How I Found Out Which Ships My Dad Served On in World War II
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Over the years, the names of the ships changed as often as the assigned duty stations where my Dad served for over twenty years in the U.S. Navy. Growing up as Navy dependents, our family was accustomed to getting a crisp salute from the Marines at the gate of military bases, enjoying commissary privileges, ten cent movies on base, having military I.D. cards and sometimes even spending the day on a navy vessel.
Trying to recall the names of those ships and military bases has become more difficult as the years go by. Of the three kids, I seem to be the keeper of records holding notebooks of long ago conversations, muddled by my indecipherable scribblings; how I wish I had asked more questions and taken better notes while I still had the opportunity. There was rarely a time that Dad would begin a story when I didn't pull out a pen and begin to scribe, yet there are gaps and holes that I can no longer fill in with a quick phone call to him. He is gone but not forgotten. Love you Dad, RIP.
- National Archives and Records Administration
Dependable source for military records and veteran information
To my delight, I've found a way to fill in a few of the gaps as I reconstruct the timeline of my father's military service assignments. If you are a veteran or a deceased veteran's next of kin, you can submit a request for records through the National Personnel Records Center. There is no charge for this service and it's remarkably easy.
With a little patience and a little information about your veteran you too, can submit a Request Pertaining to Military Records, or Standard Form 180, as prescribed by NARA, the National Archives and Records Administration.
This material was written by PegCole17 who retains all rights to publication. If you are reading this on any site other than HubPages then this material has been copied without my permission and is a violation of copyright law. I would appreciate if you would contact me at pegcole17.hubpages.com to report any misuse.
Personnel records and Service Treatment Records (STR) of military service members who retired, were discharged or died in service over the past 62 years are available to the next of kin of the veteran.
When Standard Form 180 is submitted to the appropriate agency, depending on the branch of service, it requires a minimal amount of information to complete the form, including the exact name the veteran used during service, their social security number, date and place of birth, branch of service and date entered and released from military service.
The form asks if this person is deceased and the date, and if the person retired from military service. They offer a checklist of items that may be requested, such as a form DD214 (which is the military discharge "Report of Separation from the Armed Forces of the United States"), an important form useful when filing for military benefits and other business.
The requester can ask for All Documents in the Official Military Personnel File (OMPF), Medical Records including Service Treatment Records (outpatient), inpatient and dental records.
The form does asks your purpose in obtaining these records, although the answer to this is voluntary, it may result in a "faster reply" when answered. When I submitted my Form 180 I listed my interest in writing a chronology for the veteran's descendants and for publication of stories related to military interest.
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Your signature on the form is required along with any proof of death (death certificate) as well as the relationship you have to the military service person (next of kin - daughter). I didn't have an actual death certificate but I was successful in submitting a copy of the obituary from the newspaper along with a copy of the funeral card showing the birth date and date deceased of the veteran.
After making a copy of my request, I eagerly waited for the return of my packet, having posted the form in the mail on March 7. When I called to follow up on the request on March 25th, I spoke with an efficient, well-informed staff member who found my request quickly and let me know they were "working on it" and waiting for copies of certain documents. He let me know I should expect something by April 8-15th.
The manila envelope marked Official Business came from the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, arriving in what I considered remarkable time on April 7, 2011 just 30 days after my request was mailed. I'm still discovering interesting facts about my Dad's military service from the copies of actual documents I received, like a list of the decorations, medals, badges, commendations and campaign ribbons that he was awarded. I admired the colorful ribbons many times and never knew what they stood for. There were records of his pay scale, his ports of duty, service training completed, even insight into what classes he took in High School and sports he played, as shown on his enlistment papers.
If you are a historian or just fascinated with the details of your parent's military service, requesting this information for your veteran is a highly recommended and enjoyable endeavor. Follow the link shown for the National Personnel Records Center to begin your quest.
All the best to you in your search for clues.
- Homepage - USS Rich - Deceased Shipmates
Plank owner, Lt. Cmdr. Byron Moore
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Well, this is really interesting. Our family historian is my older sister and I am going to send her a link to your Hub. Thank you this information is so valuable.
You've made your Dad even more proud of you!
My Dad served in the Canadian Navy and after he passed I wrote to Ottawa and got all of his records. I actually found out some pretty interesting stuff about my Dad that he had never told me about through the records. Awesome Hub!
That is soooo cool and wonderful!! Totally interesting and yet another way to gather history. love it.
