The 80th Anniversary of the G.I. Bill

June 22, 2024, will mark the 80th anniversary of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. This landmark legislation is most commonly known as the GI Bill of Rights, as it offered Federal aid to help veterans adjust to civilian life in the areas of hospitalization, purchase of homes, businesses, and especially, education. The bill unanimously passed both chambers of Congress in the spring of 1944 and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law on June 22, 1944, just over two weeks after the Allied invasion of Normandy.

How To Locate D-Day Footage in NARA’s Moving Image Holdings

D-Day and the Combat CameramanThis week marks the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day Operation. Starting on June 6, 1944, about 175,000 Allied troops landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, supported by 5,000 naval craft and more than 11,500 aircraft. By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed … Continue reading How To Locate D-Day Footage in NARA’s Moving Image Holdings

The Devil’s Brigade: The First Special Service Force

The First Special Service Force, a Joint U.S.-Canadian Fighting Unit: The insignia of the First Special Service Force, composed of US and Canadian soldiers in training at Ft. William Henry Harrison, Montana, is an Indian spearhead of deep red with the “USA” and “Canada” forming a white T against the background. The patch is worn … Continue reading The Devil’s Brigade: The First Special Service Force

Wings for This Man: Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen

Please Note: Primary source documents used in this post may contain harmful language. See NARA’s Statement on Potentially Harmful Language. The First Motion Picture Unit When America entered the war in Europe in 1941, the country's greatest challenge was finding enough manpower to wage a two-front war. The country needed to quickly increase the number … Continue reading Wings for This Man: Celebrating the Tuskegee Airmen

The Production File Tells the Story: How “Death Mills” Came to U.S. Audiences

This post was written by Criss Austin. Criss is the supervisor of the Motion Picture Preservation Lab. On April 29th, 1945 the United States Army liberated the Dachau concentration camp. The 42nd and 45th Divisions and 20th Armored Division, along with Signal Corps photographers and cameramen, assisted the survivors and documented the atrocities they found. … Continue reading The Production File Tells the Story: How “Death Mills” Came to U.S. Audiences

Go for Broke: The 442nd Infantry Regiment

111-SC-176302 - Original Caption: [Company] E. of the 442nd Infantry Regiment comprising Japanese-American lads snapped in formation in Camp Shelby, Mississippi. 5/13/43. Photographer: Pvt. Raymond D’Addario. Signal Corps Photo #165–NR1-43-95. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was activated on February 1, 1943, and was composed almost entirely of second-generation American soldiers of Japanese ancestry, also known … Continue reading Go for Broke: The 442nd Infantry Regiment

One Year Ago: Recognizing Amache National Historic Site

October 1945 photograph of Granada Relocation Center barracks. Granada closed for good on October 15, 1945. (NAID 539942) March 18, 2023 marks the one year anniversary of the signing of the Amache National Historic Site Act, which designated Amache National Historic Site as a park in the National Park System. President Joseph R. Biden signed … Continue reading One Year Ago: Recognizing Amache National Historic Site

Soldiers examining a hole, near a Liberty Ship, created by a Japanese bomb

Hole World

With my last blog, I may have inadvertently started a quest to bring Unwritten Record readers the most random finds from the Still Picture holdings.  Today, I present to you, Holes.  When I began brainstorming for this blog post, it was the first word that popped into my head (most likely due to me hitting … Continue reading Hole World

Camp Hale, Colorado: Training the 10th Mountain Division During World War II

Mountain Troopers carrying a Ski Cargo Sled (Local ID: 337-TNG-199-1) Found in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the peaks and valleys that surrounded Camp Hale forged the elite soldiers of the 10th Mountain Division—the Army’s first and only mountain infantry division. During World War II, the soldiers at Camp Hale trained in mountain … Continue reading Camp Hale, Colorado: Training the 10th Mountain Division During World War II

A Wartime Wedding at Versailles

Photograph of the Chapel at Versailles. Local ID: 286-MP-FRA-02033. National Archives Identifier Number: 19978495. On December 16, 1944, only months after American troops liberated the area surrounding the Palace of Versailles, a wedding ceremony was held in the Chapel of the Palace of Versailles. This year marks the 78th Anniversary of the wedding of M/Sgt. … Continue reading A Wartime Wedding at Versailles