Help

[apis mellifera]

My grandfather was, I believe, in the Army in WWII. He just turned 91 and still has a great sense of humor. He's also not the type to sit around and wax nostalgic about getting malaria in New Guinea let alone any of the combat he saw in WWII. He does have this picture hanging on the wall:



Never being in the military, I have no idea how to interpret the wording at the bottom of the picture so that I can affectively search military records. I have no idea where to start the search, nor could I guess at the abbreviations that might be used. From what I've been told, my grandfather ran supplies via mules. I adjusted the contrast on the pictured held by the center fellow and it does appear to be a pack mule.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt

[Ron Smith]

Matt,

It's an artillery training group photo. It wouldn't be possible to trace his unit with this info. After he graduated artillery training he would probably have been assigned to another unit for deployment.

"Pack" refers to the Pack Howitzers, the small artillery pieces shown in the photo. They were used in close terrain, heavy jungle fighting or disassembled and carried on mules in mountainous terrain, for infantry support artillery. The term "pack" means, able to pack around or to carry as on a "Pack Mule".

Ron

[alanint]

If I were you I would sit your Grandfather down and tell him you are very interested in his experiences and you wish to record them for family history, which you in turn, will pass down to your decendants. This may help him to open up.
A good technique I have seen used is to ask him about the men he served with. A vet will often be reluctant to talk about himself but will open up to discuss the friends he served with. The more information you gather this way the more you will piece together your Grandfather's service history.
If you become aware of anybody locally who served with your Grandfather this is also a good place to start. They will be happy to talk about him and not themselves.
You are uniquely priviledged to still have your Grandfather around so don't lose any time in working on him respectfully in order to prreserve that family history.

Good luck

[apis mellifera]

Thanks guys. So that's an Army outfit, right?

Both my grandfathers are still alive and doing reasonably well. Unfortunately, neither have any desire to sit down and revisit that part of their past and I can respect that. Every once in a while they will make an interesting comment, but not expound on it. One of them said about the gasoline shortage, "During the war the Japanese had little cars that ran on charcoal because they didn't have gas." That's it and the subject is closed. They aren't purposefully evasive, I just get the sense that although those were monumental times, they've moved on and defining modesty, what they did was "no big deal". My grandfather's older sister is still alive too and she enlisted as well. She entertained my wife and I with her war stories last summer at her 90th birthday party. Anyway, thanks for the responses.

[Ron Smith]

"So that's an Army outfit, right?"

Correct.

It's also a very interesting and historical photo in that the Howitzers have the old wooden spoked wheels. Most were outfitted with solid steel wheels.

You might casually ask him what unit he was with. Division, Regiment, etc. Write it down and start researching. You have the fact that he was in New Guinea. It's just a matter of tracking down which Pack Howitzer Field Artillery units were in New Guinea. You may be surprised at what you can dig up when you have a few prime facts.

Check this site: http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/...nea/index.html

Ron

[tudorbug]

Matt: Abbreviated service records can be obtained unless they were destroyed in the 1973 fire in St. Louis. Source is National Personnel Records Center. If interested please send me private email if more information is needed. I'll be happy to help!

Very kindly, David

[tudorbug]

For all:

Anyone who had relatives who served in the Armed Forces in WWII should also know the following:

Any service member who served in World War II and who was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge or the Combat Medic Badge is eligible as a result for award of the Bronze Star Medal.

That award can even now be made via the National Personnel Records Center if the service man's records were not destroyed in the aforementioned fire.

I have the delight of being involved in the process that led to two verterans of that conflict being awarded this medal some 60 years after their separation from active duty in 1945 or 1946. In one case a formal award ceremony was presided over by a Brigadier General.

Please send me a private email if more information is needed. I'll be happy to help.

Very kindly, David