Introduction: Dianne

Dianne76018 · Post by **Dianne76018** » February 23rd, 2011, 5:45 pm

Hello, everyone -

It is an honor to be here among you all and I'm grateful to have found this forum and website.

My name is Dianne and I am the proud daughter of a WW II veteran whom I have reason to believe might have been in the 6th Army Rangers. I am here because I am looking for any assistance I can get on resolving certain mysteries regarding my father's service, which I will be more than happy to explain at any time - I just don't want to make this introduction super lengthy, as I'm sure this isn't the place for me to explain why I believe my father may have been a Ranger.

I am originally from California, but now live in the great state of Texas with my husband, Kevin (USMC Desert Storm).

Thank you for accepting my application to be part of this forum - and thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service to our country.

God bless

K.Ingraham · Post by **K.Ingraham** » February 23rd, 2011, 8:31 pm

Welcome Dianne.
I have some contacts in the WW2 Rangers Associations, look for a PM to appear.

Dianne76018 · Post by **Dianne76018** » February 24th, 2011, 4:22 am

Thank you so much, Ranger K. Ingraham :-)

I appreciate your help. Dad's service number does, indeed, point in the right direction. He was assigned to the 98th Field Artillery Batallion, I believe, which ultimately became the 6th Army Rangers..but until I find verification somehow, there will always be a doubt. He could have been transfered out for any number of reasons before they became the Rangers. Of course, due to the records fire that happened, I have been unable to obtain anything from the government that is useful in terms of verifying specific battles or whether he was a Ranger.

One of my older brothers had his ribbons (the medals were long lost) and I got him to take a picture & send them to me so that I could determine what they were. I only knew about the Purple Heart...not the others...and was even more proud to know that he'd received the Bronze Star and several other medals. But medals don't prove Ranger status either, obviously.

I appreciate your help so much and look forward to hearing from the WW2 Rangers Associations.

cams · Post by **cams** » February 24th, 2011, 5:39 am

Welcome ma'am. I hope you're able to find the answers you're looking for.
Ranger Ingraham is one of the most knowledgeable men I know, so you're already in good hands.

Ranger or not, you have every reason and right to be extremely proud of your father.

colt1rgr · Post by **colt1rgr** » February 24th, 2011, 6:48 am

cams wrote:Welcome ma'am. I hope you're able to find the answers you're looking for.
Ranger Ingraham is one of the most knowledgeable men I know, so you're already in good hands.

Ranger or not, you have every reason and right to be extremely proud of your father.

X 2 to all above. Regardless of Ranger status or not, the big one (WW II) was not a joke and his awards of the Purple Heart and Bronze Star indicate he wasn't exactly in the rear with the gear. God Bless him and "welcome here Ma'am!"

IEDmagnet · Post by **IEDmagnet** » February 24th, 2011, 3:55 pm

Dianne76018 wrote:Thank you so much, Ranger K. Ingraham :-)

I appreciate your help. Dad's service number does, indeed, point in the right direction. He was assigned to the 98th Field Artillery Batallion, I believe, which ultimately became the 6th Army Rangers..but until I find verification somehow, there will always be a doubt. He could have been transfered out for any number of reasons before they became the Rangers. Of course, due to the records fire that happened, I have been unable to obtain anything from the government that is useful in terms of verifying specific battles or whether he was a Ranger.

One of my older brothers had his ribbons (the medals were long lost) and I got him to take a picture & send them to me so that I could determine what they were. I only knew about the Purple Heart...not the others...and was even more proud to know that he'd received the Bronze Star and several other medals. But medals don't prove Ranger status either, obviously.

I appreciate your help so much and look forward to hearing from the WW2 Rangers Associations.

He would have serves with MY grandfather! Awesome.

Dianne76018 · Post by **Dianne76018** » February 24th, 2011, 7:39 pm

Thank you all so much for such a warm welcome!

Indeed, Ranger Ingraham has put me in touch with someone who may be able to help me find more information.

Ranger Cams, thank you so much - I am indeed very proud of my Dad's service and will remain so, whether or not he was a Ranger.

