Seeking my Grandfather's WWII Army Records

Donna,

You might want to ry reaching out to the State Veterans Office for the state he grew up in. You may also try contacting the local county veterans service office or county recorder office. The men and women typically registered their discharge papers with the county. This was because of state benefits or WW2 stipends paid by the state for their service. If you have his name and DOB and place I can take a look as well.

Thanks,

Elliot Schneider

Dear Ms. Travis,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for enlisted men of the U.S. Army who were separated from the service after October 1912 and prior to 1958 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. In many cases where personnel records were destroyed in the 1973 fire, proof of service can be provided from other records such as morning reports, payrolls, and military orders, and a certificate of military service will be issued. Please complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail it to NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002. Veterans and their next of kin also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests. When submitting your request, please provide as much information as possible, including name, date of birth, branch, years of service, social security number, and service number (if possible).

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NPRC was closed from March 23 through June 23, 2020. As of June 24, the NPRC entered into Phase One of a gradual reopening process. The center is currently only servicing emergency requests associated with medical treatments, burials, homeless veterans, VA Home loan guarantees, and employment opportunities. If this is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. We apologize for any inconvenience.

From what can be assessed from the photograph and from additional sources such as Find-A-Grave, the lapel insignia shows that he served in the Coast Artillery. The two ribbons from left to right are the American Defense Service Ribbon and the American Campaign Ribbon. The ADSR indicates that he served in the U.S. Armed Forces prior to December 7, 1941 and the ACR indicates that he served in the American Theater of Operations (ATO) which included both the North and South American continents. The Expert and Marksman weapons badges were also awarded.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!