My father, Albert J. Trusdell, fought in the U.S. Army in WWII from 1943-1945. Upon his death in 1993, my mother gave me a small box of his "Army stuff" which included a Bronze Star medal, his dog tags, several good conduct medals and campaign ribbons. There was nothing among the material my mother gave me to indicate how or why my father was awarded the Bronze Star. From conversations with my father before he died, I know he was an anti-aircraft gunner and infantryman attached to the 439th AA Battalion, mostly included in Gen. Mark Clark's Fifth Army, which fought in the North African and Italian theaters. It also reached southern Germany by the end of the war.
Previous attempts to research any records were met with the explanation that a fire in or near a St. Louis, Mo., warehouse in 1973 destroyed my father's records.
https://www.va.gov/records/get-military-service-records/reconstruct-records/
Is there any way to learn what my father did to earn the Bronze Star?
Thank you,
Brian Trusdell
