"No Medals" is a Christmas story wrapped around a search of government records to locate the file of a deceased, black World War II veteran, author Peter C. Banks's father, John Henry Banks Jr. The investigation to find the records begins in 2000 and concludes on Christmas Eve, one year later. Peter Banks recounts the steps that he took to find his father's service records-steps that anyone can follow if they would like to locate the war history of a relative who was a veteran of World War II.

The journey is sprinkled with bitter disappointments and exciting revelations as Banks tries...

"No Medals" is a Christmas story wrapped around a search of government records to locate the file of a deceased, black World War II veteran, author Peter C. Banks's father, John Henry Banks Jr. The investigation to find the records begins in 2000 and concludes on Christmas Eve, one year later. Peter Banks recounts the steps that he took to find his father's service records-steps that anyone can follow if they would like to locate the war history of a relative who was a veteran of World War II.

The journey is sprinkled with bitter disappointments and exciting revelations as Banks tries...