I'm trying to find out my Grandfather Thomas Joseph Warfel's service record and 55 combat jumps in the 10th Airborne during WW2

Question

I would like to know more about my Grandfather Thomas Joseph Warfel. I know he was in 112th Field artillery/ cavalry. For 11 months and the entire WW2 in the 10 th Airborne. He had at least made the rank of Sargent but after the war made him a private. I know he had 55 combat jumps. He was one of 3 brothers serving and 1 brother-in-law all of which were Liberators. I am putting a tribute together for him and would like to know if he received any medals or honors. He sadly passed away on veterans day. Thanks for any information.

SteveMotherwell · Accepted Answer

Thank you for your help. It was a total of 55 jumps through his training and combat. He was in the battle of the bulge, crossing the Rhine, Weitzel Germany as well as a Liberator. He is listed in a local newspaper article as a Sargent that met up with his 2 brothers and brother-in-law, all of which Liberators. I would like to know why he was involved in that many jumps. Most of his life his body was riddled with pain from an early back surgery in '49

Textual Reference Branch, Archives II · Answer

SteveMotherwell 
 Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! 
 
 Military service personnel files and individual medical reports for the period in which you are interested are in the custody of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis. You should complete a GSA Standard Form 180 and mail to the Military Personnel Records, National Personnel Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. You may also apply online . Please be aware that there was a fire at the Records Center in 1973 and some records were destroyed. 
 
 The Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR) has custody of the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917- (Record Group 407) and the Records of U.S. Army Operational, Tactical, and Support Organizations (World War II and Thereafter) (Record Group 338). Military unit files among these records consist mostly of historical reports, after action reports, unit journals, and general orders. These records do not include personnel information, nor do we have a name index to these records. 
 
 General orders, as referenced above, do include information about the official bestowal of medals on individual service personnel. However, these records are arranged by unit, thereunder by date and thereunder by general order number. We would need this information in order to search our records. If you have a copy of his discharge certificate, this information might be included therein. 
 
 Selective Service records for individuals who served after World War I and born before 1960 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis, ATTN: RL-SL, P.O. Box 38757, St. Louis, MO 63138-0757; Phone: 314-801-0850; Fax: 314-801-9187; email: stl.archives@nara.gov . There are two types of records: the ledgers and the cards. The ledgers are in the public domain and not restricted by privacy. The cards are considered personal information and written permission for release, a death certificate, and/or an indication that the information is requested for genealogical purposes should accompany the request for copies of the cards. Please use the enclosed form to request a search of these records. 
 
 World War II U.S. Army Enlistment Records are in the custody of the Electronic Records Division (RDE) and are available via AAD (Access to Archival Databases) on the National Archives website at: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/ . Click on "World War II" under the category section. A list of the databases relating to WWII will appear and select the first database to search the WWII U.S. Army Enlistment Records. 
 
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 We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research! 
 
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 Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR) 
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