Finding military info on a WWII vet (Vanity)

[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.

[mountaineer]

I'll second what Dave S said about the records center in St. Louis - it's a good first place to look. I just wrote a newspaper article ( posted here, 49-51) about a trip my husband and I took to follow in the footsteps of our World War I relatives, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a day-by-day account of my grandfather's regiment's activities just by googling it, e.g., 314th field artillery.

[livianne]

My mother says that if I can find enough identifying information she will send through the request. She's as interested as I am, but less motivated. In the last few years I seem to have become the family historian and record keeper. It's a job I'm glad to have. I'll defintely try to get records through NARA once I can get together some info beyond his name (and I think I have this info, just in various places)

Thank you, and everyone else for all the advice and tips!

[livianne]

My mother says that if I can find enough identifying information she will send through the request. She's as interested as I am, but less motivated. In the last few years I seem to have become the family historian and record keeper. It's a job I'm glad to have. I'll defintely try to get records through NARA once I can get together some info beyond his name (and I think I have this info, just in various places)

Thank you, and everyone else for all the advice and tips!

[Mo1]

Thanks for that link CN

When I started the search of my Dad's military service, All I knew was that he was part of the 69th Infantry Division .. I tried getting info by way of my Senator, but was told the records were destroyed in the fire of '73 and was never able to get much information that way

Just when I was about to give up .. I found out the guys from the 69th put up a website detailing many activities during the War.

With the help of a wonderful gentlemen by the name of Joe, we were able to track down more information to go on. It is also how I found out the guys from the 69th had also written a book shortly after the war detailing accounts of their battles.

Another wonderful man sent me the book for me to copy and to add to my file.

Also .. a great Aunt of mine that recently passed away .. I learned had saved many of my fathers letters from the war .. which I was able to piece together other parts of his time while in the Army

Livianne - Keep digging, it may take a little while but the information will start coming together