Alaska Military Records

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United States

U.S. Military Records

Alaska

Military Records

Fort Selkirk Yukon

United States Military Online Genealogy Records provides more links for nationwide military record collections.

Online Resources

United States Military Online Genealogy Records provides more links for nationwide military record collections.

• Alaska, World War II Draft Registration Cards,1940-1945, index and images.
• The Vietnam Veterans Memorial - Alaska
• Vietnam Conflict State-Level Casualty Lists - Alaska
• Alaska, State Archives (Juneau), Military Service Discharge Records, 1898-1934, index

United States Military Online Genealogy Records

The United States Military Records Wiki article provides more information on federal military records and search strategies.

Military records are found at the Family History Library, the National Archives, and other federal and state archives.

U.S. servicemen have been in Alaska since 1867, when Alaska was placed under the jurisdiction of the War Department. Most of these soldiers were from the lower 48 states. The Family History Library has enlistment registers for the regular army, 1798 to 1914 FHL film 350307 (first film.) Also found on line in FamilySearch Historical Records United States, Civil War Soldiers Index; United States, Registers of Enlistments in the U.S. Army, 1798-1914. The registers provide the soldier's name, rank, unit, commanders, physical description, occupation, and birthplace. The records are arranged by year and by the first letter of the surname.

Forts

A historical sketch of forts in Alaska is in Bruce Grant, American Forts Yesterday and Today (New York, NY: E. P. Dutton Co., 1965; FHL book 973 H2gb.)

• Fort Richardson
• Fort St. Michael -- Also known as Fort Archangel Michael, Fort Archangel Gabriel, Fort New Archangel, or Novo Archangelesk and finally the fort was renamed Post of Sitka (Fort Sitka).  Textual records of this fort, 1867-1877, including registers, reports, and correspondence, are in the National Archives and are described in Records of United States Army, Continental Commands, 1821-1920, under the section entitled Records of Posts, 1820-1940 (Record Group 393.7).
• Fort Selkirk

Spanish-American War (1898)

The Spanish-American War was largely fought in Cuba and the Philippines. Spanish-American War records might exist in the state from which the soldier served or in a state where the veteran later resided.

Indexes

• United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 (NARA T288). (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. The index covers veterans of the Civil War, Spanish‑American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion (1900 to 1901), and the regular Army, Navy, and Marine forces. (Learn more.)

• United States, Index to Service Records, War with Spain, 1898 (FamilySearch) Free digital copy. (How to use this collection.)
• Alaska, State Archives (Juneau), Military Service Discharge Records, 1898-1934, index

Click on the link to learn more about the Spanish American War.

World War I (1917-1918)

World War I was a global war fought on multiple continents with several nations involved. Over four million men and women served from the United States.

• 1917-1918 - United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 at FamilySearch — index and images

• 1917-1940 - United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 at FamilySearch — index

• 1917-1919 - United States, World War I American Expeditionary Forces Deaths, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index

• United States. Selective Service System. Alaska, World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. National Archives Microfilm Publications, M1509. Washington, D.C.: National Archives, 1987-1988. FHL films 1473296–1473299 These cards have been digitized and are searchable online at United States, WW I Draft Registration Cards.

• United States, YMCA World War I Service Cards, 1917-1919 at FamilySearch — index and images

See WWI Draft Records for more information.

• Alaska and WWI: A Centennial Exhibit Alaska State Archives
• Alaska World War I Veterans Data - Alaska State Archives - See Collection Guides
• FamilySearch Catalog - Discharge Records, 1917-1919

World War II (1941-1945)

• World War II in Alaska
• Kodiak Alaska Military History Museum World War II Units

Draft Registrations

• Alaska, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945

Fourth Registration

• On April 27, 1942, the Selective Service conducted the fourth of six draft registrations related to WWII. The "World War II Selective Service Draft Cards: Fourth Registration, 1942" is often referred to as the “Old Man’s Registration” or the “Old Man’s Draft" because it included men with a date of birth from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897. Since there is overlap in the WWI and WWII Selective Service registration, men born in the years 1877 to 1900 may have registered twice and have both WWII and WWI draft records.

• United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Image Browse) (FamilySearch) - free
• United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (images with partial index) (FamilySearch) - free

Also available at:

• Ancestry ($)
• Fold3 ($).

Relocation Records

• 1942-1945 - Idaho, Jerome County Historical Society, Minidoka Japanese Relocation Center Mixed Vital Records, 1942-1945 at FamilySearch — index

Other Records

For sailors from Alaska who died in World War II, see Volume 2 of Combat Connected Naval Casualties, World War II, by States, Two Volumes. (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1946; FHL film 1440393 item 1; book 973 M23un

A national cemetery with about 500 graves is located at Sitka (see Alaska Cemeteries).

World War II United States Military Records provides additional information.

Korean War (1950–1953)

The Korean War was a conflict between North Korea (and its communist allies) and South Korea (with support of the United Nations, primarily the United States). See the Korean War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Vietnam War (1964–1972)

The Vietnam War was a conflict between North Vietnam (and its communist allies) and South Vietnam (with support of its anti-communist allies, including the United States). See the Vietnam War wiki article for information on records and their availability.

Websites

• Alaska Military Records
• The Civil War Pension Index Cards Collection, United States, Old War Pension Index, 1815-1926 has a few pension cards for servicemen, from Alaska, who served in the military during the early 1900s.

References

Alaska. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., Family History Department,1998, 2001.

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