191 tank battalion

Your welcome fellas, I, too, was amazed when it came so quick. I hope his personnal file comes quicker than they said too. I'll share some info from that too. I'm gonna post some of my Navy pictures from my battleship days soon. Hope you can check them out.

Jamie

 

Good stuff, I love these family stories (and pictures too!!!).

Could you summarize his service? I see he was a volunteer, do you know when he entered the Army?

Probably went to Fort Custer, MI as a Reception Center, then on to Camp Knox?

BTW, anyone, is College Park a better option then NARA for unit documents?

 

College Park, MD is the main branch of NARA.

 

I don't have any info on his enlistment, but will have more when his personal file arives. My granny couldn't remember where he entered the army at.

 

Thanks for sharing and the name is really nice with a ruff and tough style.

 

Good Morning,

I have been searching for my Grandfather's records for some time. I tried to obtain his DT2-14 but his records were destroyed in the 1973 fire. My Mother passed away two years ago and I'm unable to complete the questionnaire sent to me with any accuracy. All the information I have is:

Donald David Ruby
191st Tank Battalion
DOB: 3/5/1920
DOD: July 2006

To my knowledge, he was awarded a Purple Heart. My goal is to keep our family legacy alive for me and my siblings. Any help is greatly appreciated! He was a tremendous part of our lives but rarely spoke of the war.

Thanks so much!!
Stacey

 

I believe I have found your grandfather's gravesite along with a clipping of his obituary. Regarding his service:

The date of birth differs with what you have by a couple of days, but it is clearly him.

 

Curiously, I have not found a single reference to LT Ruby in the 191st AARs, Journals or General Orders I have examined.


Dave

 

That is strange, but not impossible, I suppose. Do you know if there was ever a battalion history written for the 191st? If so, I would think that would have the best odds of finding him mentioned since they often list PH recipients and almost always list the officers.

 

Hi Guys,

Thanks for looking into it. The birthday was my fault. I typed it in wrong. My Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma are all buried at the same site. Thanks for sending the links of the gravesite. I haven't been there since my Mom passed. Do you know how I can obtain his DT2-14 records since they doesn't seem to be any history of him? I wanted to have a shadow box created of his military history and awards to give to each of my siblings. I really wish my Uncle would be more cooperative!

Thank again!!
Stacey

 

If his records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, it will be difficult to get a copy of his discharge paper.

Many soldiers were advised to have their discharge papers filed with their county recorder once they got home. You may want to give that a try. However, it may be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the local and state privacy laws first. That may be a major obstacle, since it is much less work to cite "privacy concerns" than it is to track down a 70 year old document (assuming they even have it). That's not to say that there are not legitimate privacy concerns, of course. Short of a family member discovering it in a box or album, that's about all I can think of for tracking down his discharge paper.

You could hire a researcher, which will probably cost a couple hundred dollars. However, they may be able to provide answers to several if not most of your questions. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it.