I have a business trip this week in the St Louis area and will have time on Friday to visit the National Archives there. I'll be looking for morning reports and anything else they have on the 30th Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop (Mech)/30th ID I've already called them and reserved time to look through their micro-film or fiche (whichever they have). Do any of you have any other advice or considerations I should be aware of?
Yeah, make it downtown and hit the "Flying Saucer" bar. Great selection of beers on tap. If you like Mexican food search for "Chimi's".
I suspect we'll give the watering hole a try. I'm about worn out on Mexican food. A few years back you couldn't throw a dead cat without hitting a Mexican restaurant. If given any option, I'd just about rather eat anything else. When we were in Rotterdam back in March, my daughter talked us into trying a "Mexican" restaurant a few blocks from our apartment. It was interesting, to say the least. Our impression was that someone showed the owners pictures of Mexican fare and described the taste to them. It was not exactly what I had grown accustomed to over the years. And in keeping with the Dutch dining conventions, they brought us a large cone of frites instead of chips and salsa. It didn't exactly fit the palate and the meal was the only less-than-enjoyable dinner we had the whole time we were there.
Steak? Colton's, over in Illinois a bit, has good meat. If you're riding Harleys try "Fast Eddies" in Alton, IL.
Jeff: While I'm sure there is a good Mexican restaurant in Europe, I've never once found it. Last time I had "Mexican" food in Europe (in Switzerland) I nearly threw up. Would have given the term "Blitzkrieg" a whole new meaning....
My daughter ate at one below her hostel in Bratislava that she said was actually very good. She was greatly surprised and only was tempted to try it because it was late at night, they were hungry, and were too tired to walk anywhere else. Of course, those conditions may have influenced her thoughts on the quality of the fare.
Time for sightseeing? The Butterfly House is very cool. The Gateway Arch is awesome. If you're into trains or old wheels the National Museum of Transport is a good stop. You can have dinner on the Mississippi onboard a genuine faux Mississippi steam boat.
Jeff, here's a research suggestion. If someone you are interested in was WIA and sent to a medical unit, try checking the medical unit's MRs for the day(s) he would have likely arrived. There may be a patient list attached to the MR which will list the wounded and describe their wounds. That worked with one of my uncles and I got additional information about the nature and extent of his wounds.
I made to the National Archives, but without getting into a lot useless detail, I didn't get to spend enough time there. I did find many of the morning reports I was looking for, but I need to go back and complete the search. I wished I had gone there before I finished the interviews with Mr. Marion and completion of the manuscript. I think some of the information I found would have jogged his memory a little better. The staff were tops. They were helpful beyond what I would expect from a governmental organization, even going so far as pulling microfilm rolls for me early, so I wouldn't lose 45 minutes or so of my limited time.