Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. On the morning of August 7, 1942, the Marines landed on Guadalcanal, relatively near an airfield that the Japanese had begun constructing, and the relatively small number of Japanese on the island melted into the jungle. The following day the Marines began collecting Japanese souvenirs near the airfield. … Continue reading The Marines and Japanese Souvenirs on Guadalcanal August-October 1942
By Jason Clingerman Marines skateboarding into combat... sounds like something out of a Back to the Future sequel, right? Well, as a matter of fact, the U.S. military experimented with using skateboards in combat situations. In the March 1999 exercises known as Urban Warrior '99, the military experimented with the potential use of skateboards to … Continue reading Skateboarding into Combat
Today's post is written by Archives II volunteer Jan Hodges. Do you know what a shellback ceremony is? Chances are that unless you’re a Navy man or a relative, you probably don’t. It’s a ritual conducted aboard ship after it crosses the equator. And not just any old ceremony--one that becomes part of the sailor’s permanent record. The Reference Unit … Continue reading Searching for a Shellback Ceremony in the Navy Deck Logs
Today's post is written by Tina Ligon, a processing archivist in College Park. The U.S. Navy Flag Files (RG 313) contain a myriad of information generated by high-level commanders. These records consist of intelligence reports, memorandums, administrative files, correspondence, and photographs related to such subjects as administration, logistics, and personnel. The Flag Files are divided … Continue reading The Caledonia Company
Today's post is written by Anwar Thomas, an archives technician at Archives II. Processing and consolidating the Navy Deck Logs (National Archives Identifier 594258), in Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel, was an interesting project in my large criteria of archival experience. These logs are filled with many interesting hidden facts … Continue reading The Navy Deck Logs: Personal Experience
Our guest blogger today is Allison Walsh, an Archives Technician at Archives I who works with Navy / Maritime records. She is proud to display the Stars and Stripes every Flag Day, which also happens to be her birthday. Finding the file number nearby, I carefully pulled the trifolded papers open. A handwritten letter dating from … Continue reading Old Glory and the Representation of U.S. Territories
Today’s guest blogger is Trevor Plante, a supervisory archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC. Following up on two recent blog posts from our office by Juliette Arai and Mark Mollan I thought it would be a great opportunity to blog about one of my favorite Marine Corps documents that I often show Marines when we … Continue reading Music at the Archives – John Philip Sousa
Today's guest blogger is Mark Mollan, a reference archivist specializing in records of the U.S. Navy and Maritime agencies. Not long ago, an Archives I reference staff member came across a Muster Roll for the USCG unit “Tars and Spars”--a touring entertainment troupe created to bolster the morale and support of World War II USCG … Continue reading Before “Your Show of Shows”: Sid Caesar and the Coast Guard
Today's post is written by Dale Jackson, an enthusiastic archives technician with the Navy Records processing team at Archives II. Hello, here at the National Archives we the Archives Technicians have had the opportunity to process, preserve, and repair historical military records, specifically from the United States Navy. My undergraduate major is in Criminal Justice, … Continue reading Seamanship: A Report from the Navy Team
Today's post is written by student technician Robert Finch. While working on the Navy Deck Logs (RG 24, Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel) project I called my uncle and asked him which ships his father-in-law, “Mr. W.”, served on during World War II. “Mr. W.” was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 … Continue reading The Navy Deck Logs: Personal Connection
