| GI Joe -- Where'd He Go? |
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You don't have to wonder where your old service buddies are. The Internet offers great resources for tracking down military friends.
At the Modern Maturity Pearl Harbor Memories site, you can enjoy an article about Disney's new, timely film and a link to the trailer for the movie. Visitors to the Web site can try their hand at a Pearl Harbor Quiz, watch a slideshow, and review an interactive timeline. An audio clip will share President Roosevelt's famous "Day of Infamy" speech. The Pearl Harbor Memories site uses the popular Internet approach of interactive forums to share firsthand accounts of that red-letter day in American history. Modern Maturity hopes computer users will connect with each other and share their memories. Sharing a common event like the unforgettable Pearl Harbor experience can create a bond between people. If that experience happens to be traumatic and life changing as was that never to be forgotten Sunday morning, the bond can, and often does, become an enduring tie. Men and women who have lived and worked together in the military often form such connections. However, when they return to civilian life, many of these military buddies lose contact with each other. Over the years, the urge to see old friends grows into a longing that cries out to be satisfied. Highlighted by Hollywood's attention-drawing movie, the sixtieth anniversary of Pearl Harbor could easily be the spark that ignites the desire to reunite with those who shared the disastrous experience. Searching for Survivors A Web site called the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association (http://members.aol.com/phsasecy97) is a place for Pearl Harbor survivors to gather. One of its objectives is to preserve and encourage the study of the patriotic service performed by both survivors and nonsurvivors, alike. Membership is open to anyone who was a member of the armed forces on December 7, 1941 and was on the island of Oahu or offshore at the time of attack, 7:55 a.m. to 9: 45 a.m. A bond of comradeship brought eleven survivors together in 1958 to from this organization and honor their deceased buddies. From that first meeting in Gardena, California, the organization grew into a nationwide association. Reuniting old buddies was a constant goal of the group; one campaign was called the SOS Campaign or Seek Out Survivors. As you would expect, the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association is a good resource for finding other buddies who served on that fateful day. The strong bonds formed by men and women who have served together extend to all branches of the military. A retired Marine recently told me of his efforts to find the 651 men who had served with his unit during World War II. With the help of search engines and Internet sites, he was able to find, or account for, 650 of the 651 men in his unit. This group held a grand reunion that had only been a dream several years ago. Search Resources The Internet is a great tool to help you find old friends and acquaintances, whether they are military or not. A good place to start is with a search engine that has listings of names and addresses. One of the best search engines of this kind is called Switchboard (http://www.switchboard.com). Once you get to this site, just type in whatever information you have about the person to get a list of possible matches. I typed in several names with only a state to help locate them, and I found the results to be surprisingly accurate. You might also want to try Bigfoot (http://www.bigfoot.com), another search engine. If you have completely lost track of your old military buddy and don't even know what state he or she lives in, a great place to start is the Military Network (http://www.military.network.com). This organization was created to provide a central site for the dissemination of information and services to members of the armed forces. You will be amazed by the scope of information that this site provides regarding military concerns. They also provide a Locator Page (http://www.military-network.com/main_mission/mission_main.cfm), which lists various military organizations where you can start your search. There are several organizations that will search their own extensive databases to help you find your friends. The Bravo Buddy Search (http://www.veteransvision.org/search.htm) is such an organization. An Internet site called Veteran Search (http://www.veteransearch.com) not only has a searchable database, but also has a full page of great links to help you in your search. Another way to search for your buddies is by the branch of the service involved. The Air Force (http://www.af.mil, Army (http://www.army.mil), Coast Guard (http://www.uscg.mil/), Marine Corps (http://www.usmc.mil), and Navy (http://www.navy.mil) all have outstanding Web sites where you will find links to pertinent information. The Air Force has an Air Force Personnel Center (http://www.afpc.randolph.af.mil) on the Web, which also contains a section on locating personnel. If you are currently a member of the military, you can log into Army Knowledge Online (http://www.army.mil/ako/) and search the current Army Directory under locate Army personnel. Many military groups have a presence on the Web. I was surprised at the scope of the groups covered and the excellence of the Web sites that I found while researching this article. For instance, an organization called the Air Force Sergeants Association (http://www.afsahq.org) has an outstanding Web site. Other organizations and groups are forming and creating new Web sites all the time. If you were in the military during any war, you can also search through many war-related sites available on the Internet. There is a World War II Veterans Web (http://ww2.vet.org/), a Korean War Project (http://www.koreanwar.org/), Vietnam Veterans Homepage (http://grunt.space.swri.edu/index.htm), and a Gulf War Veterans Resource Page (http://www.gulfweb.org). There are also several POW and MIA areas available like the Vietnam Era Database (http://memory.loc.gov/pow/powhome.html). Resources for finding your friends are readily available. Disney is hopeful their film version of Pearl Harbor will offer over two hours worth of entertainment. Why not let this film be even more significant? Let it be the inspiration that motivates your efforts to find your old buddies. When someone asks, "G.I. Joe – Where'd He Go?, you will know the answer.
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The much anticipated summer movie, "Pearl Harbor," has recently attacked cinemas around the country. The movie makes its appearance sixty years after the 1941 attack that drew America into World War II.