RESEARCH A VETERAN:

How to Locate Someone Who Fought in World War II

Veterans Who Never Made It Home

Request the veteran's Individual Deceased Personnel File (IDPF). The IDPF will almost always establish his unit and give information on his burial. In many cases, it will also give valuable information about where and when he died, possibly including reports of the action in which he died. For men whose remains were never recovered or identified, extremely valuable records of the testimonies of his buddies are usually included, giving extraordinary information about the action, what happened to him, and when they last saw him. NOTE: You must send a letter before any information can be sent out to you. The letter should include your signed statement of willingness to pay the Freedom of Information Act fees for the work involved. If you are requesting your relative's IDPF, they may not charge you. They cannot do any work without a letter from you!

Freedom of Information ACT (FOIA) Office
Total Army Personnel Command
ATTN: TAPC-PAO (FOIA)
200 Stovall Street Alexandria, VA 22332-040
703-325-9256

You can find a listing of dead and missing Army and Air Force personnel by county at The National Archives and Records Administration website. Go to http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/ to get to the Archival Research Catalog (ARC). You can perform a search from there, or go directly to the following listings from the links below.

• World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel
• State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel

If the Veteran was buried overseas and you want information on a gravesite or possible memorial site, contact the American Battle Monuments Commission.

American Battle Monuments Commission
Courthouse Plaza II
2300 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 500
Arlington, VA 22201
703-696-6897

Veterans Who Made It Home After the War

If the veteran came home then his discharge papers will provide a lot of valuable information. If you do not have these papers you will want to contact the National Personnel Records Center To get this information you must fill out a Standard Form 180. To get a form, call the following numbers and leave your name and address. The Standard Form 180 will be mailed to you.

National Personnel Records Center
(Military Personnel Records)
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
314-801-0800
http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html

The National Personnel Records Center might not have any information about your veteran due to a severe fire in 1973 that destroyed many records. If this is the case, you may try contacting the Department of Veteran Affairs. They have addresses and information on veterans who applied for benefits. To find out if they have any information on your veteran, call them at 800-827-1000.

If the Department of Veteran Affairs does not have any information you can try contacting the Veteran Affairs Insurance Center at 800-669-8477.

If you do not know the veteran's Social Security number and the veteran has applied for veterans benefits after April of 1973 you can send a $2 check made payable to the Department of Veteran Affairs. In a letter to them, ask for your veteran's VA claim number, not his Social Security number. If the claim number is nine digits, then it is also the veteran's SS number. Mail this letter to:

Department of Veteran Affairs
Records Management Processing Center
P.O. Box 5020
St. Louis, MO 63115

Finding a Veteran's Outfit

Once you find information on your veteran, or if you already knew it, you can contact members of that veteran's military unit. A good place to start is with Ben Myers Associations and Alumni Database. This site has information on many military organization and groups. From here you can contact the person in charge of the group your veteran served in to get further detailed information. This is the best way to get in contact with the soldiers who served with your veteran.

Other Links That Might Help You

• Military Reunions
• USMC Reunions
• WWII U.S. Veterans Website
• Department of Veterans Affairs Homepage

You can also contact:

The United States Veteran Support Information Index
P.O. Box 528
Morris, NY 13808

Good luck!

Acknowledgements

This information could not have been put together without the following sources.

• Dad's War
• Ben Myers Associations and Alumni Database
• How to Locate Anyone Who is or Has Been in the Military by Lt. Col. Richard Johnson and Debra Johnson Know, MIE Publishing, Spartanburg, SC, 1999