I finally got my father-in-law (who is 94) to talk a bit about his service. I was able to discover that he left the army as a Master Sergeant in the Finance Division of the Headquarters of the XIVth Corps. He remembers being in the Philippines, Bougainville, and Japan (he mentioned Tokyo). He says he was in many places, often for only a short period of time. He said that one thing he was proud of was that he and his unit never missed a payroll. Once, it entailed going to the front in a jeep with a load of cash, but they made it nonetheless. I don't have much other information to go on, so if there is anyone out there who can provide more details about this unit, I would appreciate it.
Great job, Lou. Any time a WWII vet opens up it's a wonderful experience. A few things about XIV Corps: HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Triumph in the Philippines [Chapter 11] HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Guadalcanal: The First Offensive [Chapter 14] Philippines Campaign, Phase 2 | World War II Database XIV Corps (United States) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Thanks for those links. I've seen a lot of the information, but because he wasn't in a front line unit, it's hard to find details. I'm guessing the Finance Division was well back, although he did say they had weapons issued, I'm not sure he ever used it. I'll keep looking.
OK, here's a follow up mystery. I checked the NARA site for my father-in-law's information. Nothing shows up. His brother's name is there, but not his. His name is George W. Angstadt. He lived in Philadelphia. I'm not sure if he was drafted or enlisted, but in any case, a search of the records does not turn him up. He was born in 1916. Any ideas?
