Lost to History
When War Records Go Missing
Military leaders botched the job of recordkeeping in two of our most-protracted wars, robbing historians of firsthand accounts of the fighting and making it harder for veterans to prove combat injuries or heroics, a ProPublica-SeattleTimes investigation found.
Army Says War Records Gap Is Real, Launches Recovery Effort
Army Secretary John McHugh confirms to members of Congress that commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan failed to keep required field records: “Steps are being taken to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
Congressmen to Hagel: Where Are the Missing War Records?
Unsatisfied with answers so far, leaders of the House veterans’ panel ask defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to explain why Army units can’t find field records from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Veterans' Advocate to Congress: Reconstruct Missing War Records
A House subcommittee on veterans' affairs hears from veterans groups after a ProPublica-Seattle Times investigation revealing that dozens of Army units failed to keep sufficient records of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
U.S. House Subcommittee Sets Hearing on Missing War Records
The session follows a ProPublica-Seattle Times investigation revealing that dozens of military units deployed in the war on terror have destroyed or failed to keep field reports of their activities.
Ask Peter Sleeth Anything about Missing Iraq, Afghanistan Field Records (Reddit Chat)
Over the last decade, the U.S. military has destroyed or failed to keep millions of field records from Iraq and Afghanistan. Join reporter Peter Sleeth for a discussion on the missing documents.
A Son Lost in Iraq, but Where Is the Casualty Report?
To fulfill a promise he made to his son, Jim Butler needed to know how he died. But when he asked how 24-year-old Jake Butler was killed, the Army couldn’t produce a report from the field describing what happened.
Lost to History: Missing War Records Complicate Benefit Claims by Iraq, Afghanistan Veterans
Field records from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, needed to document combat injuries, disability claims and the simple history of both wars, were never kept, were destroyed or simply cannot be found, a ProPublica-Seattle Times investigation has found.
