Retrieving my Father's service records

Howdy Folks,

Sorry if this has been covered, but i couldn't find anything with a search.

I am trying to retrieve my father's service records. I did a DD214 request
from the National Archive and got a mostly incomplete document.

The cover letter i got noted that there was a fire in the 70's i think?
that destroyed a lot of these documents.

What i did get shows his deployment to the Philippines in 1946
and that was about it. That showed he was awarded
a Bronze Star while active in the Pacific Theatre.
He was also in Germany after the war and in Korea in 51 and 53.

Unfortunately he passed before i could ask more of these questions of him,
so now i'm trying to stitch together whatever i can.
After i settled his estate i began to clean up our old house and found
no documents or anything related to that time at all.

He was the type that didin't like to talk about those times, so i always
thought if i had asked him he would remember things he didn't want to remember.
I really wish i had taken the time to ask more questions, but unfortunately i
did not.

Sorry for the long post, but i thought maybe some of you might have ideas
on how i could get more information about his service history.
I'd really like to know more about the Germany and Korea time
he spent and of course about the Bronze Star.

Thanks for any information.

 

OP sorry for the loss of your Father, My WWII Veteran Father passed away 1-25-2016 at the age of 95. My local VFW was a great help in finding out information for me a couple of years ago. Unlike DD214 now which list everything on one form. Your Father and Mine received a new DD214 each time the changed duty stations. I too was told of a Fire that had destroyed records. But the person who I spoke with at the VFW made a formal request and I later was sent a total of 5 DD214 in the mail for my Father. Good luck.

 

The Page avenue records center in St. Louis had the two top floors burned off in the early 70's with much loss. What wasn't burned, got water damage. Your father's records might have been part of that.

Howard

 

Thank you so much TomTwo, that is really good information on the VFW and the multiple DD214's...
i'll check with my local VFW and see what they have to say.

And my condolences on your loss as well, not a great way to start your year, but wow!...95 is a good long time.
I miss my old man every day, hang in there buddy.

Yes, that is the story i got. As i understand it, lots of records of veterans with names ending in A thru H were destroyed or
compromised in that fire.

Thanks again Gents!

 

I can confirm the fire the St. Louis Record center. My father served in Army aviation in the C.I.B theatre '43-45'. His records were destroyed in the St. Louis fire, his last name beginning with 'G'.... Some 40 years later I discovered a copy of his DD-214, he was stunned when I handed it to him, as he was never able to get the VA hospital care he needed for some 25 years. I've done extensive research at the National Archives in the old D.C. location as well as the new N.A. in Suitland, Md. If you know what branch of service, his MOS, or the units he served in from Division to Company ,both in WWII & Korea, start your history project there. N.C. to Suitland, Md. is a short hop, visit the National Archives, if you have the time experience the WWII Memorial in D.C. it's a profound experience for all. I was very fortunate to find my father's 'wingman' not 20 miles from me, that was a very personal history lesson. Don't give up, after 20 years of searching I found my Uncle's Korean War P.O.W. data on line this week, including his P.O.W. dossier record #. My next stop N.R.C. Suitland, Md. Korean war archives. Best of luck on your journey....your Dad would be proud of his son