Family military records

[pontifex]

I recently found out someone in my family was a pilot in the Navy during WWII.
I believe he was my mom's uncle.

I'm wondering how I can get more info about him, like where he served, what kind of plane he flew, what squadron he belonged to, etc.

Seems that to obtain most info through the government requires that you are immediate family, like son, brother, father, etc.

I know his full name, I know he was a US Navy pilot during WWII, I know when he retired from the Navy, and I know he was a pitcher for the Navy Midshipman.

Anyone know of any sites that are easier to get info?

 

[BoomerD]

If you take your title, " Family military records," and do a google search, you'll get a fuck-ton of good information. Ancestry.com can be pretty good.

Yes, a LOT of the information from the US Government will be restricted to immediate family...can you get any of them in on the search?

 

[Markbnj]

Ancestry.com has a lot of proprietary relationships, so you do find some things there that aren't available anywhere else. Next best is familysearch.org, which is the genealogy archive of the Mormon church. The Library of Congress has some things, and the National Archives have some things. You basically have to dig in as many places as you can think of.

 

[rpanic]

There are archive services that can get the DD214.

 

[DaTT]

My Grandfather was a tail gunner on the Lancaster in WW2. He's still alive, so I can get any info I want from him.

I do wish you the best in your hunting. Try to find any of his war buddies, check to see if they are alive. You may get some pretty interesting stories.

 

[IronWing]

Good luck!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Personnel_Records_Center_fire

 

[KMFJD]

My aunts dad was a submariner during WW2 in the south pacific, she spent 4 years in a Japanese concentration camp on Java.

 

[keird]

You've probably found the SF FORM 180 but you can also submit a FOIA request. Certain things are releasable for all military service members such as awards and any citations for those awards, any units they were assigned to and the corresponding dates of assignment, rank and dates of rank. Much can be gleaned from just that.

I recently had a co-worker submit an SF FORM 180. Unfortunately his dad's service records were destroyed in the St. Louis fire, however his medical records survived. It took 4-6 months just to receive them, though. Be patient.

I'd recommend getting the next-of-kin to submit the form and then distribute any records to the family.

Edit: Just submit the SF FORM 180 for now. You just can't check off the next-of-kin block. Specify everything listed in the FOIA (I recommend 'any award citations' aslo) in the comments section and submit it.

 

[styrafoam]

Good luck!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Personnel_Records_Center_fire

We hit a dead end because of this exact reason. OP if you meet with success I would be grateful to hear your methods.

 

[smackababy]

You've probably found the SF FORM 180 but you can also submit a FOIA request. Certain things are releasable for all military service members such as awards and any citations for those awards, any units they were assigned to and the corresponding dates of assignment, rank and dates of rank. Much can be gleaned from just that.

And, I don't know how it was back in WW2, but now days the citations for the awards include pretty much everything about it. They are ridiculously long and descriptive for that very reason.