Researching WW2 Chinese-American Military Personnel: Case Studies, Tips, and Tricks

Login to View Recording
 

Login to View Handout

An estimated 18,000 - 20,000 Chinese Americans served during WW2, but researching their wartime and veteran stories presents some unique challenges. In a continuing segment, KB Barcomb’s presentation discusses strategies to leverage the ever-increasing availability of WW2 records and resources to further your research. 

Last year, KB Barcomb, a military researcher and social historian, took us through the lives of our loved ones, from the formation of a unit through their travels before deployment  from the United States to the final destination of the China-Burma-India theater.  Her study focused on the 14th Air Service Group, a Chinese American unit, but also shared the experience of any person of color who served in World War II and the challenges they faced in serving our country.

She will expand on resources for other branches of the armed forces – taking into consideration that many of the U.S. Army records were lost in the 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.   She will provide mini-case study examples of Chinese American WW2 service across the military branches, walking us through scenarios that any researcher might encounter.