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Veterans Day is Sunday, Nov. 11, a time to honor those military men and women who have served our country.

Chances are strong that someone in your family was a soldier, sailor, airman, Marine,
guardsman or state militiaman. Even if you don’t have irrefutable evidence of an ancestor’s
military service, make a timeline of wars he lived through; check for military records
if his age made him eligible to enlist. And, don’t assume your female ancestors didn’t
leave records: They may have served in WWII Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, for example.

Because military service was so common, you’ll find lots of online resources—everything
from huge, government-sponsored databases to a tiny town’s WWI casualty list. Military
records even encompass those who didn’t serve in the armed forces; for example, after
the Selective Service Act of 1917, 24 million men ages 18 to 45 filled out WWI draft
registration cards between June 1917 and September 1918. Even if he didn’t enlist,
your ancestor’s draft registration card is probably available at the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

To get started, check out these free military research articles from FamilyTreeMagazine.com:

• Military
  Research Websites form our 2012 roundup of the 101 Best Websites for Genealogy

• Decoding common
  abbreviations in your ancestors’ military records

• Timeline
  of US military conflicts

• Military
  records on microfilm at NARA   
  

• Family Tree Magazine Podcast
  episode about Civil War and military research   
  

And, ShopFamilyTree.com also
offers military research resources:  

• Online Military
  Records: Document Your Family’s Service on-demand webinar

• Research
  Strategies: Online Military Records digital article download

• Military Research
  Guide CD

Did You Know?

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919, the first anniversary of
the end of World War I. Seven years later, Congress passed a resolution for an annual
observance, and Nov. 11 became a national holiday in 1938. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
signed legislation in 1954 to change the holiday’s name to Veterans Day as a way to
honor those who served in all American wars.

Today’s Veterans, By the Numbers

The US Census Bureau shares the following veteran
statistics based on its 2011 American Community Survey findings:

• 21.5 million military veterans

• 9.2 million veterans ages 65 and older
  

• 2.3 million black veterans

• 1.6 million female veterans
  

When They Served

• 7.5 million Vietnam-era veterans

• 5.4 million peacetime-only veterans

• 5.1 million Gulf War veterans (representing service from Aug. 2, 1990 to present)

• 2.4 million Korean War veterans

• 1.8 million World War II veterans