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My grandfather served in the Army during WWII, having been drafted straight out of high school. Unfortunately (but understandably) he never spoke much of his service. I do have a picture of him in uniform with a unit patch visible, but have been unable to identify it. I know it would be near to impossible to find records specific to him, but I would be happy to learn his unit's history. Any advice or direction to someone who can identify WW2 unit patches would be appreciated.
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WWII World War Two
WWII World War Two
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 9
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ADSEC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
ADSEC or ADSEC/COMZ represents "The Advance Section, Communications Zone", European Theater of Operations, United States Army (ETOUSA), which was formally activated at Bristol in February 1944. It is commonly referred to as simply "ADSEC". This was a U.S. Army logistical agency, the first on the Continent. Upon its creation ADSEC was attached to the U.S. First Army, and gradually took over the Communications Zone activities. The agency moved...
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Suspended Profile
OUTSTANDING SSgt Everett!
SSG Tim Everett
SGT (Join to see) I'd also like to point out, now that I'm fully coherent and firing on all cylinders, you have a number of options in pursuing your grandfather's military history. Not all of them are surefire, so if it were me I'd suggest pursuing all of them in hopes of maximising your odds.
1.) The national records office in St. Louis MO has a wealth of documents. The biggest drawback to this is the likelihood that your grandfather's records were lost in the 1970s fire. If his records exist and they are there, however, it's going to be a jackpot.
2.) Locate the ADSEC historical archives, and the post at which your grandfather served prior to shipping out. Records of that unit's activities and history should exist at that post. They may not have anything on your grandfather, but you can usually get a detailed history of the unit's activities in a particular time period. They might even have some old alpha rosters laying around. I did this with my grandfather, who was a B17 pilot and never really talked about it -- they had all the units that trained there listed as well as where they were stationed and who receive what medals were earned and when. Even some combat reports and debriefing reports were available. Some places require you to show documentation to prove relation, and you've got to do all the leg work 'IF' they let you to their archives. I never tried slapping a Freedom of Information Act down on the table, I just did what was asked of me.
3.) Try the county clerk in your grandfather's home county. Many of them kept copies of "their" vets and you might find more information.
4.) Ancestry.com is one of the best online tools, but you'll want to pay for a subscription rather than using the free-to-play offer. You might be able to find people who served with your grandfather and if any of them are still blessing our nation with their presence, you may be able to make contact and see about getting some first-hand stories.
1.) The national records office in St. Louis MO has a wealth of documents. The biggest drawback to this is the likelihood that your grandfather's records were lost in the 1970s fire. If his records exist and they are there, however, it's going to be a jackpot.
2.) Locate the ADSEC historical archives, and the post at which your grandfather served prior to shipping out. Records of that unit's activities and history should exist at that post. They may not have anything on your grandfather, but you can usually get a detailed history of the unit's activities in a particular time period. They might even have some old alpha rosters laying around. I did this with my grandfather, who was a B17 pilot and never really talked about it -- they had all the units that trained there listed as well as where they were stationed and who receive what medals were earned and when. Even some combat reports and debriefing reports were available. Some places require you to show documentation to prove relation, and you've got to do all the leg work 'IF' they let you to their archives. I never tried slapping a Freedom of Information Act down on the table, I just did what was asked of me.
3.) Try the county clerk in your grandfather's home county. Many of them kept copies of "their" vets and you might find more information.
4.) Ancestry.com is one of the best online tools, but you'll want to pay for a subscription rather than using the free-to-play offer. You might be able to find people who served with your grandfather and if any of them are still blessing our nation with their presence, you may be able to make contact and see about getting some first-hand stories.
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