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Finding military info on a WWII vet (Vanity)

Posted on 06/01/2004 9:44:13 AM PDT by livianne

Hey all,

I was wondering if there is any source of info about WWII vets that can be found outside of any info the family has? My grandfather spent a year and a half on the front lines in Europe and I believe he was awarded a couple of medals. Thing is, he never ever talked about it, and if asked he said as little as possible. He passed away a little over a year ago and we found out when cleaning out his apartment that he was having terrible nightmares of the war and had a constant feeling of fear that there were snipers aiming guns at him toward the end of his life. He worked as a medic on the front lines, and I can't even imagine the things he saw and had to deal with daily. I have his dog tags and old pics of him and other guys in his unit at home, but that is really all I know. He was lucky enough to come home to his young daughter born just before he left (my mom) and his wife. (Though she didn't know who he was when he came home, and cried when he picked her up the first time - his dog, however, remembered him).

I don't know if there is any source of this info or if it's lost in history, but I would love to find out more about what he did over there. I wish I could have found this out from him when he was alive, but considering that it haunted him I can understand why he never spoke about it.

In a sea of lost heroes, Louis Lebovitz, my grandfather, is mine.

Man, I miss him.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: military; militaryrecords; veterans; war; wwii
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1 posted on 06/01/2004 9:44:14 AM PDT by livianne
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To: SAMWolf


2 posted on 06/01/2004 9:46:06 AM PDT by Coleus (Roe v. Wade and Endangered Species Act both passed in 1973, Murder Babies/save trees, birds, algae)
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To: livianne

I'm looking for the same kind of info. What I have is not complete so bump to this.


3 posted on 06/01/2004 9:53:29 AM PDT by Bikers4Bush (Flood waters rising, heading for more conservative ground. Vote for true conservatives!)
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To: livianne

Any of the local veterans groups, e.g. American Legion or VFW, can help you, and there are websites such as http://www.vetfriends.com/.

Yes, seek out more about him and embrace what you find. It is never too late to salute an old soldier.

Good Luck.


4 posted on 06/01/2004 9:53:54 AM PDT by GopherIt
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To: livianne

Start checking google using unit/campaign information. I delt with an older gentleman some time ago. He was in WWII on a supply ship. I was able to find his ship's information and pictures of a number of his buddies.


5 posted on 06/01/2004 9:56:25 AM PDT by UB355
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To: Coleus

Go here for a simple explanation:

http://www.jahitchcock.com/search.html

Many of our veterans' records were destroyed in a fire in the 1950s (I think) and so much has been lost. If you have any pictures of your relative's dress uniform, you can look at his medals to figure out where he fought (which theatre, landings etc.).

Send me a private message if you need any more info. Would be glad to help. WWII history is a passion of mine. I'm no expert, but probably know a bit more than the average Joe.

Good luck.


6 posted on 06/01/2004 9:57:03 AM PDT by whodat57
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To: whodat57

bump


7 posted on 06/01/2004 9:59:56 AM PDT by msru
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To: whodat57

Thank you - I do have a number of pics of him at home that I took when we cleaned out his apartment. I also have a letter he wrote his sister when he was still stationed in the US which might have some unit info on it. I'll see what I can dig up and send it to you - or just post it on this thread. It's astounding the length of time that generation kept silent about everything it lived through...it's about time to get the stories out.


8 posted on 06/01/2004 10:01:44 AM PDT by livianne
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To: livianne
Military records are stored in St. Louis. There was a big fire in the 60's which wiped out a lot of records but you might try them. Or check with your congressperson. They might be able to find out the basics for you. From there you might be able to chase down other members of his unit as there are a lot of groups that get together every few years.

By the way, my dad doesnt like to talk about the war either. He went to a memorial service for World War II vets yesterday in my small rural home town. As he left the service he was stunned by the number of teenagers and adults who stopped him and thanked him for his service during the war. (I heard the same thing was happening at the new World War II Memorial) It had never happened before and he was practically in tears last night relating the story. Unbeknownst to those thanking him he has three purple hearts and spend much of 1944 and 1945 in an Army hospital recovering from his wounds.

9 posted on 06/01/2004 10:04:07 AM PDT by Dave S
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To: livianne

Try this:

http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/veterans_service_records.html


10 posted on 06/01/2004 10:05:29 AM PDT by wmichgrad
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To: livianne

If you know what unit he was with. Check out any Unit Association or unit history websites. They often have a contact to get more info or can lead you in the proper direction.


