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Salutations. Or should that be "salutes"?

Discussion in '☆☆ New Recruits ☆☆' started by LittleBill, Nov 25, 2022.

  1. LittleBill

    LittleBill New Member

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    I have joined primarily because I am doing some family genealogy and I am trying to make sense of, and reconcile various sources, the different records of the times my relatives (starting with my father but maybe also my grandfather) spent in the WWII army. After a 9 month wait I finally got most of my father's separation documentation (Form 53-98 1 Nov 1944, but they didn't send me the reverse side of his Separation Qualification Record so I have to see what I can make out from what is showing through the other side) but I am having problems making sense of it (or maybe I am just being confused by the way the army moved him around). Of course I have no living relatives who know anything about that time so I'm purely using whatever online resources I can find. He was in the ROTC at college, then entered as a commissioned 2nd LT in '41. He was apparently in the cavalry (he learned "animal management" as well as truck engines), and a rifle platoon leader of a parachute unit of the Sixth Air Force, and was trained in multiple stages on about 4 airfields at different times as a single engine pilot (despite having a civilian license before entering the army). From what I can tell the army kept on shuffling him from one occupation to another and then back again until finally separating him as a Captain in '46. Any recommendations as to the best forum to which to post?
     
  2. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    You can request any documents they failed to transmit.
     
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  3. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    Did you get a copy of his DD214 ? Funeral homes, American Legion ( if he was a member), and local newspaper articles if the tines are a great source.

    Request your military service records (including DD214) | Veterans Affairs

    Putting together past military history can be a real pain but stick with it. NARA in St. Louis records were burned in 1973 but if his last name was toward the beginning of the alphabet you may be in luck.

    If you're willing, post as much as you have and I'm sure there are folks on here that can narrow in on more.

    Welcome and good luck. We'll do what we can.
     
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  4. LittleBill

    LittleBill New Member

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    I called NARA about the other page. So basically they sent me his 53-98 which had a bunch of information. One page. They also included the first side of Form 100. One page. However, I can see printing showing through from the other side. I flipped it over electronically so it reads the right direction and it is a more detailed summary of his training. It also starts with line 14 and the first side ends with 13, ergo what I was seeing was a continuation of the document. The problem is I can only read where there's no printing on the side they did send me. In fact I went online and found another person's 100 and it does show there is more information on the other side. It is 100% for sure a two sided document. I then called NARA and asked them if they could send me the complete 100. The person on the phone there said what I was seeing was from another document and they had sent me everything they could send at this time. I argued that they said they would send the Separation documents and mine was incomplete because a complete document would have two pages. He repeated that it was a different document and that if I wanted to I should wait a few months and submit another request. *groan* This one took about 8 months to get here.

    I didn't ask for the DD214. I remember filling out a form and mailing it in but I don't think I have a copy of what I sent in. His last name started with "H" so it's probably in the 80% casualty.

    Any particular sub forum for this kind of topic, or should I just go with what makes the most sense to me?
     
  5. Biak

    Biak Boy from Illinois Staff Member

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    You might start a thread here : WW2|ORG - WWII Open Resource Group

    Provide as much info as you can, name, branch of service, timeline, theater of service and anything else that could give us a heads up.
     
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  6. LittleBill

    LittleBill New Member

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  7. LittleBill

    LittleBill New Member

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    I just looked up about this and SF 180 for requesting information. It says that next of kin absolutely must provide proof of death such as, "DD Form 1300, Casualty Report, a copy of a death certificate, newspaper article (obituary) or death notice, coroner’s report of death, funeral director’s signed statement of death, or verdict of coroner’s jury."

    I am 99.999% certain there is no existing paperwork of that nature. I know none of my siblings have anything and other relatives in that family line are deceased. Our stepfather received any documents my mother had but we're no longer in touch. I can't even find an obituary since he died in a relatively small town where the newspaper closed shop decades ago and there's nothing on Newspapers.com. All "proof" I can find are text-only records on genealogy websites. Those are Social Security Administration information and BIRLS records that aren't an image of something but some kind of electronic database record. You'd think if BIRLS was accepted then the NPRC would mention that because it would be something I would expect they'd be able to look up. I think BIRLS is a federal database but it wouldn't surprise me if one branch didn't speak to others. Anyway, if he were alive he'd have to be be 107 years old. Somebody posted a photo of his gravestone on Find-A-Grave.com and I have an image download of his gravestone application form to the Army. I'm not sure that would be convincing enough.
    EDIT: I see that the headstone application form DD1330 is acceptable. Fortunately I found an image of that on Ancestry.com.

    The bit on the website saying if you request a DD214 it may cost you money but they can't tell you how much, you'll just receive an invoice, is a bit scary.
     
    Last edited: Nov 28, 2022
  8. OpanaPointer

    OpanaPointer I Point at Opana Staff Member WW2|ORG Editor

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    Ask for a schedule of fees.
     
  9. GRW

    GRW Pillboxologist WW2|ORG Editor

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    Welcome to the forums!
     

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