Ranger ZoneIV, I believe you're speaking of the Raid at Cabanatuan. I am aware of that amazing mission by our forces and am forever in awe when it comes to what our soldiers can do. Dad's service was from April 12, 1943 to May 2, 1946...so he would have arrived after the raid had taken place.

Ranger Colt1rgr, your "in the rear with the gear" comment made me smile. :-) No, indeed, he was not in the rear with the gear. In fact, shortly before he passed he did tell my older brother that he carried a flamethrower on his back and was ordered to torch many caves where the Japanese resistance was hiding out. He had nightmares for years and years after the war. In fact, I am sure that if we'd known about PTSD back then...Dad would have been diagnosed.

Vetern IEDMagnet, my Dad was in great company, then, I am sure. :-)

Tonight I wrote Ranger Ingraham's contact with the full story of what I know about my Dad's service, including the fact that my older brother has some of the ribbons that Dad was awarded. His medals were lost years and years ago. But according to the ribbons my brother still has, these were the medals he was awarded:

Army Good Conduct
WWII Victory
Philippine Liberation – with a bronze star on it (means participation in first landing of Leyte Island, I believe)
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign – 2 bronze stars, 1 bronze arrowhead (arrowhead means participation in amphibious landing, I believe)
American Campaign
Bronze Star

The ribbon for the Purple Heart was missing, but I know he was awarded one. He was jumping out of a foxhole when a grenade exploded. I remember driving my little brother's toy cars up the scars on his leg and asking him how he got them. All he would ever say was "that's something Daddies don't talk about with their little girls, honey..." I learned about the grenade years later, as it's one of the only things he would ever even tell my Mom.

So yes, I will always be proud of him regardless of whether I solve this mystery. He went through something I will never be able to understand...and managed to come home and raise 6 children to respect and honor our flag and our country...to always honor and respect our soldiers and veterans...and to never take our freedom for granted.

Thank you to all of you for your service. This is one lady who knows her freedom does not come free.

cams · Post by **cams** » February 25th, 2011, 5:15 am

Wow. Very good post. He sounds like a helluva good man.

I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but if you have his DD214 or other types of paperwork, you can get replacement medals for those he was awarded.

Nice way to remember him and display his awards, all framed up with a photo so the youngins will always know what a stud their grandfather was.

colt1rgr · Post by **colt1rgr** » February 25th, 2011, 7:58 am

cams wrote:Wow. Very good post. He sounds like a helluva good man.

I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but if you have his DD214 or other types of paperwork, you can get replacement medals for those he was awarded.

Nice way to remember him and display his awards, all framed up with a photo so the youngins will always know what a stud their grandfather was.

X 2!!!!

powellp · Post by **powellp** » February 25th, 2011, 7:33 pm

colt1rgr wrote:
cams wrote:Wow. Very good post. He sounds like a helluva good man.

I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but if you have his DD214 or other types of paperwork, you can get replacement medals for those he was awarded.

Nice way to remember him and display his awards, all framed up with a photo so the youngins will always know what a stud their grandfather was.

X 2!!!!

X3!!
Welcome Ma'am. This country needs more people like you. Good luck on your mission.

K.Ingraham · Post by **K.Ingraham** » February 26th, 2011, 8:27 am

GTP wrote:
cams wrote:Wow. Very good post. He sounds like a helluva good man.

I'm not sure if you're aware or not, but if you have his DD214 or other types of paperwork, you can get replacement medals for those he was awarded.

Nice way to remember him and display his awards, all framed up with a photo so the youngins will always know what a stud their grandfather was.
That address used to be:
National Personnel Records Center
9700 Page Avenue
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100

You can look it up on the internet to see if it's still the correct address. As mentioned, you'll need a copy of the DD 214 but what a great way for you and your family to remember your Dad and his service.

