My dad served in the Marines during both WWII and Korea and I'm trying to find out what his duties were. I know he went to radio school right after boot camp and was assigned to the 2nd AAA Battalion on Okinawa. He later was transferred to the 1st Mar. Division and served in China in the 1st Regiment's H&S Company. His WWII DD214 paperwork lists his principal military duty was a "Rad Op LS 776". What exactly is that? Just a regular radio man? His Korean DD214's lists his specialty number is 2514 and it looks like "0v61.30", although the "v" is kinda funny looking like maybe it was typed over with another letter. During Korea he was in something called ANGLICO, Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company which I've read about on Wikipedia. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.
You should read the book or watch the movie "Battle Cry" it will tell you more about what radio operators did during WW2 than I ever could. WW2 was really the first time that front line troops had direct contact with support elements such as: Artillery, Air and Naval Gunfire; not to mention organic indirect fire elements such as mortars and heavy guns. Your Dad was pretty much the link between the unit on the ground and the "Air ground continuum" that we take for granted today. Your Dad rained down a lot of doom.
Thanks for your suggestion. I have seen that fine movie and am pretty familiar with what a regular infantry radioman would probably do. Since Dad was in an AAA battalion in WWII, I was curious what type of radio he might have been using and his some more detail on his duties in an AAA battalion (his records say"Rad Op LS 776"). In Korea with his service in an ANGLICO company, he was part of calling in air and naval gunfire. How is that different from a "forward observer"? Unfortunately he passed away years ago and never talked about any of this stuff.
HE would have handled all incomming and out going communications. Radio Operator was pretty much a generic term beings they would have been responsible for communication over all types of radio or wired communication. So depedning on where he was assigned within the battalion he could have operated anything from a hand heal radio to a switchboard. Another site you might look at it called : ww2gyrene. They have pictures and info on just about ever piece of Marine Corps equipment from WW2. Air Squadrons have guys they put forward on the ground, or in the air, to coordinate air support and they are called Forward Air Controllers (FAC) Artillery, Mortar and other indirect fire units have guys they put forward to coordinate their fires. ANGLICO has the ability to communicate and direct fires from Air units and Naval Guns....each "Fire Mission" has very specific requirments for direction. ANGLICO usually operates before a Fire Direction Coordination Center has been established or they are attached to a unit who would be outside the control of the FDCC.
