Hello all, My name's Melissa and I'm a grad student in biochemistry. Over the past year or so, I've spent a lot of my free time reading books on WWII and individual memoirs, and I'm becoming a bit of a WWII enthusiast. I think it started with watching HBO's "Band of Brothers" and being engrossed by every minute of it. I'm a scientist and not a history expert or anything, but I think what fascinates me about WWII most are the stories of real people - real people who showed bravery and selflessness against all odds. I think that the war often showed that even in the middle of horrific violence, the best of humanity came through. I joined the forum today because I want to learn more about the experiences of my grandfathers. I have limited information to go on, and I'm hoping that some of you experts might be able to help me! Eventually I'd really like to put together like a scrapbook or webpage tribute to them both. I've been home this week from school for Fall Break and was lucky enough to uncover a box of memorabilia in my dad's attic (416th Bomb Squadron, dad's father), and believe it or not my grandmother pulled out a similar box from her closet (VIII Army Corps, Warrant Officer, mom's father). So excited to start learning more about their experiences! Thanks in advance for any help =) Melissa
Hello again, Melissa. It's nice to see a more detailed explanation of your interests. I did provide some details on your maternal grandfather in your other post. I would suggest you create two threads in the Information Requests forum; one for each grandfather, using their names as thread titles. Tell us what you know and what you have, and we'll do our best to answer your questions. Good luck.
Welcome to this great community , I 'm sure you'll like this place and the people you'll meet from all over the world
Welcome Melissa.... I too am scientist primarily but avid history affectionado as hobby....My suggestion would be to find DD 214 for your grandfathers...every soldier has one of these and it is an extremely valuable document---shows service periods, wartime assignments, etc. Once you have these documents, go to county veterans service agency- usually a wealth of information there on how to investigate further. Also, look into VFW magazine- they often have page of reunions and former servicemen seeking to locate former unit members... Good luck and good hunting!
Welcome aboard! :S! to your grandfathers for their service. I'm sure you'll find this site a wealth of information, and take a quick peek into the book section, I'm always finding new titles to throw on my Amazon wishlist (kiddo, wife, and ammo come first, of course). Enjoy, and I hope you don't mind a bit of sarcasm!
What happens to Missy can happen to anyone........my computer has broke down before and it leaves you hanging in time if you don't have the 'bookmarks' any more. She may wish to come back but cannot if memory isn't sufficient to find the http trail. She may have returned to school and is otherwise consumed with the studies of science that can be demanding. In her heart she may have preserved a place for us she will one day retrieve to pursue those interests. Good luck Melissa!