I didn't realize it would so easy to figure things out. Thanks for the information.
This is a terrific hub that I'm sure will help a lot of people. As I have been tracing my ancestry for about 20 years I so appreciate tips from people that help fill in those holes in their lives. What you are doing is creating a legacy that will pass on to your children and their children and so on. Great information and rated up.
Outstanding hub. A good way to determine if there are survivor benefits available for surviving dependents as well. Thank you for sharing.
Very interesting, Peg. Who knows; maybe one day I'll find out exactly what my husband did in the navy, cause he sure isn't talking... Lynda
Hello WillStar, Great to see you again and congrats to your wife's cousin on the Captain's status. Quite an accomplishment!
Mckbirdbks, Hey there. Thanks for sending the link to your sister, the historian. I hope she will find the records she needs! Nice to see you today and thanks for the nice message recently. I've been thinking a lot about Dad recently. Thanks for your kind words.
Hey there Susan, Isn't it great to discover stuff about your Dad that you never knew? This morning on the Today show, Maria Schriver interviewed a lady who wrote a book about her Dad, after discovering a suitcase filled with his Military items. She reconnected with her father who suffered from PTSD after years apart. Fascinating story. I hope one day to write about my Dad too.
Thank you for posting this valuable information PegCole17 and to Mck for forwarding me the link.
Thats an amazing story and it's a useful hub for anyone who is looking for the same type of information, it's great they were so organised and able to give you the info you requested.
Wonderful Hub with lots of useful information. It probably will help a lot of people. Thanks for sharing...You Dad was quite a Handsome man, you make him proud.
Using your terrific advice I was able to go online today and order military records for my Dad. Use this link at eVetRecs at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/. Request must be signed and can be faxed or mailed. Expect a 90 day turn around. Thanks again.
What a helpful hub. Not being from the US, I won't be able to put it to direct use; but it makes me think there are likely to be similar records kept by other countries....my Dad served in the New Zealand Navy during WW2, but never really opened up about it; he was involved in one heroic incident that was reported in the local paper, and his sister kept the clipping, so growing up, I did get to see that.
Interesting too, that you say you hope to one day write about your Dad. I'd had that plan for quite a while, and finally posted a story about my Dad a few days ago. Quite a cathartic experience, but now I'm pleased to have at least a short 'online memorial' to him, and his values. I recommend you go ahead sooner rather than later; you might enjoy the same experience I did. :)
Lynn, my friend, so nice to see you again. Thanks for the nice comment and for sharing my joy!
CWanamaker, Yes, really do able. I could barely believe it was that simple.
Pamela99 Hi! So good to see you again. I seem to remember that you have done a lot of research in ancestry. Thanks for the nice comments here.
Hello there A.A. Zavala, Good point, using the info to research survivor benefits. It is important to find out what's available. Thanks for adding that note and for your nice comments.
Hi Lynda, I just found out something new about you. Didn't know you had a connection to the navy. Then you've lived the life of a military dependent as well. In one of my other lives I was an Air Force wife. It is good to see you here today - I've missed you lately.
Sister that, How nice to meet you. I'm so thankful your brother shared the link with you.
Thanks so much for relaying your success in ordering your Dad's records and for providing another resource for others like us who are gathering up clues. You are awesome! I look forward to reading more about you.
Nice to meet you also PegCole17. My brother is the awesome writer and I do the family genealogy. Thank you for your kind words. Easy to see why you have hundreds of "followers". :) Take Care and keep up the good work(s).
Sangre, Hi. Thank you for your very nice comments. Truly I was pleased and surprised at the way my request was handled.
b. Malin, I'm hopeful that others will find this information helpful. And thanks, your compliment is very, very sweet. He was rather dashing in his uniform, at least, I always thought so.
Sister that - Again, thank you so very much for the positive reinforcement and helpful link.
..what a lovely and most interesting story you have presented us here ...... and one in which I can relate - you see my dad (and best friend) was a veteran of World War II as a Canadian soldier for over 6 years and he even wrote a memoir of his experiences and in civilian life he was quite the historian of not just 'his' war but of all wars and history in general - so yes this wonderful story of 'yours' made me think and it moved me and touched me too - so nice to meet up with you here at the Hub - thank you for your nice endorsement of my humble little hubspace and coming from such a great hubber like you that is really quite a compliment indeed.
