Marauders
Research Activity
Struggling to Find Your Loved One's History?
Marauders
"30/30," project to compress 30 years of research into 30 minutes.
 Moore's
Marauders founder Ken Moore spent 30 years trying to find his uncle Billy, whose
plane -- The Life of Riley --
"vanished without a trace" on March 24, 1945. At first, Moore was plagued with
research challenges. To begin, most of the documents that could assist him in his search
were not in the public domain.
Eventually, the
Freedom of Information Act
would furnish greater legal access, but for all practical
purposes no one could navigate through tens of millions of documents scattered
around the country, very few of which were available via the Web. The average
person doesn't even know what to ask for, let alone whom to ask.
“The Act makes little difference to the average person who
doesn't even know what to ask for, let alone whom to ask,” Ken explains. "This
is the crux of the problem. We
wouldn't have 78,000 WWII MIAs if the World War II archive was online.
There would
be no need for Moore's Marauders because the 35,000 that the government
admits
are recoverable
would have already
been brought home."
 A
Daunting Task
Imagine bringing
online tens of millions of 60-year-old documents of all types and sizes,
including maps, reports, pictures, audio, video, microfilm, microfiche, etc.,
--
then
indexing them in such a way that any person with online access could find
everything he wanted from a single
search. It sounds like a futuristic
pipe dream, but that is exactly what the Marauders’
taxonomy experts
are working on.
A taxonomist is a person who creates a grand organizational
superstructure for information, which recognizes both the similarities and
differences of all the relevant content. One such superstructure is a household
word: “Google.” This superstructure can track, associate and assemble all
relevant materials from a single query on-the-fly.
Technical Hurdles Solved
"Ten or fifteen years ago, World War Two MIA research was an
extremely unwieldy, expensive, and unreliable,” Moore said. "But today,
computers are a hundred times faster, storage is relatively cheap, and the
hardware to get the job done is proven."
“In other words, we are out of excuses," he added.
Benefits Are Priceless
The families, friends and loved ones of our 78,000 World War II
MIAs have lived for six decades (and counting) without any closure. To these
people, a never-seen-before picture, an aging letter or telegram, or a
newly-discovered diary can bring joy beyond price. And millions of these items
are moldering in government warehouses, just waiting to be discovered.
Most WWII veterans came home with only what their foot lockers
and duffle bags could hold. Yet during their service, many were the subjects of
the omnipresent cameras and typewriters of the press corps whose job it was to
memorialize this great epoch for posterity.
These pictures and reports are among hundreds of documents which
remain inaccessible to those they portray, and to the families aching to hear
their stories. Children and grandchildren have an innate need to understand the
nobility and heroism of their lineage, and they deserve this information.
"I see the day
when young college kids can do what I did, only 100 times better. Imagine a
grandson doing a search on his grandfather's military history, printing out all
the documents and pictures, and presenting it to him for his 88th birthday. When
I found my Uncle Billy's Missing Air Crew Report (M.A.C.R.) and presented it to
my mom on her 60th birthday, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. I know first
hand how important this information is," Moore said.
History Comes Alive
Once fully operational, the Online WWII Archive will provide
fertile soil from which the professional researcher (military historians,
anthropologists, sociologists, etc.) as well as the "average Joe" can uncover
new facts and scenarios. Not only will these provide new insights on WWII
battles, strategies, and tactics – they will also make the war intensely
personal and reveal the incredible heroism of the common soldier who saved the
world in the 1940’s.
"It will be a watershed moment," Moore remarked. "And once the
document conversion process is complete, we will begin adding oral and video
histories from veterans. The average person can make also his or her own
'conditional contributions' so that the information itself will become a
series of living knowledge assets that will grow organically, all while being
monitored by experts to ensure the integrity of the contributions."
"In short, it will become a self
actualizing history engine that I believe will be the new standard for managing
historical information," concluded
Moore.
* * *
Moore estimates that the entire conversion
process will take anywhere from five to eight years, with initial prototyping and
full "proof of concept" testing completing within the first year. Total project
cost is estimated between $3.8 - $5.5 million, for which most of the financing
will be raised from the private sector.
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About Moore's Marauders...
 Moore's
Marauders is a non-profit organization that receives no government funding. We
rely solely on your contributions to help us locate the 35,000
WWII MIAs the
U.S. government maintains are still recoverable.
For as
little as 30 cents a day, you can help us bring home the thousands who made the
ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in freedom.
Donate today.
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