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Seeking collection donated to 15th Air Base Wing history office

noellecharbonneau

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to ask this in, but I've hit a wall trying to figure out where else to look or who to contact. I'm trying to track down items that my great uncle, Roy M. Belco, donated to the 15th Air Base Wing history office regarding his time in the Army Air Forces in the Pacific theater during WWII. I have a letter to Roy from the historian at the time, Leatrice Arakaki, dated 17 December 1991 thanking him for his donation and stating that his items will be added to their historical archives. I would appreciate any help regarding how to track down someone associated with this office or any other tips about other places to look for Roy's collections. 

I would also be interested in information about Roy's career in the Army Air Forces in general, but our family believes Roy's records to have been destroyed in the 1973 NPRC fire so this may be harder or not possible to come by. 

  • +1

     

    Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

    Regarding the donated materials, we suggest that you contact the 15th Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, or the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA) for further assistance.

    We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Award Cards, 1942 - 1963 for the U.S. Army Air Force/Air Force that includes an Air Medal Award card for "Belco, Roy M. (36585067)" (see image 1007) and a Distinguished Flying Cross card for "Belco, Roy M." (see image 1148). These records have been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog links provided.

    The Award Cards list the General Orders (GOs) under which the medals were awarded to Roy M. Belco. Army Air Force General Orders are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis. Please provide the General order number, unit designation and date from the Award cards when you submit your request to them via email at stl.archives@nara.gov. It may also be helpful to attach a copy of the card to your request.

       

    In addition, microfilmed copies of Air Force Individual Flight Records have recently been accessioned by the National Archives, St. Louis (RRPO) and are open to the public for the years 1911-1958. The information you are seeking might be included in these records. Please contact RRPO at stl.archives@nara.gov to request a search of these records, and include the full name of the individual (last, first, and middle initial) and the specific year of interest in your inquiry. 

    We also located the series Draft Registration Cards for Michigan, October 16, 1940–March 31, 1947  in the Records of the Selective Service System, 1926–1975 (Record Group 147) that includes a draft registration card for Roy Marion Belco. These cards have been digitized and are available online from Ancestry (one of the National Archives’ digitization partners) as the collection U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 and from Fold3 as the collection US, WWII Draft Registration Cards, 1940. You may access the Fold3 collection free of charge. National Archives research facilities also provide free access to Ancestry, and many public libraries also provide access to such genealogical research sites for their patrons.  

    Once you have confirmed that the draft registration card is for your great uncle, you may also request his Classification History (SSS Form 102). The Classification History may contain: name; date of birth; classification and date of mailing notice; date of appeal to the board; date and results of armed forces physical examination; entry into active duty or civilian work in lieu of induction (may include date, branch of service entered and mode of entry, such as enlisted or ordered); date of separation from active duty or civilian work; and general remarks. Please complete a Form NA-13172 to request a search of these records and email it to the National Archives at St. Louis (RRPO) at stl.archives@nara.gov. We recommend that you attach a copy of the draft registration card, as it includes information which will make it easier to locate his classification history. For more information, see Selective Service Records.

    Finally, general orders, unit histories, and other supporting documents of many Army Air Force and Air Force units are in the custody of the Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Building 1405, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112-6424.  These files often include historical reports.  Please call (334) 953-5697 or write to that office for further information concerning these records.

    We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow up questions for the staff at Archives II, please email us at archives2reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further. 

    We hope this is helpful for your research! 

    Sincerely,

    Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)

    [RR2RR 23-67545-RS]