Help Please!!!

I have a problem. My Uncle Teddy (great uncle) was in the Army in WWII and participated in D-Day. He was shot in the leg (unknown if it was on D-Day or in a subsequent campaign) and for the rest of his life walked with a limp and had to use a cane. He passed away in 2002. My father, who met him many times at family reunions and picnics, recalls him as a "very gregarious and outgoing man, just a great guy to be around." There's no record of him on the 29th Division morning reports, so he was either with the 90th, 1st, or 4th Infantry Divisions, or the two Airborne divisions. He enlisted in 1942. Does anyone know (other than paying $70) where I could learn more about his service?

 

Well you could start by providing more information here, like his full name and what his hometown was. You can write away to St. Louis for his military records (if they survived the fire) or they can reconstruct his records. Make sure you ask for his medical records too, they may come back separately from his personnel records.

If any of his letters home survived those would also give his military address and unit. Did he participate in his local VFW? They might be able to help. When GIs got home they were encouraged to file their discharge papers with the county courthouse. If you know his home town you could check there. Since you say he was wounded you could also check his home town newspaper archives for any articles about him. If he was from a small town that can be found fairly easily using the Mark I eyeball.

Did he leave any memorabilia with his family when he died? This can also provide lots of information.

Find out what you can and post back here and the forum can help fill in the blanks.

 

I echo all of SirJahn's suggestions. Also, local or county historical societies can be a great resource. One of the counties that my family hails from has file folders on many of the local families with donated records, newspaper articles, family histories, etc.

Family (and especially in this case, extended family) can be an incredible resource. Old photo albums and scrapbooks and mementoes can be passed down through the family with the recipients not really realizing what they have. If they know you as a person who is interested in the family's WWII history, they'll know who to contact if they find something. That's how I received most of the few items I have regarding my great uncles.

 

Theodore C. Scheick
Essex County, New Jersey
Thanks SirJahan and Tommy, I'll check in with the Essex County courthouse when I get the chance.

 

Here is what NARA has:
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 32245231
NAME SCHEICK#THEODORE#C######
RESIDENCE: STATE: NEW JERSEY
RESIDENCE: COUNTY:ESSEX
PLACE OF ENLISTMENT FT DIX NEW JERSEY
DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY 04
DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH 03
DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR 42
GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION Private
BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Civil Life
NATIVITY NEW JERSEY
YEAR OF BIRTH 16
RACE AND CITIZENSHIP White, citizen
EDUCATION 2 years of high school
CIVILIAN OCCUPATION Skilled occupations in electroplating, galvanizing, and related processes
MARITAL STATUS Single, without dependents
COMPONENT OF THE ARMY Selectees (Enlisted Men)

I don't see him in the Prisoner of War listings.

 

Thanks! Since he enlisted so early, I'll take a leap and suggest he wasn't with the 1st Infantry, as if he were he would've been involved in the North African campaign. Obviously a shot in the dark, but it may be the case.

 

I would put money on the 90thID, judging by his enlistment date of March 4th 1942, the 90th ID was reactivated 25th March 1942. Could be a place to start.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/90th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)#World_War_II

His serial number is that of a draftee.

 

Thanks for all the info. I'll try to get in touch with the Essex County Courthouse on Monday.

 

That's a great website for research: Division and Regiment GOs, AARs, Regiment Histories, Division History, and Company Photos.

 

My grandmother just forwarded me an email received from her aunt. Apparently, Uncle Teddy wasn't involved in the Normandy invasion, but the Italy invasion. The story must have been changed as it was passed down (I'm guessing someone heard "invasion" and immediately thought D-Day). Sorry for the confusion! I'll post the transcript of Aunt Teresa's email here soon.

 

Transcript of Aunt Teresa's email:

"As for Uncle Teddy---he was drafted before the war began---once the war started he was shipped to North Africa---remember Rommell and his Panzer Division was a force to reckon with while Uncle Teddy was there in No. Africa until the invasion of Europe--he was part of Gen. Mark Clark's Army and went with him---I think it was the 5th Army all through the invasion of Italy to Rome---at first Uncle Teddy was in the transportation section and he was assigned to drive the large supply and fuel trucks---he had a few near misses---his truck was a definite target for the bomber pilots---eventually one of his superiors realized that it might be safer for him to have another assignment so he was assigned to be the Chaplain's assistant and he remained in Italy until the end of the war. He came home on a troop ship which took at least a week and the soldiers had a chance to kind of decompress--the Vietnam vets never had that opportunity---they were on the battlefield one day and back in the USA the next day without any transition time. Aunt Bette wrote to him every night---they used what they called a very thin paper self sealing envelope and he wrote back as often as he could---they had their own secret code and when he could write he would put the initial of the town where he was---some times the letters would not be in order but eventually you could map out his location. I would have to look up the time that he returned home, was discharged, and was married to Aunt Bette( the year after your Mother and Father were married). If I think of anything else I will let you know. Hopefully Bette Ann will remember some additional things."

 

Be sure to check with family members if they have any letters he may have written home. They will usually have information as to which unit he was with at the time. Also, any family photos of him in uniform or newspaper clippings can provide clues.

 

Thanks Tommy! I had already shot off an email to his daughter asking for any photos, recollections, letters, etc. she may have.

 

I just put this together with your other thread on interviewing. I am getting slower these days.