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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Elliot Schneider Jun 11, 2019 9:27 AM (in response to Jim Wright)3 people found this helpfulHello Jim,
Here is some information I found hope this help. Yo can take additional information and request his military file from The NPRC in St. Louis, but he may not have been issued a final discharge paper if he was KIA. Not entirely sure if they issued individuals final discharge papers if they were KIA. They may have done seperate LOD file.
Thanks,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Elliot Schneider Jun 10, 2019 10:41 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)3 people found this helpfulHere is some more information I found on him through the industrial leaders
Brooke Dolan II was educated at Princeton University and Harvard University. He was a trustee of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. He led two expeditions to China and eastern Tibet in 1931 to 1932 and 1934 to 1936. The first expedition comprised Ernst Schäfer, a German zoologist, Gordon Bowles, Otto Gneiser, and Hugo Weigold. The second comprised Schäfer and Marion Duncan, an American missionary. Dolan's second expedition may have been motivated partly by the need to take a leave of absence from Philadelphia society after a January 1934 arrest on disorderly conduct charges.
On April 15, 1934, Dolan married Emilie Campan Gerhard, who accompanied him for a while on his second trip to China.
Dolan joined the United States Army Air Forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1942 he traveled to Lhasa with Ilia Tolstoy, a grandson of Leo Tolstoy, as a member of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), to meet with the Tibetan government. On December 20, 1942, they met the young 14th Dalai Lama and his Regent, the 3rd Taktra Rinpoche. They were the first Americans ever to meet a Dalai Lama. Tolstoy and Dolan, who were nicknamed "Mud" and "Slug" by their fellow OSS officers, both received the Legion of Merit for the mission. They are considered to have gone beyond their authority in leading the Tibetan government to believe the United States had given international political recognition to Tibet.
After the Tibetan expedition Dolan transferred from the OSS to the Army Air Forces and joined the United States Military Observer Group in Yunnan, China. Dolan died in Chongqing, China. According to some accounts, he was killed on an OSS mission to rescue downed Allied bomber crews; according to other accounts, he took his own life on August 19, 1945.
Thanks,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Elliot Schneider Jun 10, 2019 10:46 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)2 people found this helpful -
Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Elliot Schneider Jun 10, 2019 11:16 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)2 people found this helpfulJim,
I found something online that was interesting and worth looking into not sure if these items were sold at an estate sale on ebay through worthpoint either way if this is a family member of yours I would suggest reaching out please copy and past the link and see the pictures they posted.
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/brooke-dolan-ww2-oss-tibet-expedition-1691219438
Thanks,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Elliot Schneider Jun 11, 2019 9:17 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)3 people found this helpfulJim,
Because of the complexity I would recommend contacting the following
Their address is: usarmy.knox.hrc.mbx.foia@mail.mil
FOIA is Freedom of information Act, they will request all pertinent information and documents that they can or forward you to the correct agency responsive to those records
Thanks,
Elliot Schneider
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Jim Wright Jun 13, 2019 9:25 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)Thank you. I have done so. Very helpful.
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Jim Wright Jun 13, 2019 9:24 AM (in response to Elliot Schneider)Thank you. I had seen this -- apparently someone stole the wallet from the family's home a few years ago... Very upsetting to them.
Thank you.
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
bruce swander Jun 10, 2019 4:11 PM (in response to Jim Wright)2 people found this helpfulJim - Go to this link:
https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Freedom%20of%20Information%20and%20Privacy%20Act%20Requests
Scroll down to (almost) bottom of page - email for IDPF's
You'll need to put in FOIA REQUEST in header.
They only have records for 40 years - if before then, email me: bruceswander@hotmail.com
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Rebecca CollierJun 17, 2019 1:37 PM (in response to Jim Wright)
4 people found this helpfulDear Mr. Wright,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel, 6/1946 - 6/1946 for Pennsylvania. On p. 87, there is a reference to Captain Brooke Dolan (ASN 0-901154) that indicates that he died, non-battle (DNB). This designation was used for “other line-of-duty deaths, such as sickness, homicide, suicide or accidents outside of combat areas (including training and manuever deaths).”
