Seeking military records of Odist Edward Moore

Natalie,

Here is some information below. If it has been sometime since your mother requested his records I would consider doing it again. Plus there are different secondary sources to help locate records such as final pay, morning reports and rosters. Also if he was in 1st BN Co. D he would have been in a Heavy Weapons Group.

For your question regarding "Gold Stars" these are also known as Battle Stars and the were generally attached to the campaign ribbon signifying his units involvement in the different campaigns that the unit participated in.

Also just for your information and research I want you to have the correct information because the 15th Infantry Regiment was not apart of the "The Big Red One" This can be a confusing time period but just want to make sure all is correct.

3rd Infantry Division:

• 7th Infantry
• 15th Infantry
• 30th Infantry
• 3d Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
• 10th Engineer Combat Battalion
• 3d Medical Battalion
• 3d Division Artillery
• 10th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 39th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 41st Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 9th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
• Special Troops
• 703d Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
• 3d Quartermaster Company
• 3d Signal Company
• Military Police Platoon
• Headquarters Company
• Band

1st Infantry Division:

• 16th Infantry
• 18th Infantry
• 26th Infantry
• 1st Reconnaissance Troop (Mechanized)
• 1st Engineer Combat Battalion
• 1st Medical Battalion
• 1st Division Artillery
• 7th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 32d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 33d Field Artillery Battalion (105mm Howitzer)
• 5th Field Artillery Battalion (155mm Howitzer)
• Special Troops
• 701st Ordnance Light Maintenance Company
• 1st Quartermaster Company
• 1st Signal Company
• Military Police Platoon
• Headquarters Company
• Band

https://history.army.mil/html/forcestruc/lineages/branches/inf/0015in001bn.htm

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41381373/odist-e-moore

1920 Census record

Dear Ms. Lovins,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

As Mr. Schneider said, you may submit a new request for his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) and staff can conduct another search. OMPFs and individual medical reports for enlisted men of the U.S. Army who were separated from the service after October 1912 and prior to 1959 are in the custody of NARA's National Personnel Records Center 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. 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.

Also, we searched National Archives Catalog and located the World War II Operations Reports, 1940-1948 in the Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1917-1985 (Record Group 407) that may include general orders for the 15th Infantry Regiment. However, a complicating factor is that Purple Hearts were often not awarded by the unit a soldier was assigned to, but by the hospital where he was treated.  Without information from the OMPF indicating which hospital this is, locating this general order may not be possible. For more information about these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT2. Also, the NPRC is closed except for emergencies. Currently, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, and homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.

The Purple Heart was authorized for all soldiers wounded or killed during combat.  World War II era general orders for the Purple Heart often included multiple soldiers at once, listing each recipient but not providing a narrative of the events leading to their injuries. Therefore, even if the general order could be located, it is unlikely that it would give the name of the girl he saved.

There is no US Army military award called the Gold Star.  There are bronze and silver service stars authorized for attachment to campaign ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. See the following for more information.

• https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Bronze%20Service%20Stars%20and%20Campaign%20Stars

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_star

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!