Va-Hist and Va-Roots subscribers: For those of you who may not know or recall, my reference librarian colleague Edwin Ray at the Library of Virginia has been at work on a remarkable database of Virginia Military Dead, which is now five years old. You can consult it at http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwehave/mil/vmd/index.asp Here is a copy of Ed's message to the Library of Virginia's staff about the anniversary: It's hard to believe, but it has now been five years since the Virginia Military Dead (VMD) database was first released to the public on May 21, 2002. The tenth semiannual update was released to the public last week in commemoration of Memorial Day (hence, the tardiness of this announcement). In the interim, the database has grown from 3,728 entries, representing five conflicts (Spanish American War through World War I), using about 75 sources to 34,400 entries, representing more than twenty conflicts from the seventeenth century to the present, using more than 744 sources. In addition, there are five companion bibliographies in the "Virginia's Participation In the _______ War" series, with more on the way. At the current pace, I foresee, at least, another five or six years' of work before I can get it past the building phase to what I would consider to be a maintenance level. For example, I am currently about half way through the H.E. Howard Regimental series of books that are my first source(s) for the conflict commonly referred to as the civil war, and I am working on Box 7 (of 20 Boxes) in the World War II Personal War Service Records. Of course, I haven't done all this alone. I have had great assistance from staff and volunteers (in IT, Reference, Archives, Publications, and Circulation, et al) too numerous to mention here. Usage statistics, feedback from the public, and citations in other places indicate the VMD has begun to be the helpful reference source I hoped it would become. I want to thank everyone who has helped me reach this milestone. Please join me in this opportunity to reflect on the high price Virginians have paid (along with their fellow Americans, of course) in the defense of freedom. Sincerely, Edwin Ray Reference Librarian Editor and Compiler, Virginia Military Dead database [log in to unmask] 804-692-3572