According to the U.S. National Cemetery Interment Control Form, his date of death was 19 September 1945 and date of interment was 24 January 1949 at the U.S. National Cemetery of the Pacific.There should be an IDPF unless he might have been missing for a while. For information regarding prisoners of war and U.S. servicemen missing during WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War, and other conflicts, we suggest you contact the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), Public Affairs Office, 2300 Defense Pentagon, ATTN: External Affairs, Washington DC 20301-2300. The web site is https://www.dpaa.mil/
We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Holly RivetJun 18, 2019 2:30 PM (in response to Jim Wright)
3 people found this helpfulHello Mr. Wright,
Thank you for posting your question to the History Hub!
You may begin an inquiry by submitting a completed SF-180 to the National Archives at St. Louis.
National Archives - St. Louis
ATTN: RL-SL
P.O. Box 38757
St. Louis, MO
63138-0757
We hope this information has been helpful!
Holly Rivet
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Jim Wright Jun 18, 2019 2:21 PM (in response to Holly Rivet)All this help is great, and I appreciate it. I wished knew about History Hib a year ago.
So far I have filed an FOIA on Dolan and an IDPF, and before that went to archives in College Park.
Trying to find out as much about Dolan's work with the Dixie Mission and the circumstances surrounding his death in Sept. 1945.
Also curious as to why it took so long for his body to be buried, in Hawaii. (Family is very sensitive about anything surrounding his death, and I want to be respectful to them.)
I have also asked Golden Arrow Research for help. Will the SF-180 provide anything else?
Thank you.
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
Holly RivetJun 25, 2019 7:37 AM (in response to Jim Wright)
1 person found this helpfulHello Mr. Wright,
The SF-180 is the main request form for military records. The National Archives at St. Louis will have the IDPF while the National Personnel Center at St. Louis should have his Official Military Personnel File. Both record series would contain information regarding his death as well as older correspondence and are available to view for free in our Archival Research Room or have copies sent.
We hope this information has been helpful!
Sincerely,
Holly Rivet
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
George Qiao Apr 27, 2020 6:56 PM (in response to Jim Wright)I have come across some info from Chinese media on Capt Brooke Dolan II.
He joined the Dixie Mission and was part of 3 man team to observe local resistance force in the Hubei Province, which was still under Japanese Army control.
In Mid-Jan 1945, (one account place it on Jan 21) he visited a small village called Bianguancun in Renqiu (which is about 50-60 miles south of Beijing) to observe the local Guerrilla Warfare via tunnels. However, Dolan was 6'2'', much taller than the local population, he was seen by someone cooperating with the Japanese occupation and reported to the Japanese Army, who attacked the village next day at dawn, around 5 AM.
Dolan and the guerrilla force retreated into the tunnels, as well as some family members of the local militia, including wife and 8-month old son of the local militia commander, Hongliang Wei. There were two accounts of the event follows. In the haste, either the notebook or the Camera of Dolan were left behind during the retreat, which was found by the Japanese soldiers. Since that is not something local villagers could own, the attacker confirms the presence of a US military officer. The owner of the house, an elderly lady was badly beaten by the Japanese interrogator, and one account said 4 of her fingers were cut off.
One account says the attackers found the entrance of the tunnel but did not dare to enter themselves, they attempted to pour water into the tunnel to force people out, the other account says the Japanese Army could not find the entrance, they attempt to dig out the area surrounding the house to expose the tunnels, and found a different section of the tunnel, and was attempting to smoke them out. That is when this picture was taken by a liaison officer Shaohua Shi, who was accompanying Dolan.Other resistance forces rushed to their rescue and forced the Japanese Army to retreat, and Dolan was soon transferred back to Yanan and then Chongqing. Japan surrendered on Aug 15, 1945.
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Re: Seeking information on Captain Brooke Dolan II
George Qiao Apr 28, 2020 9:40 AM (in response to George Qiao)The book by Meyer, Karl E.; Brysac, Shareen Blair (2006). Tournament of Shadows: The Great Game and the Race for Empire in Central Asia. New York: Basic Books. p. 550. ISBN 978-0-465-04576-1
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