Posted on 11/04/2008 7:13:13 AM PST by Moose4
Yeah, I know, posting a non-election vanity on Election Day...I've been here over eight years, I figure I can do stuff like this every now and then, right?
My dad was a World War II veteran. He didn't talk much about his service. All I know was that he was drafted while working at the Newport News Shipyards in Virginia, ended up in the Army, and was a sergeant in a motor pool on Leyte or Luzon in the Philippines in 1945. He never told me anything about seeing combat, and he was demobilized and came home sometime in 1946. I don't even know what unit he was a part of, he never said.
All I've got to go on is his name. Do any FReepers have any suggestions for starting to find out more details about exactly what he did in his military service--unit(s) he served with, where he was stationed, what his job(s) were, things like that? I'm interested out of a combination of my own curiosity, and having the information handy for my daughter when she gets older, so I can tell her about the grandpa she never knew (he died in 1996 at the age of 77).
Thanks.
}:-)4
BTTT
It’s not much, but I hope this helps you on your way:
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/foia-info.html
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/public/veterans-and-next-of-kin.html
My dad, who served in New Guinea, kept his dress uniform when had his unit and division insignia on it. Also, with his discharge papers he had some old copies of orders. Although he has told me a few stories, his papers he had told more. Did you have any papers or pictures of him in uniform? Insignias will help you. In the early 70’s there was a major fire at the Saint Louis, Mo. records building and many records were lost including my Dad’s
You can write to the VA and request a copy of his military records. They will send them to your local VA office and you can review them there. No copies, no photos, but you can take notes. I did that with my g-g grandfather’s civil war records. It includes everything!
DOD has streamlined this process somewhat in recent years, what you want is a form known as DD-214, or certificate of release from active duty or discharge. It will have listed his awards and decorations, units served in, etc.
You’ll need his military service number or, social security number, dates of service, branch, etc. The DOD has a website for requesting this, as I understand it, a written request is no longer necessary?
http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/get-service-records.html
You might try some of the genealogy sites. Most include birth records, which is a place to start, and many of them include draft and census records. If you can determine your father’s service number (not his SSN), the Veteran’s Administration might be able to offer further assistance.
Bump for later.
How to Request Military Service Records or Prove Military Service
Well, here’s what is going to make it more difficult—recently my mom had to be committed into long-term care for dementia, and as part of that, her house was sold. I live out of state and didn’t get a chance to get back there before the place was cleaned out, so I have basically no information. For example, I don’t remember my dad’s SSN, and my mom’s in no shape to give it to me. I might be able to pick up some more info from my brother, who I’m somewhat estranged from...at least enough to help the archival folks narrow a search.
Thanks for the links and ideas, looks like I’ve got a good base here to get started!
}:-)4
I have an uncle on home care in North Carolina who also served in the Phillipines motor pool. He doesn’t speak to me any more because I didn’t go to my aunt’s funeral (my daughter was born at the same time). He once told me about how they dumped equipment over the sides of ships coming back to San Francisco so they didn’t have to account for it.
Ping
I got mt brothers DD214 this way and only had his name, birthday and guessed at service years.
If you will freepmail me I will try to help you get some information.
Follow the links to the St. Louis archives. All WWII military records were moved there. Good luck!
A heads-up - my sister did a similar search and discovered that there had been a fire in the St. Louis (?) archives and many servicemen’s records were destroyed. So, if they can’t find the records, this is probably the reason.
My dad did have a few stories about his time in the Philippines, mostly funny ones. He swore he had a large crane literally disassembled in one night and stolen out of a fenced yard, part-by-part, by the locals. And he had very few good words to say about the local Filipinos, but I never heard him utter a single bad word about the group of Japanese POWs he said that they had working in his area. He called them the hardest-working people he’d ever seen, before or after the war.
I do remember him saying that he was sent back to the States and honorably discharged before he could get another stripe (maybe to Technical Sergeant or Staff Sergeant? I’m not sure), and he was bitter about it the rest of his life. When planning his funeral, my mom said he specifically told her not to include any military honors.
}:-)4
If you have any problems in getting info from the Military Personnel folks in St. Louis, contact your Congressman or Senator. St. Louis may tell you they don’t have any records because of the fire they had, and if so, try going through your elected officials. Also, some States kept copies of military records...DD214’s, etc. Contact your State Archives. If you know the unit your father served with, check online for any organizations that might exist for that specific unit. The National Archives may have your father’s unit records in their collection. You can also try contacting the V.A. to see if they have a copy of his DD214 or any other records pertaining to his service or medical records. If your father has a military headstone, you can try contacting the funeral home that he was buried from. They may have a copy of his DD214 on file. And remember, even if a funeral home changes owners and names, they tend to keep the records from previous owners.
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