Reading on another site about someone who obtained his fathers service records from WWII. Can anyone point me in the right direction for this. My dad was a Seabee, pretty sure he was at Midway. Thanks

Good afternoon-

You may have read elsewhere that there was a fire in a warehouse (St Louis?) in about 1973 which destroyed many personnel records for WWII-era veterans. I see this fire cited regularly when folks have difficulty finding official service records.

Still, it may be helpful to find out what Seabee unit(s) he served with. There are two books (Can Do & From Omaha to Okinawa) by William Bradford Huie, which tell the story of the founding of the Seabees and their exploits in both theaters of WWII. One of the books, perhaps both, has an index listing the Seabee battalion numbers and general reference to where in the Pacific or European Theaters they served and fought. Finding which battalion(s) served on Midway could then enable you to find a veteran's association or other group from the same unit(s).

I hope this helps.

HH

quote:

Originally posted by dblwall:
Reading on another site about someone who obtained his fathers service records from WWII. Can anyone point me in the right direction for this. My dad was a Seabee, pretty sure he was at Midway. Thanks

Follow the directions here;
Request Copies of Military Personnel Records

As you go through the process you will come to a "Comments" section. In it enter that you want a copy of the "Entire" service record. Failing to do that will only get you a copy of the DD214.

quote:

You may have read elsewhere that there was a fire in a warehouse (St Louis?) in about 1973 which destroyed many personnel records for WWII-era veterans. I see this fire cited regularly when folks have difficulty finding official service records.

No Navy records were lost in that fire, only certain Army and Air Force records were lost.

The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center (St. Louis, MO)

BoatsBM1

Boats-
Great link on the St Louis fire. What a disaster!

HH

Did your father apply for/receive VA benefits? If so, contact the regional VA office where he lived. They will also have some information regarding his service.

Caveat - be very careful doing this. I pulled a copy of my father's WWII Army records from the VA as all NARA had was a very badly damaged copy of his discharge. Let's just say there were a few things regarding his personal life that were better left buried.

Because our friend resides in California and hopefully the dad was not from the Midwest, the St. Louis fire should not be a factor anyhow. Different areas of the country have the records for that location.

If nothing else works contact your State Senator and they will help you file the right papers and check for you. They will also be able to secure a DD214 (discharge papers).

Also, www.va.gov can be helpful.

Thank you for caring about your fathers great service to our country.