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Looking for info on my Grandpa

Discussion in 'Military Service Records & Genealogical Research' started by Bill Underwood, Jan 26, 2019.

  1. Bill Underwood

    Bill Underwood New Member

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    Hello, ive been looking for information on my Grandpa for awhile now, cant seem to find anything at all.
    All i know is what i remember my uncle telling me. any help would be Amazing. Thanks

    William Beckman from Pennsylvania
    37th Division 129th Infantry Comp. L
    Fought in Bouganville, Luzon & wounded at Clark airfield.
    Took basic at ft. Leonard wood, Missouri.
    I also remember him saying maybe military records were destroyed in a fire in KC.

    Picture:
    https://i.imgur.com/sCy8aVD.jpg
     
    Bill Underwood, Jan 26, 2019
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    TD-Tommy776 likes this.
  2. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    Welcome to the forum Bill. There will be a few along soon who can help with info on the 37th Div.
    Try looking through this sub forum.

    Land Warfare in the Pacific
     
    Biak, Jan 26, 2019
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  3. kerrd5

    kerrd5 Ace

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    Last edited: Jan 26, 2019
    kerrd5, Jan 26, 2019
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  4. Buten42

    Buten42 Member

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    Welcome to the Forums Bill. Very nice display of your grandfather's service. Read through the thread in this section "Request Copies of Military Personnel Records"
    it has a lot of suggestions in case his records were destroyed. I agree with Dave, try that first, I got lucky several times. His separation paper can give you a lot of information, but a copy of his Service Record (W.D. AGO Form No. 24 ) is the real Holy Grail.
    Good luck with your search, it's very rewarding.
     
    Buten42, Jan 26, 2019
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  5. LRusso216

    LRusso216 Graybeard Staff Member

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    Hi Bill. You have a nice display. I concur with Dave. Fill out the form, you never know. If you have the funds, I would suggest hiring a researcher to do the work. Many here, including me, have had success with Geoff at Golden Arrow. Good luck and keep us posted.
     
    LRusso216, Jan 26, 2019
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  6. TD-Tommy776

    TD-Tommy776 Man of Constant Sorrow

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    Bill, nice shadow box. Do you know the date he was wounded? The Battle of Clark Field & Fort Stotsenburg was a major battle that lasted 6 days.

    I second the suggestions you received from Dave, Buten, & Lou. Request his OMPF from the NARA. Even though most Army personnel records were destroyed or damaged in the 1973 fire, there were some that survived unscathed. The only way to know is to request them. Also, in the last 45 years, some progress has been made to salvage as many damaged records as possible. Filing the request only requires a few minutes of your time. I also recommend using a researcher to research your grandpa's service. They will be able to do in a couple weeks what the NARA will take months or a year to do. They will also check the L Company Morning Reports which are a record of the day to day status of the personnel. In addition to recording the location of the Company on a given day, they also record when personnel are assigned, transferred, promoted, are sick, wounded, MIA, or KIA.
     
    TD-Tommy776, Jan 26, 2019
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