Greetings All from the cornfields of indiana. My name Is Vern and I'm the son of a WW2 U.S. Army Vet.I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone and hoping to find some useful information about my father service years on this site.
European theater I dont have a lot of info other than a small book my father carried that had a few names of men he served with and his discharge papers. He was a member of 281st Fa Bn. I did find a small atricle on another site about another man who servered in this unit Henry Hupps memoirs. My father didn't talk alot about what he went thru during the war other than he and a few buddies enlist on the same day which was dads birthday april 1 1943 before he went to work and when he returned home that evening his papers to ship out the next day was in his mailbox. I do have a pic of his unit
thank you Thank you Kitty and the only records i have of my fathers is his discharge papers and a small book listing a few names of some of the men he served with and where they where from at that time apparently he had passed it around and had the men sign there names and addresses it also gives a few dates and where he was on that givin day. i know he enlisted on his 18 birthday and returned home from the war 3 years later 1946 on his birthday
thank you annie yes this is about all i have been able to find out other than a few storys my mother has told me about his service unfortunately my father past away 13 years ago to lung cancer. He never spoke very much about his experiences in the war other than he had been apart of some very horrific battles and had seen the tragedy of war up close. I do know from my mother that there was 7 other local boys that he grew up with that enlisted the same day but only 2 others returned home after the war.
I have a portrait of my father that was done by a german pow in one of the camps after the war ended. Where would be the proper place to post it since i am new to forum?
Probably in the POW section as it is associated to the camps. Vern one thing that will help immensely is if you apply for your fathers records. I believe they are now held at: National Personnel Records Center Military Personnel Records 9700 Page Avenue St Louis MO 63132-5100. If your mother is alive then she will probably have to apply as next of kin. However due to a fire in the 1970's approximately 80% of Army records were lost, and you may have to piece the record together from other sources, starting with his regiment and working from there. If it is like here, each regiment has its own museum, archives and associations, from which basic records and regiment movement can be traced. Also try: United States Center of Military History 103 3rd Avenue Fort Lesley J. McNair DC 20319-5058 Centre of Military History You are in for a long haul, but good luck.
