and archivists Theresa Fitzgerald, Daria Labinsky, … Continue reading Staff from St. Louis are “unofficial rock stars” at National Genealogical Society conference

The Louisiana Purchase Treaty on display in St. Louis

Today’s post comes from James Zeender, Senior Registrar at the National Archives. On October 25, “The Louisiana Purchase: Making St. Louis, Remaking America” opened in St. Louis. The Missouri History Museum and the National Archives partnered to organize the exhibition, which features the original Louisiana Purchase Treaty of 1803, on loan from the National Archives. … Continue reading The Louisiana Purchase Treaty on display in St. Louis

Facial Hair Friday: Presley, Presley is our cry!

Do sideburns set your heart aflutter? It's been 35 years since Elvis Presley died, but judging from the media coverage and chatter on Twitter with #ElvisWeek, his fan base is still enthusiastic. But the some of the most passionate fan letters about the bewhiskered singer can be found in the National Archives. In 1958, Linda … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Presley, Presley is our cry!

Facial Hair Friday: Gone with the Wind

Yesterday was the anniversary of the Atlanta premiere of Gone with the Wind. The National Archives has at least two connections with this movie, and one of them is a mustache. The National Archives was given a copy of the award-winning and controversial film. It was given to the first Archivist in 1941 by Senator Walter F. … Continue reading Facial Hair Friday: Gone with the Wind

Hit the Road, Jack!

Today's post is by Miriam Kleiman, public relations specialist at the National Archives. Jack Kerouac—American counterculture hero, king of the Beats, and author of On the Road—was a Navy military recruit who failed boot camp. Navy doctors found Kerouac delusional, grandiose, and promiscuous, and questioned his strange writing obsession. I learned this in 2005, right … Continue reading Hit the Road, Jack!