Joseph H Cole Jr

I am seeking information on my grandfather Joseph H Cole, Jr. His birth date was 3/2/1924. He passed in 1988, I was 5 andI have no memory of him. My dad said he didn't speak much to them about his service time but I do know he enlisted in 1944 (April) in Beauregard Louisana in the Bienville Parish. My father says he thinks he served in the Navy and was stationed in Hawaii, possibly on a hospital/medic boat. I have his dog tags and searched through the archives but there was no additional information that would lead me to a boat or a group he may have served with.

I am seeking any information on him, where he was stationed, what he was like, anything. I feel as I am missing a portion of my history and I am hoping someone might recgonize the name and point me in the right direction.
Thank you for your time.
Lacy

 

Cole82, I'm not sure what you mean by "searched through the archives", so the following may not be helpful. The National Archives in St. Louis holds the personnel records. The process for requesting a copy of your grandfather's records can be found on the NARA website:

How to Access Archival Records, Official Military Personnel File (OMPF)

You will need to complete and submit the Standard Form 180. You will need his service number which I presume you have. It shouldn't take long to get an initial response. Getting the records themselves may take a while.

 

Yep LRusso and TD-Tommy are right. Your best bet is to get his records like they described. However you will need to get your father to sign the form. Cause he is considered next of kin, and has more access then someone who is not NOK.

Good luck with your research! Your already in a great place him being a Navy veteran. The Army/Air Force records were destroyed in a fire. Making it realy hard on some relatives. The Navy records were not affected, meaing you should have no issue getting his full file. I sent for my uncle's Navy records and recived 52 pages.

 

That is not quite true, unless you assume that he left the service after 5 Aug 1951. That would make his records "non-archival" and subject to privacy laws. If his separation date was prior to 5 Aug 1951, then his records are considered archival and available to the public.

From the NARA link I posted above regarding accessing archival records:

(Note: the emphasis in the quote is not mine, but the NARA's)

Having said that, I do think that it can't hurt and may even help to have the request signed by the veteran's NOK. However, it is not necessary and does not limit access to archival records.

 

Oh alright, I guess I missunderstood it when I read it the first time. I was under the impresion that the archival records were open to anyone, but would be censored of personal info. The process also used to be free to NOK. However I dont think thats true anymore.

Since I started collecting, I have been using a Researcher. It's cheaper and allot faster. I use Golden Arrow, the first time I used them I had the records in less then a week. And it was a fraction of the cost. Last time I herd if the file is over 10 pages, NARA want $70, and it could take months to get it.

http://www.goldenarrowresearch.com/

 

Not a problem, Josh. Unfortunately, you are correct about the change in the fee policy at NARA.

In looking at their pricing, GAR is cheaper than NARA as long as the file is less than 73 pages. After that the per copy price puts it over $70. If my understanding of that is incorrect, maybe Geoff of GAR will stop in and correct me. They will certainly be faster than NARA, which is an important consideration.

 

Yeah thats on the Army/Air Corp records. Sadly from my experience the chances of finding an Army record with 70+ pages is rare so in most cases its gonna be cheaper. And to be honest even if it was more expesive, I think it would still be worth it cause of how much faster it is. it does appear the Navy and Marine records are a little more expensive, but they also seem to have bigger files. When it comes down to it. If the file is of a relative the info that can be gained is totally worth it.

Don't get me wrong, I am greatful to the men and women at the archives for what they do, it just takes to long.

 

I agree completely, Josh. I was in no way trying to steer anyone away from using GAR or any other researcher. I'm more concerned that we are giving folks accurate info regarding the options available to them so they can make informed decisions.

Well, I hope Cole82 comes back. I'd like to see if he has more info to go on than what he originally posted.