Seeking U.S. Army records of Cpl Kenneth Robbins

Dear Mr. Sowieralski,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). 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 1958 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. Use his date of death as the “Date Released.”  If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know you may omit it or provide estimates, however the more information you provide, the easier it will be for NPRC staff to locate the correct file if it survived the fire. You may also attach a memo or letter with additional information such as his unit name, which can help if NPRC staff need to consult auxiliary files.  For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests.

Burial case files for 1915 to 1939 are in the custody of the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL). Also, copies of most of the monthly rosters from November 1912 - 1943 and morning reports for Army units from November 1, 1912 to 1959 are in the custody of RL-SL. For more information about these records, please contact RL-SL via email at stl.archives@nara.gov. 

World War I rosters have been digitized and are available on FamilySearch at United States, World War I, military muster rolls and rosters, 1916-1939. These can be accessed with a free account.

According to the publication Soldiers of the Great War. Vol. I-III. Washington, D.C.: Soldiers Record, 1920., which lists American soldiers who lost their lives in World War I, Corporal Kenneth F Robbins was a resident of Goodell, Iowa, USA.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located located Lists of Outgoing Passengers, 1917 - 1938 in the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92) that includes the following listing:

These passenger lists are also available through Ancestry.com as the data collection U.S., Army Transport Service, Passenger Lists, 1910-1939. Accessing them through their website may require a paid subscription. Some libraries provide free access to their patrons.

Next, we located the series titled Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 in the Records of the Selective Service System (World War I) (Record Group 163) that includes a draft card for him that we are attaching to the end of our reply.

You also may be interested in his unit records. While unit records generally do not include detailed information about each soldier, they can be useful for understanding the activities of the unit as a whole. We searched the National Archives Catalog and located a series titled Records of Divisions, 1917 - 1920 in the Records of the American Expeditionary Forces (World War I) (Record Group 120) that includes the 90th Division and files of the 358th Infantry Regiment in Entry P 1241-90, Boxes 28-31. We also located Records of Infantry Brigade, 1917 - 1919 in Record Group 120 that includes records of the 179th Infantry Brigade to which the 358th was assigned.

For more information about the division, brigade and unit records, as well as the passenger lists, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

Photographs of various US Army units and activities during World War I are in the custody of the National Archives at College Park - Still Pictures (RDSS). Please email RDSS at stillpix@nara.gov to request a search for photographs of specific units. Please note that OMPFs typically do not contain photographs of soldiers, nor did the Army photograph every soldier or every unit.

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 RDSS, RL-SL and RDT2. Also, the NPRC is currently only servicing emergency requests associated with medical treatments, burials, homeless veterans, VA Home loan guarantees, and employment opportunities. If this is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines. We apologize for any inconvenience.

In addition, we searched online and located the following resources regarding the 358th Infantry Regiment and/or the 90th Division:

• The 90th Division Association Unit Histories
• Texas State Historical Association: Ninetieth Division
• A History of the 90th Division
• 90th Division, summary of operations in the World War. Prepared by the American Battle Monuments Commission
• The 90th Division in World War I The Texas-Oklahoma Draft Division in the Great War
• 358th Regiment Lineage and Honors Information
• American Armies and Battlefields in Europe
• Order of Battle of the United States Land Forces in the World War, Volume 2 American Expeditionary Forces: Divisions
• Battle Participation of Organizations of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, Belgium and Italy 1917-1918
• Combat Service of Organizations of the United States Army in the World War
• Service of Major Organizations of U.S. Army Outside Continental Limits of the U.S. During the World War

Finally, the National World War I Museum, the National Museum of the US Army, and the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center may have holdings of interest.

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