My mother had a brother, Carl Cook, who was killed at Iwo Jima in 1945. I knew little about him or his war experiences except that Mom said he was shot by a sniper. So I set out to research his life and his wartime experiences with the goal in mind of writing a book of his experiences. In addition to purchasing several vintage books recounting the day by day description of his unit’s progress, I ordered his military records from NARA (National Archives and Records Administration).

Because the government is very picky about who it releases personal information to, I had to state that I was the next of kin and that my purpose was to write a family history. I sent in two requests on different application forms to different agencies to be sure my request got through. I received the copies of records I was hoping for, along with an awesome surprise: an original official military photograph of my uncle just before departure. No one in the family had ever seen it before. What a blessing from Uncle Sam.

A month later I received a letter from the government saying that they could not grant my request because I did not prove I was next of kin. Go figure! This is a great example of two standards: one agent was caring about the family and shared, the other agent was caring about the records only and withheld. This reminds me of the difference between law and grace. What do you care about most?

Tags: Caring, World War II