Military service has been an important event in the lives of many Minnesotans since the statersquo;s earliest years.nbsp; The Minnesota State Archives, part of the Minnesota Historical Society Collections,nbsp; is a rich resource for documenting Minnesotansrsquo; service in the statersquo;s National Guard as well as overseas.nbsp; The collection is particularly strong for the period from the Civil War through World War I, with less complete documentation through the Vietnam War.