I've done this a lot. 214 is optional, but it really speeds things up. Serious idiots used to work in the section that handles these requests so there are certain statements that you must make in your request. First, frame it as a Freedom of Information Act request by opening your letter with "This is a Freedom of Information Act Request under the FOIA of 197whateveritis...." State that you are his daughter and are entitled to his complete, unredacted file. That last is important. Remember that the DA civilians working there are particularly unmotivated. I've had requests denied because they insisted that I provide a service number in order to fulfill my FOIA request. Then, when the file arrived, they blacked out the service number that I provided them, claiming "privacy". Finally, state that he is dead and that there is no privacy interest for them to protect. The more info you include up front, IE: SSAN or service number, the fewer excuses they can use to deny your request. Be patient & make copies because you might have to resubmit it in 6 months or a year. Record and medal requests take a long time now, with WW2 vets having just mostly died off and the Korea vets dropping like flies right now. The VN vets are hitting that age where crap they never cared about, such as medals, become important so that they have something for the grandkids and all (who will eBay the "old army junk" before Gramps is cold in the grave) so there is a high workload these days. Oh yeah, there are also all the new vets who need documentation for VA claims, records correction etc, so your request will not be a high priority, but will go into the pile that they reach into when the "priority' stuff is caught up on for the day and if there are no more doughnuts in the break room. People making their requests through their congressmen also clog up the works. Expect up to two years for replacement or issue medals.
Years ago, I had an 'inside contact' who spelled all of this out for me & experience has borne out all of the above. He's long gone now so I have to wait like normal people now.

About the mythology of the 1971 fire, it affected only a small portion of NPRCs files, a few letters toward the beginning of the alphabet. State that you want copies of the entire file, regardless of the condition. Remember, these folk is lazy! I had a request denied under the claim that it was"destroyed in the fire". I waited one month, resubmited the request with the above condition and viola - the file arrived with a few minor scorchmarks around the outer edge of an upper corner that in no way effected the document or its content.
All of the above being said, there is probably an on-line gateway for these requests now, my last request was 6-7 years ago. Best of luck!

Dianne76018 · Post by **Dianne76018** » February 27th, 2011, 8:18 am

Thank you all again for your wonderful posts - I'm sorry I'm replying a little late...I went to California to visit with my Mom.

All Dad's paperwork was long lost...so no DD-214, unfortunately. I have actually purchased replacements for the medals listed above, since we know they were awarded. I have them in a display case in my home, with his photo and the Presidential Memorial Certificate that I requested a few years back. I would like to add more specific insignia, as well, if I can find out what battalion, etc...or whether he was really a Ranger.

Ranger K. Ingraham, thank you again. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I will most definitely try again - and perhaps I'll make a request of my Congressman as well. :-)

I do have Dad's service number, so I will provide that along with any other factual information I think might be appropriate.

Also, I received some distressing but ultimately good news while in California: my older brother, who has not been responsible with Dad's war memorabilia, has recently lost Dad's ribbons. He'd previously given Dad's jacket away to a friend who "thought it was cool" without asking me or our younger brother if we wanted to have it. My brother informed me that when I go back out to California next month to see him, he will be giving me my Dad's helmet...which hopefully is too big to lose for the next 30 days. I remember seeing it once when Dad was still with us...there are some serious dents in it from battle. So in about 30 days, it will be my hands. It will have a place of honor in my home in Texas instead of sitting in the back of some dusty closet.

I have been piecing together parts of Dad's history for a while now. A cousin learned about my efforts and forwarded me a picture of Dad's unit, apparently as they graduated from basic training. There is nothing on it to indicate where they were, etc. And she also sent me what I call the "utility belt" from his uniform, blood stains and all. Those pieces were being kept in my Aunt's home in Washington.

It's a slow process, for sure, but I'm so grateful to be able to communicate with all of you and get your guidance when it comes to piecing his military information together.

Warriorwife · Post by **Warriorwife** » March 4th, 2011, 1:36 pm

Welcome Dianne,

Thankyou to your father for his service and your family's sacrifices.
I wanted to mention, if you are possibly avaliable the week of July 25. Every 2 years in Ft. Benning, Columbus, Ga. holds its Ranger Rondevous. Rangers from every war, and from all over the country come together for a week. Many of our WWII Rangers aren't with us anymore but thier daughters faithfully attend every reunion. It's truley an event that can't be explain, but must be experienced.

ArmyRanger.com