On 6 Aug 2003 at 10:55, Sally Wasiura wrote: > Looking for further info or connection with following great > grandfather, RAYMOND PABST: > Application made 1893 Apr 17 by widow Christina Pabst Hager > #574898 > No Cert. # listed > Could anyone tell me ANYTHING about this. Why the alias? Is there > information regarding his POW experience available? Would his > deserting make his widow ineligible for a pension. I have the forms to > send to NARA. Should I send for both military and pension? Generally speaking his desertion would make a soldier (and his widow) ineligible for a pension. The fact that you have a pension application number but no certificate number in this case shows that the widow applied but was not granted a pension. Why the soldier used an alias is anyone's guess, but the answer may be included in his widow's pension application. Compiled service records have little information regarding POW experiences, and if often comes as a surprise to see how long they had been a prisoner before their unit realized the soldier was not AWOL. You should definitely send for both the pension file and the compiled service record. You may also wish to send for his carded medical file (if one exists) and for his unit's troop movements as these will add more detail to your understanding of the soldier's war time experiences. _ H. Spencer Byfield sbyfield@genealogy-quest.com Genealogy Quest "Military records at reasonable prices" http://www.genealogy-quest.com/Military/index.html