fire destroyed records what now??

I am trying to get info on my grandfathers twin who was kia on d-day at omaha beach. I wrote to na got a letter back says there records for him were destroyed in fire and all they can offer is last pay reports for 60 dollars. They said a sample was in the letter but it was not and i dont know if it will tell me what i want to know. I want to know what division he was with i know he was a medic. This is very important to me and i want to be able to tell the younger members of the family about the real hero in there family. Please help me figure out were to go next who else can i contact to find out this info. After i find out who he served with im sure i can find out the rest threw the net. Thanks to all you who will help me Jerry

 

There should be a Report of Interment or Burial or Disposition of Remains. These records are kept separate from those at the National Archives. I believe they are kept at the US ARMY Quartermasters Museum.

The next thing you could do is search the 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division there will be casualty lists and you can locate him through there. You can also search the American Cemetary at Normandy all through the interwebs.

Posting a scan of the letter you got from the National Archives may help as well.

Good Luck and Welcome Aboard!!!!

 

Was he in the same outfit as his brother? If so, dig around for all you can find about him too, and that will help you piece together who was where and with whom. If not, then you can rule out searching that unit's information.

Check with the 4th Infantry Division as well. They went in at Utah Beach. The fighting there was not as bloody as Omaha Beach where the 1st and 29th went in (along with the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions), but they took a lot of casualties as well before securing the beach.

 

Contact the Army HRC and request his IDPF.

IDPF is the Individual Deceased Personnel File.

It should tell you his unit, i.e., Regiment, Division,
and the circumstances of his death.

It is available without cost to family members
of WW II servicemen who died overseas.

Here is a sample letter to request one:


US Army Human Resources Command
ATTN: Public Affairs Office (FOIA)
200 Stovall Street
Alexandria, Virginia 22332-0404

Dear Sirs,

IAW with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I should like to
request a copy of the Individual Deceased Personnel File for my
uncle , who died in World War II.

Below is his personal information:

- NAME:
- RANK: PFC
- ASN:
- UNIT:
- DATE OF DEATH:

I realize that this will take some time, and I will be patient.
Naturally, I am prepared to pay any costs necessary for the
production and mailing of the file.


Dave

 

Thanks guy i just wrote the letter to hr dept well see if that gets me anything i hope so this is important to me.

 

Don't forget to let us know what you find out please.