Vito August Licata 100th 397th 2nd BN CO.F

Good morning everyone,

My name is John, MSgt USAF, Ret. I've recently been digging on stories I kept hearing from my wife's family and with a picture they found, of my wife's grandfather, I finally found a bunch of information from Marshall Foundation and received a massive PDF from Michigan University about the 100th ID (Story Of the Century) in WW2. His WW2 photo of with:

2 Bronze Stars France and Germany, Purple Heart Germany, Good Conduct Medal, 3 combat campaigns three Bronze Service Stars for the Battle of Ardennes/Alsace, the Battle of the Rhineland and the Battle of Central Germany, Presidential Unit Citation, and WW2 Victory Medal.

All corroborated with the 100th ID book from their division historian. I just can't find any of his citations because it was all burnt in the 1970 archive fire. Does anyone else know where I could find them possibly? He's not on the Purple Heart website or Bronze Star website unfortunately, and most likely due to the archive fire so they can't search it. He is also on the 397th Regimental book I bought, both published 1940s.

The file is 200MB but I'll provide the Michigan University PDF link, might also help anyone from the 100th ID WW2

U-M Library Search

 

The citations you are most likely to find are for the Bronze Star Medals. It would just take some time. The General Orders covering those would be either in the 397th Infantry and/or the 100th infantry Division files at the National Archives, Archives II, College Park Maryland. More likely the 100th Infantry Division. However, it will take time, since 5,156 Bronze Star Medals were awarded under General Orders of the 100th Infantry Division.

 

Files are too large

Is that National Archives different than the Military Personnel Archive that had the fire? I didn't even know they would have it at separate places...

 

Yes, the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis had the fire in 1973 and suffered the loss of personnel records. Military Records, including the records of the Adjutant General's Office - General orders, Special Orders, After Action Reports, and all other unit records, for World War I, II, Korea, and Vietnam, are at Archives II, College Park, MD. Pre-World War I records are at Archives I, D.C. The Eisenhower Presidential Library at Leavenworth has near complete duplicate sets of World War II AAR's, but not GO, SO, and other ancillary records.

The Archives system is quite large. There is also the Washington National Records Center, which holds current records for various federal agencies, eleven Regional National Records Centers, 15 Federal Records Centers, and the Presidential Libraries, as well as ten affiliated records centers and various contract storage facilities.

 

Thank you! I went through a few things already and these Fiche files or whatever they're called makes no chronological sense and search function doesn't come up easily. I found some organization to the Fiche files and some have 1944 France Purple Heart I found a few 397th and 398th but unless you know the approximate date of injury or award, it's hard to make sense of it all. Hopefully I'll come across the 100th ID Fiche file. Fiche01 to 02 looks like an Airborne unit.

They are records only available physically too VS online. Might call them since they have a number and email to see where the 100th and 397th is located. Thank you again for leading me to the right direction. It helps he's on the Division and Regiment historian books, just be good to have the original award order and statement.

 

You can contact a competent researcher like Golden Arrow. They will give you a quote for tracking down the Bronze Star citations in the GO. I've used them for a number of years since I moved away from DC so can no longer go to Archives II myself.

The Purple Heart may be problematic since many of those were not awarded by the Division but at the Field, Evacuation, or General Hospital where they were treated. The only ones in the divisional records would likely be for those awarded at the Division Casualty Clearing Station for those treated and returned to duty.

Unfortunately, the Hospital Records database at Fold3 is very hit or miss. I could not find any admission record for his service number, which I think was 32680574. The only thing they have is his 1940 draft registration card.

 

Awesome! Everything you're sharing is making logical sense and filling in all the puzzle pieces. On the Michigan PDF website, Story of the Century, Division Historian book, I found his WIA proof but being a Division award makes sense now since from the stories of his family, from Vito, he served until October 1945; he was at the ceremony that's on video for the 100th ID Award ceremony at Goppingen Germany July 1945.

 

It's not the full page, for some reason I can't upload anything above 1mb