Tribute thread...

[Blue74]

My Dad
My Older Brother
Nephew
Nephew
Uncle

[FredK]

Thanks to all who served.

[Dave Grubb]

My Dad
My Older Brother
Nephew
Nephew
Uncle

I hope they all made it home ok Paul

[Dave Grubb]

A little information that some might be interested in:

My father was born in 1907 and would have been 34 when WWII started so likely would not have been drafted because of his age. Beyond the age issue he was also exempted because he was a farmer---and most all farmers were exempt. To gain that status, required a review and approval by a regional draft board, which my father did serve on. There were more than a few phony farmers that tried to claim the exemption.

Beyond being a farmer my father was also a conscientious objector by virtue of being a Mennonite. However, that did not relieve anyone from being drafted into alternative service. Many conscientious objectors served as orderlies in hospitals and mental institutions, worked on conservation programs, worked in schools--anything deemed beneficial to the common good. Their length of service was the same as if they were drafted and served in the military.

My first job out of the army in 1965 was in a rock quarry owned by a Mennonite family. Their two oldest boys were working in a veterans hospital in Indiana. They both served 2 years there.

Obtaining CO status for members of a pacifist religion was pretty cut and dried for men active in their church. There were two types of CO status, one type objected to all wars and the second objected to serving in a combat role. Many medics on the battle field were COs and were unarmed. I believe (but not certain) that COs who served in alternative service are considered Vets.

Another quirk that I just thought of---when I entered service in 1962 the Army was stumped---the metal dog tags had your name, serial number, blood type and religion----they could not make a tag with Mennonite on it---the stamping machine that produced the dog tags, for whatever reason, could not be changed to stamp Mennonite.

[Independent Voter]

My father tried to enlist at the start of the war. They asked what he did and when he told them he was a crane operator at the shipyard, they told him to get back to work. There was no way he could do any more than what he was doing at the time.

[mgrist]

Have you done a search in NARA?......Ben

Thankyou, working on that. I was just thinking though, my dad was born in 1913 which means he'd have been 37 when the Korean war started, doesn't sound right. Maybe I'm mistaken about the Korean war? NARA is going to e-mail me the info on my dads service I think it was. I needed a form that I was suppose to download fill out and then fax it back. I don't have a printer or a fax machine so I had to write my case number, write out a declaration swearing he was my dad sign it and mail it. Then they would get me my info. My mom had just graduated college so she was in her twenties when she worked for the Manhatten project so I assume she was just a secratary or some such thing. Woman weren't held in high regard back then. I wonder how I can find out anything about her, any ideas?

[FredK]

Mike found this for the Manhattan project. https://www.atomicheritage.org/bios

Didn't know there was that many 600,000 is the best guess.

[Blue74]

I hope they all made it home ok Paul

Thanks, all did except my older brother.

[Truckman]

I wonder how I can find out anything about her, any ideas?

I have a backdoor into NARA and may be able to find something on both of them...If you want, PM me their full names, DOB's and anything about their service you can remember, and I'll try...I found out one of my aunts worked in the US Navy procurement office from the time she was 16 in WWII......Ben

[Dave Grubb]

Thanks, all did except my older brother.

RIP George

[Blue74]

RIP George

Thanks.

[Truckman]

Thanks.

No...Thanks to George......Ben

[mgrist]

Goy an answer;"Thank you for submitting a request to the National Personnel Records Center.

We have received your signature authorization for request number 2-23273553565.

The record needed to answer your inquiry is not in our files. If the record were here on July 12, 1973, it would have been in the area that suffered the most damage in the fire on that date and may have been destroyed. The fire destroyed the major portion of records of Army military personnel for the period 1912 through 1959, and records of Air Force personnel with surnames Hubbard through Z for the period 1947 through 1963. Fortunately, there are alternate records sources that often contain information which can be used to reconstruct service record data lost in the fire; however, complete records cannot be reconstructed."

[Truckman]

That fire was devastating......Ben