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Seeking WWII records for my father Donald Phillip Spehn from Chicago Ill. Born 7/4/1925 Chicago Ill. Purple heart recipient. MIA IN France, post Normandy. May have been found and returned by Jewish Welfare Board (JWB). Any data would be appreciated by his

DonDuck

I am seeking information on my father, Donald Phillip Spehn, and his military service during world war 2. He was born July 4 1925, in Chicago, Illinois,and served in the US Army. During the war,he sustained a serious chest wound,was reported missing for a period, and was eventually located and assisted by an organization in France that helped Jewish soldiers. He was awarded a purple heart but rarely spoke of his experiences. I am looking to find any related records related to his military service, injury details, unit assignment, or the organization that provided aid. Any guidance on accessing morning reports, hospitalization records, or additional military documentation would be invaluable.

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    Hello DonDuck, 

    Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

    It appears that he joined Company B of the 345th Infantry Regiment on March 20, 1944 after his basic training at Ft. Benning.  Please see the Morning Report for this unit and date in the record series Morning Reports, ca. 1912–1946.  Currently, 1940-1943 is fully available online.  1944 is in the process of being uploaded with more to come in the next few years.  To review the other Morning Reports we have for him on our catalog, search within this series here.  You'll search for his service number which was 36768342.  You should have four results at the time of this writing.  Each one you select will be large files, but there is a column just to the left of the image that will link you directly to the page(s) he is mentioned on.

    We recommend that you request a copy of  their Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and individual medical reports for those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis. In many cases where Army and Army Air Corps 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 may be issued if enough information can be located. 

    You may use eVetRecs to submit your records request online. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Alternatively, you may 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 forms 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 you want the complete record, where it asks which items you are requesting, please specify that you want the entire file. 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 Request Military Service Records. 

    Records of service members who separated from all military obligations (including reserves time) 62 years prior from the current date can also review the records in the Archival Research Room at the National Archives at St. Louis. The Morning Reports are available to review on microfilm into the 1960s.  Please see the linked website for more information. Email stlarr.archives@nara.gov for further assistance prior to making an appointment.

    We hope this information has been helpful!