How can I find my grandfathers WWII military records?

Question

How do I find my grandfather&#8217;s WWII military records? His name is Joseph Louis Edelen. When he returned home, he worked for Ft Knox until he retired.

Lisa Sharik · Answer

Ms. Schlegel: Someone else will provide information on how to try and request his file, if it survived the 1973 fire. Here are three documents from Ancestry to help get you started. It appears he was assigned to a Field Artillery unit. Lisa Sharik Texas Military Forces Museum

Lisa Sharik · Answer

Since he wasn't in the Army there in no online record like for your other relative but here are two documents from Ancestry about George Schlegel: Lisa Sharik

Rachael Salyer · Answer

Dear Ms. Schlegel, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; We searched the Access to Archival Databases (AAD) and located the World War II Army Enlistment Records database that includes one file related to Edelen, Joseph L. . If you believe this individual to be your grandfather, then you may use the information in the file when requesting a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). &#160; 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 before October 16, 1992 are in the custody of 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, 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. 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 if it survived the fire. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests . &#160; Military personnel records are completely opened to the public 62 years after the veteran leaves the military. If less than 62 years have passed since the veteran&#8217;s discharge date (to include any reserve time), certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the veteran or his next of kin. For more information see Request Military Service Records . &#160; Please note that the NPRC is prioritizing requests for separation documents needed by veterans and their dependents to prove eligibility for a variety of benefits. The NPRC expects to eliminate this portion of the backlog by the end of September 2022 and restore their pre-pandemic response times of under ten days for these requests later this fall. It will take considerably longer to eliminate the backlog on other types of requests, such as genealogical requests for complete copies of records. For more information, please refer to Onsite Operations at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis . &#160; Finally, some veterans registered with their state, county, or local veterans&#8217; organizations when they returned from the war. We suggest that you contact the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs to see if they can offer any additional assistance. &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research! &#160;

How can I find my grandfathers WWII military records?

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