Help me re-trace my grandfather's WWII steps

February 27, 2012 1:27 PM

What are the best resources and online communities focused around WWII veteran research?

My grandpa was in Burma with the Army during WWII. After his recent stroke, I got curious about his life during the war, so I requested his records from the National Personnel Records Center. Turns out they were lost in the fire, so all I got back was a stamped "certificate of service" with his service number and rank, but no other details.

I'd like to find out more. Specifically, which unit he was in, where they went, what they did there, etc. The problem is that I'm not sure where to look. I was hoping there would be some sort of database somewhere where I could input his service number and at least find out what unit he was in, but maybe such a tool doesn't exist?

He is still alive, but lives pretty far away, so unfortunately I'm not really able to see him or even speak with him on a regular basis.

So I guess my question is this: what are the best resources to use in this situation? There seem to be several forums out there dedicated to this sort of thing (e.g., WW2F.com), but I have no idea where to start. Is there a good guide out there for people in my situation, maybe covering things like which organizations to think about contacting for information or general suggestions for avenues of research?

Thanks in advance! (And sorry if this seems a little scatter-brained...)

posted by aheckler to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Best answer: This is tough. In seven years of serious genealogical research on my grandfather's time spent in the military, I've not run across anything like what you're looking for. This situation could be a little easier to run through if you had his unit (or one of his units), but you don't so that's a moot point.

If your grandfather was injured you MIGHT be able to get some medical records that would help you place his whereabouts. On another note, if you could simply find out his unit I believe you could request unit records/morning reports and that would help place him too.

If he's recently had a stroke I'm betting that he's applied for VA benefits at some point. They might be able to give you some information -- their number is 800.827.1000. I'm not sure how much they can tell you given HIPA but it's worth a shot. Also worth a go is contacting the county recorder of deeds where you grandpa lived when he was discharged. Men back then were told that if they ever lost their discharge papers they would never be replaced so some filed them with the county recorder.

Good luck!
posted by youandiandaflame at 2:21 PM on February 27, 2012

Response by poster: So I texted my dad to see when he'd next be visiting my grandpa, and it turns out he's going next weekend (March 10th)! I'll be tagging along to see what I can find out. If I'm lucky, maybe he'll have a box or two of war memorabilia...

Thanks youandiandaflame for your help! I might need more of it once I find out his unit and need pointers on where to look from there.

Anyway, feel free to keep the answers coming. Like I said, I'm totally new to this.
posted by aheckler at 4:08 PM on February 27, 2012

Best answer: So glad you're going to see him! If you should have any questions about whatever information you get from him, feel free to memail me. I may not be able to answer but I can do my best to put you in touch with someone who can.
posted by youandiandaflame at 5:00 AM on February 28, 2012

Best answer: The fire? *snort* First, send in form SF-180 again. I sent mine in once and got the same reply, then the second time I got my grandpa's enlisted records, then the third (!) time they sent me his paperwork from when he went to OCS.

The Library of Congress has some forms online you can fill out if you get a chance to interview him. If you cannot, they may still be a helpful guide to your research: http://www.loc.gov/vets/kitmenu.html

There are lots of places online to look, as you have discovered. If you don't have time to reverse engineer his unit assignments by, you know, learning everything there is to know about the China-India-Burma campaign, then you might have to go to one of the discusison groups or web sites and ask for help.

I am on a list full of veterans, historians, and Nice People who have been willing to help. Sign up for the list and just ask! http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/wwii

If he was actually in the AAF, then try the forums at this site: http://forum.armyairforces.com/Main-f401.aspx
posted by wenestvedt at 8:31 AM on February 28, 2012

Best answer: WAIT! You say you have his Service Number? Then maybe you can go online to search: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

I haven't done this myself -- it's kind of new -- but give it a try.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:33 AM on February 28, 2012

Response by poster: So I went up to visit my grandpa this weekend and had the chance to interview him about his time in the service. I also got hi-res scans of many of his maps, records, and photographs. He filled me in on all the info I was looking for and much more besides.

youandiandaflame: I was able to contact the county recorders office where he lives, and they did have his papers on file, but due to a recently-passed privacy law, nobody but my grandfather himself could request them. He (my grandpa) had a copy of them anyway that I was able to scan! Thanks for pointing me in that direction!

wenestvedt: I had no idea the VHP even existed! As I said, I was able to interview him on tape for 40 minutes or so (he's a quiet, humble guy). I'll be turning that in to the VHP people once I get all the paperwork together. The bad part is they don't let you submit scans of pictures, you have to mail them the originals, but I didn't want to take them away from my grandpa. Awesome job pointing me to their website!

Bonus thank-you gift: a photo of my grandpa and one of his buddies. He is on the right.
posted by aheckler at 2:48 PM on March 11, 2012 [1 favorite]