Hello writeronline, I'm so glad you decided to stop by and leave a comment here. Your mention of a heroic rescue is timely as I have just found a clipping of a news article from the 60s about my own Dad.
You are so right about getting that story written, sooner rather than later. I'm hopeful these records will help me fill in the blanks in my sketchy notes. And the process of writing is truly cathartic as you mentioned. It's so nice to meet you here, and having read a little about you, I look forward to reading much more.
Again, thanks so much for your kind words and thoughtful comments.
Epigramman, Having recently discovered your writings, I look forward to learning more about you and reading your Dad's story as well. I find that kind of history truly fascinating. And, btw, you are the great hubber e-man, not me.
Really great history you have found! I think this is something you could start up for folks to come to you, after you do all the work researching! Take care..
Hi Jo_Goldsmith11, Thank you. Finding the time to research is difficult and yet it offers the pleasure of personal discovery. I believe each person gets something different out of fact finding missions with their family history. Even looking through old pictures creates a certain feeling about our ancestors and their lives.
Interesting. I am glad the pieces are fitting together for you
Hi ethel, Thank you for stopping by and for commenting.
PegCole17 the records we sent for with the information you provided arrived, in just under two weeks. I wanted to thank you again.
Mckbirdbks, Wasn't it a fascinating package? I'm still grasping new facts as I read over the induction forms, the leave pages and all the remarks. Thanks for taking time to share your success and also for telling your sis about it. Peg
Hi, wow! so it is possible to find out this information! I have been trying to find various things about my uncle and my mom, this has given me a lift, thanks nell
Nell Rose, Hi there. Yep, it definitely is possible. I wish you much success in finding your uncle's and mom's records. Thank you for your nice comments! Peg
Great information wish I had thought of it. I sent for my Dad's military records last year. I do genealogy so it really helped me to get his information.
Voted up from one military brat to another.
Hi Moonlake,
It's always nice to meet another military kid. We have some shared experiences, I'm sure. Very glad you took the time to seek out your Dad's records. Isn't it fascinating to read over them? Best of luck on your genealogy pursuit. Peg
This is great information. A friend's father was a pilot and died in a non-war crash. She has very little info about him and this will make her so happy. Oh, thank you for your great research and for sharing it in a Hub.
Hello Hyphenbird and please forgive the long delay in my response to your lovely comment. I don't know how I could have missed it. By now I hope your friend has found out about her father. It is amazing how therapeutic it can be to make these discoveries about our parents. Again, my apologies and hope to see you again soon. Peg
Hello Peg a comment notification popped up, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to say HI
Hi there Mck. Wow, you've become Mr. Popularity. Wooooo. I'm honored to see your note here. Really. I've been working on a little poem today. We'll see if I have the courage to publish it eh? Good to see you.
Hello Peg. I am sure your poetry is beautiful. Mr. popularity, if they only knew who funny that is.
Peg,
Thanks so much for writing this article. My father was a Navy medic in the South Pacific during WWII. I have a lot of photographs, but very little information about the ships. I'm going to follow the steps you've outlined and see what I can find.
Hi Daisy,
The photos are great to have and even better with the details that will come in answer to your request. Inside the package I received were "leave records" so I knew what time frames for which ships based on these dates. All the best in your research and thanks for stopping in to comment. Hope you'll let me know how it goes.
Peg
Peg, you don't mention it, but once you know the ships a relative served on, the internet is a great place for additional information. Photos of each ship, for one, but also online accounts of crew members who served on them. Many times, these will include details of battles and such that never appeared in the "official" records.
My dad never served in the military, but I AM familiar with the excitement you felt on receiving your dad's records when I received the Civil War (and pension) recs of some of my ancestors. Here, too, it's extremely important to specify "ALL records".
Voted up and awesome! ;D
Hello JamaGenee,
Thanks for that additional tip on finding crew members and such on line. I believe there's a link on this hub that takes you to one of the ships on which my Dad served as a plank officer; The USS Rich. There is a write up of his service and a memorial tribute written following his passing. I have neglected to do any further investigation on the other ships that I learned about via this method. Guess it is time to get back on that project.
Requesting civil war records is an excellent idea and I must someday delve into that, as one of Dad's ancestors served as an officer. So much fun when the records arrive, reading and learning.
Thanks for stopping in to share more ways that we can unravel the mystery of our ancestors.
Peg
WillStarr Level 8 Commenter 12 months ago
How cool is that!
One of my wife's cousins just made Navy Captain.