The following is a press release written by the Virginia Department of Military Affairs Collection on Fold3. 

We are pleased to announce a new collection of Virginia military records. The Virginia Department of Military Affairs Records Collection contains information on Virginia military personnel who served between 1876 and 1947. This collection includes veterans from the Spanish-American War, WWI, and WWII.

Across the time span of this collection, the records contain a variety of details such as:

The records provide a powerful addition for researching the service of your Virginia military ancestors. We’ve selected one random record to illustrate how this new collection can be a tool in your military research.

This record for Orion Vaughan Chaffin reveals his birthdate, service number, residence, details about his military service, and more. We also learn that he served in the American Expeditionary Forces during WWI, spending nine months in Europe.  

We searched Pvt. Chaffins name and located his WWI Draft Registration Card. This record revealed that 21-year-old Chaffin was claiming an exemption from service because his younger orphaned sister was financially dependent on him. His request was apparently denied because we located a ship record showing him leaving for Europe on August 6, 1918. Chaffin gave his younger sister’s name and address as his emergency contact information. All of this information provides valuable clues about the Chaffin family tree.

Chaffin served in the 318th Infantry Regiment, 80th Infantry Division in Europe for nine months. But an interesting 1919 record caught our eye. Another ship transport record dated May 6, 1919, shows that Pvt. Chaffin was aboard the S.S. Powhatan. He was listed as sick or wounded, and the transport record includes the name and address of his brother as an emergency contact. An unusual thing about this record is that several names (including Chaffin) appeared to be crossed off the passenger list. Does that mean Chaffin was removed from the ship or did not board?

The answer came in another record three weeks later. On May 20, 1919, Pvt. Chaffin once again boarded a ship at St. Nazaire. He was with other sick and wounded soldiers heading for home. However, this second transport record reveals the reason for his departure. Pvt. Chaffin was dealing with chronic sciatica that necessitated his return to the States. The Virginia Department of Military Affairs record shows that Chaffin was honorably discharged shortly after his return.   

Pvt. Chaffin appeared again in military records when he registered for the old man’s draft during WWII. Now 46, Chaffin was employed at Camp Lee, the very same US Army base that he and other members of the 80th Division trained at before heading off to Europe in 1918.

A final record, a Veterans Affairs Death Record, shows that Orion Chaffin passed away in 1992 at the age of 96.