Randy Twizzle Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 I looked up my father's WW II enlistment records at http://aad.archives.gov/aad/series-list.jsp?cat=WR26 and found some interesting information. During his life, he didn't talk much about his past, certainly not to me. We barely spoke to each other during the last 15 years of his life (he died in 1991). It was unfortunate but it's too late to cry about it. For instance I never knew that he only completed two years of high school but what I found most interesting was that his civilian occupation was listed as "MOTORCYCLIST" (whatever that means) This didn't seem to jive with what little I did know about his past. I asked my mother and she told me "He worked on a delivery truck with his father and uncle, delivering seltzer to delicatessens in the Bronx and Manhattan." When I asked about motorcyles she laughed: "Can you picture your father on a motorcyle?" I don't know how that information got on his record, but I'd like to think that when the old man was called up he decided to pad his resume with something more dashing and romantic than "selzer delivery man" ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 32631915 32631915 RESIDENCE: STATE 23 NEW YORK RESIDENCE: COUNTY 005 BRONX PLACE OF ENLISTMENT 2364 NEW YORK CITY NEW YORK DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY 16 16 DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH 11 11 DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR 42 42 GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION PVT# Private GRADE: CODE 8 Private BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION BI# Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA BRANCH: CODE 00 Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA FIELD USE AS DESIRED # # TERM OF ENLISTMENT 5 Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law LONGEVITY ### ### SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL 0 Civil Life NATIVITY N0 POLAND YEAR OF BIRTH 20 20 RACE AND CITIZENSHIP 1 White, citizen EDUCATION 2 2 years of high school CIVILIAN OCCUPATION 735 MOTORCYCLIST MARITAL STATUS 1 Single, with dependents COMPONENT OF THE ARMY 7 Selectees (Enlisted Men) CARD NUMBER # # BOX NUMBER 0542 0542 FILM REEL NUMBER 2.206 2.206 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Son-of-a-Weizen Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Interesting site, Randy. I wasn't aware of this archive. Looked up my uncle. Like you, I only had sketchy details at best and it wasn't until September when I took him out to see the SR-71 'Blackbird' (he was on the design team) at the ** Smithsonian Air & Space museum out near Dulles Airport that I really got the full story about his WWII service. Man, what an amazing burst of action he saw (not spelled out in the 'raw' forms presented here though)......from flight school right into the thick of it flying F-4 'Wildcats' off escort carriers against the Japanese at Iwo Jima, Leyte (Lingayen Gulf) and Okinawa -- all in a 4 month window. At Iwo, he was returning to his carrier (Makin Island) after having attacked caves & fortified emplacements around the mountain, when a kamikaze Zero slammed right into the neighboring carrier Bismarck Sea, hitting the pilot's briefing room and killing all the assembled pilots. Ship then took a second direct hit and exploded. He was right there in the air. Bismarck Sea ** Air & Space is a 'must see' for anyone who visits the D.C. area. It's incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghost of miles Posted January 27, 2006 Report Share Posted January 27, 2006 Randy, You might want to check out Scott Turow's new novel, ORDINARY HEROES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spontooneous Posted January 28, 2006 Report Share Posted January 28, 2006 Field Title Value Meaning ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 39729502 39729502 NAME YOUNG#LESTER#W########## YOUNG#LESTER#W########## RESIDENCE: STATE 91 CALIFORNIA RESIDENCE: COUNTY 037 LOS ANGELES PLACE OF ENLISTMENT 9141 LOS ANGELES CALIFORNIA DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY 30 30 DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH 09 09 DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR 44 44 GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION PVT# Private GRADE: CODE 8 Private BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION NO# No branch assignment BRANCH: CODE 02 No branch assignment FIELD USE AS DESIRED # # TERM OF ENLISTMENT 5 Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law LONGEVITY ### ### SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL 0 Civil Life NATIVITY 45 MISSISSIPPI YEAR OF BIRTH 09 09 RACE AND CITIZENSHIP 2 Negro, citizen EDUCATION 0 Grammar school CIVILIAN OCCUPATION 024 BLACKSMITH or BAND OR ORCHESTRA LEADER (Band leader.) or MUSICIAN, INSTRUMENTAL (Bandsman.) or BANDSMAN, CLARINET or BANDSMAN, CORNET OR TRUMPET or BANDSMAN, DRUM, BASS or BANDSMAN, DRUM, SNARE or BANDSMAN, EUPHONIUM OR BARITONE or BANDSMAN, FLUTE OR PICCOLO or BANDSMAN, FRENCH HORN or BANDSMAN, SAXOPHONE or BANDSMAN, TROMBONE or BANDSMAN, TUBA MARITAL STATUS 2 Married COMPONENT OF THE ARMY 7 Selectees (Enlisted Men) CARD NUMBER # # BOX NUMBER 1467 1467 FILM REEL NUMBER 7.38# 7.38# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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