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my 2nd cousin's death in WWII

MBoyd

My 2nd cousin, Donald R. Morrison, from Sterling, Worcester County, Massachusetts (serial #31257380) was killed in action on April 25, 1945. DOB 12 Sept 1919. I know he was in the US Army, but I would like to know more information about his Division and Unit if possible. There is some information on the Internet that he died in Czechoslovakia, but no one can substantiate that claim. Thanks very much for your assistance. He was awarded the Purple Heart but no one in my immediate family knows anything about this, which is a shame!

Marie

  • 0

    Hello,

    I would suggest requesting a copy of his Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). For the Army IDPFs from 1940-1976 of personnel with surnames that begin with M-Z, write to U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Casualty & Memorial Affairs Operations Division, ATTN: AHRC-PDC, 1600 Spearhead Division Avenue, Department 450, Fort Knox, KY 40122-5405. I would provide them with all the indication you have on him.

    in addition, you might also want to request a copy of his military records/OMPF. Here is a link with information on how to do that:

    https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel/ompf-archival-requests

    You might also see if the State of Massachusetts has any of his records:

    www.massnationalguard.org/.../military-records-branch.html

    Here is his enlistment data, if you do not have that. It should  assist you in your above requests.


    Source: NARA

    In case you have not seen this, here is a copy of his casualty information card (US WWII Hospital Admission Card Files):

    Source:NARA via FOLD3

    His draft card:



    Source: NARA via Ancestry.com

    In addition to making the above requests to help determine the circumstances of his death and his Army unit, does anyone in you family have photos of him in uniform that may have identifiable patches, or correspondence from training locations while in the US or correspondence from Europe that has an APO address? All of those may assist in determining his unit.

    Based on the date that he was KIA and the suggestion that it occurred in Czechoslovakia, it is possible that he was associated with the 97th Infantry Division, who was fighting to seize Cheb, Czechoslovakia at that time. Unfortunately, I could not find any reference to his name in the few 97th ID sources I could access. So, that is simply conjecture at this point.

    i hope this helps, and good luck with your search.

    Dan

  • 0

    Hello  

    Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

    In addition to the information provided by the community, we would recommend that you request his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs for Army enlisted personnel who were separated from the service after November 1, 1912 (July 1, 1917 for officers) are serviced by NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) 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.

    You'll want to 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.  If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF).

    Veterans and next of kin of deceased veterans may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Please note that next of kin of a deceased veteran must provide proof of death of the veteran such as a copy of death certificate, letter from funeral home, or published obituary. For more information see Request Military Service Records.

    Special Note: since he was killed in action, he should also have an Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF) which may have additional information about the circumstances of his death and burial. These files were NOT affected by the 1973 fire.

    At this current time, IDPFs from 1940-1976 for U.S. Army personnel with surnames that begin with A-L are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RRPO). For more information about these records, please contact RRPO via email at stl.archives@nara.gov. 

    Additionally, some IDPFs from WWII have been digitized and are available to search and browse on the National Archives Catalog. 

    We hope this helps with your research!

  • 0 in reply to History Hub Info

    Dan - you have provided a WEALTH of information here - I cannot thank you enough! Some of these pearls I already had - his draft card and his hospital admittance card to name a few, but the leads and links for future searching are invaluable and I shall pursue them. 

    In regards to the unit Donald served him - I have the newspaper article the listed him going off to Fort Devens in Massachusetts, which is not too far from his hometown of Sterling. I researched which Army units came out of Fort Devens and here's what I found: 

    the 45th Infantry division

    the 32nd Infantry division 

    the !st Infantry Division - Big Red. 

    Of these three division, I think it must have been the 1st that punched through to Czechoslovakia. Im speculating that he could have been assigned to this unit - faulty logic????

  • 0 in reply to MBoyd

    You are very welcome.

    You should keep in mind that Fort Devens, among other functions,  was a reception center during the war. That being the case, he could have been there only temporarily before being sent to another installation for training with another unit. As you know by now, tracking down the movements of these Soldiers is not easy.

    Again, good luck.

    Dan