This is an update to a blog post i did a while back on a great article that was written by Kathleen Brandt of a3Genealogy.  You can read my previous article here.

To update my Military Monday research from my previous article mentioned above, I received from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) a letter that informed me that my father-in-law, Robert H. Stanard’s military records were part of the July 12, 1973 fire in Missouri at the National Personnel Records Center.  You can read about the 1973 fire here.  This fire destroyed millions of military files, including Robert H. Stanard’s.  There is no complete listing of the files that were lost, but for each file request that NARA receives, a technician researches their files to determine what exactly they have.  In the letter I received, I was told that my father-in-law’s file was probably part of the files lost in the fire.  They did suggest that I contact the local Veteran’s Affairs office to see if they have any records (I have yet to do that.)  What I was able to get from NARA was my father-in-law’s DD214, his discharge form.  This forms shows the date of discharge, that it was a honorable discharge, the awards he acquired, and that he fought in the Korean War.

My brother-in-law has the medals that my father-in-law earned.  Here is a photo of them.  In trying to understand what each medal was for, I include my notes on the picture. (These medals are not in proper order and just laid out to take the picture better.)

It is with great gratitude that I researched Robert H. Stanard’s military service.