11 posted on 06/01/2004 10:08:17 AM PDT by SAMWolf (Now entering Iraq. Please set your clocks back 10 centuries.)
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To: Dave S
By the way, my dad doesnt like to talk about the war either. He went to a memorial service for World War II vets yesterday in my small rural home town. As he left the service he was stunned by the number of teenagers and adults who stopped him and thanked him for his service during the war. (I heard the same thing was happening at the new World War II Memorial) It had never happened before and he was practically in tears last night relating the story. Unbeknownst to those thanking him he has three purple hearts and spend much of 1944 and 1945 in an Army hospital recovering from his wounds.

Well thank your father for me too. I went to a memorial day parade/service in my town yesterday and they honored a man who served and who fought on D-Day and again in the Battle of the Bulge. When he stepped up to the microphone he barely had two sentences to say. I really believe that the generation who fought in WWII may have been the greatest generation of Americans in our entire history.

12 posted on 06/01/2004 10:09:49 AM PDT by livianne
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To: livianne

BTTT.


13 posted on 06/01/2004 10:10:46 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: livianne; Vic3O3

Livianne,

I and my wife, (vic3o3) are working on a similar project for my father's unit, (243rd signal operations company).

He also never talked about his time in WWII other than a couple of minor stories. I suggested to him a couple of times of recounting his experiences during WWII for Stephen Ambrose's oral history project at the Eisenhower Center. He never did and last Thanksgiving we lost him to a massive heart attack.

I am heading up to what will probably be the last reunion of his old unit this weekend. I'm hoping to get some information from the remaining survivors. What I'd love to do is be able to piece together something of a unit history. Mainly just for my sake but for anyone else who was interested also.

There are several different resources on the net if you have some basic information. My wife can post links...

Also if you can locate any surviving members of your grandfather's unit they may be able to help you piece the information togther also.

Semper Fi


14 posted on 06/01/2004 10:12:48 AM PDT by dd5339 (Happiness is a full VM-II and a DEAD AND BURIED AWB!)
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To: dd5339
Also if you can locate any surviving members of your grandfather's unit they may be able to help you piece the information togther also.

My mom always says if I can't find the information then nobody can...let's just hope she's right. :)

Do you think the VA would be able to help me? He was getting full benefits in the last few years of his life so they would have to have at least some info of his available to them - would my mother (his daughter) be able to get anything from them?

15 posted on 06/01/2004 10:15:11 AM PDT by livianne
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To: livianne

BUMP for later reading


16 posted on 06/01/2004 10:16:13 AM PDT by Nowhere Man ("Laws are the spider webs through which the big bugs fly past and the little ones get caught.")
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To: Mo1
PING!!

So9

17 posted on 06/01/2004 10:31:15 AM PDT by Servant of the 9 (Screwing the Inscrutable or is it Scruting the Inscrewable?)
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To: livianne

Another place you can check is www.wwiimemorial.com and click on the registry link at the bottom left. Then you can search by name. Many of these listings are sent by family members but many were also submitted by other groups, including the National Archives and many veterans organizations, as well as military cemetaries.


18 posted on 06/01/2004 10:32:09 AM PDT by microgood
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To: Dave S

Your story about your daddy brought tears to my eyes. He is one of those I was so grateful to when I was a little bitty thing. As young as I was, I knew it was "our boys" who were keeping me safe.

Please tell him that I thank him, too. From the bottom of my heart.


19 posted on 06/01/2004 10:34:29 AM PDT by JudyB1938
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To: livianne
The place to start is with NARA. (National Archives and Records Administration) which holds the records of ex-servicemen.

Yeah, there was a humongous fire in 1973 but it didn't destroy anybody's records utterly (it is a common dodge by Vietnam phonies... the records damaged in the fire contained no Vietnam era vets, but were those of certain earlier soldiers and airmen). Let me clarify: even if Mr Lebovitz's personnel records were trashed in the fire, there are still pay records, medical records, unit histories, morning reports, general and special orders, and thousands of other pages of paperwork that the services generate about a guy.

This page tells you how to get records. If you are not the next of kin (and as a grandchild you are not) you need to get an acceptable NOK to initiate the query or sign SF 180 (that being, for instance, your mom or a surviving aunt or uncle). A more distant relative (or a stranger) can get records including units of assignment and awards and decorations though... that part of one's military record is a public record.

http://www.archives.gov/research_room/vetrecs/

Unit associations can also be a great help, but many of them are dwindling now as the survivors finally encounter their mortality. If he was in a unit that still exists (like the 1st Infantry Division, the 29th, or the 101st Airborne) the association may be a little livelier). Your best bet is to get the records.

20 posted on 06/01/2004 10:35:02 AM PDT by Criminal Number 18F
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