Decorations & Awards
-
In reply to:
Info for my DAD about Army Air Corps WW2
11/28/01
As I understand it you're seeking his "papers" and medals. If his individual service record was, in fact, destroyed in the '73 fire, forget the papers (I can locate records to reconstruct his service but I charge a fee). Based on the info you've given, he's entitled to the following (in the proper order of precedence):
Presidential Unit Citation (formerly Distinguished Unit Emblem)
Good Conduct Medal (Army)
American Theater Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Theater Medal with bronze arrowhead and four bronze service stars
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Service Medal
You can obtain the medals and other awards he's authorized by submitting a written request to:
National Personnel Records Center
Decorations & Awards (NRPMA-M)
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100
You can download a Standard Form 180 from the NPRC's website at:
< http://www.nara.gov/regional/mprsf180.htmlhttp://www.nara.gov/regional/mprsf180.html > (double-click on the address to go there).
The form isn't mandatory but an increasing number of NPRC employees insist on it. All you need to provide is your man's (1) name, (2) date of birth and (3) military service number. There's a backlog of several hundred thousand requests and the average wait is about two years. The sooner you order, the sooner you receive.