To clarify for the list: Approximately 80% of the US Army records from 1912 through 1959 were destroyed in a fire in 1973 at the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis. What was a six story building is now a five story building. This includes records of the Army Air Corps during World War II as they were actually Army personnel. There is also a section of the alphabet for Air Force records that were destroyed but I do not have the exact break at my fingertips as I write this so rather than err I will wait until I dig it out. Thus a substantial portion of Army personnel records for World War I, World War II, and Korea were lost to the fire. A travesty for future genealogists when you realize how much the Revolutionary War and Civil War Records are used today. There are however other possible resources at the National Archives at College Park MD for World War I units records if you know the unit they served with. Often there is a unit diary and the onion skin copies of all the correspondence for the unit. Also there are ships passenger lists for those going overseas and coming back. You must know the unit however. These lists also give the name and address and relationship of the person to be notified in case the ship sunk. At St Louis there are Morning Reports for World War II which survived the fire. These are on microfilm and under control still of the Army but if you know of a date that an incident occurred and the unit and serial number you can request a copy. remember that the Morning Report only reported people by exception, such as when killed, missing, transferred to a hospital or another unit or promoted. They cannot do general name searches. Hope this is helpful John Bowen Silver Spring MD ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bette" <betterich@uswest.net> To: <NY-Military-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 7:29 PM Subject: Re: [NY-Mil] World War I records > Do you mean World War II? I did not know that the World War I records had > burned. My husband's burned too. This was for World War II. His for after > the war also burned. We were able to get reconstructed ones for World War > II. They never could do the ones afterwards. > > Send the form to NARA. Put every little bit of information that you know > about him in there. Especially where he lived when he enlisted or was > drafted if you know or if you do not guess at it and say he might have lived > there. Do the same for his residences after the war. Cities and counties > are good even if you do not know the street address. Put in the name of his > wife (s). Was he ever treated in a Veteran's Hospital or could he have > been? If you have any idea where he served (France, Italy, South Pacific) > put that in. There are not enough spaces on the form for all this but > either attach it or write outside the spaces. They can reconstruct most of > them. If you have not done this try it. Otherwise, go to the County Clerk > or Recorder's Office in the county in which he lived when he was discharged > and ask if they have a copy. Some do, some don't. Could he have belonged > to the VFW or American Legion? That might be a source too. If he is still > living, he needs to sign for the records. If he has passed away it is best > to send some kind of proof of his death. You can not obtain records for > living veterans. Good luck. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Greg & Heather Lindholm" <gh_lindholm@earthlink.net> > To: <NY-Military-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Thursday, May 25, 2000 5:01 PM > Subject: [NY-Mil] World War I records > > > > Could any one tell me if where I can look for World War I records for my > > grandfather Leon L. Ross who served in the Army during WWI and whose > records > > were burned in the fire in 1973? I had heard that some records had copies > > made and towns kept them. I also wondered if the DAR could possibly have > > his records. I know he enlisted in Glens Falls, NY. Any and all help > would > > be appreciated! Thank you in advance for your time. > > Heather Lindholm > > > > > > >