Have a buddy who's father was in the Pacific Theater during WWII.  He'd like to find out about his military record.  How would he go about doing it?

Because of the time factor, this may be tough.

First I'd suggest doing a search on his unit at Yahoo!  You might get a general idea of what he did.

If he doesn't know what unit his dad was in, try and find out if he has a DD 214 (Discharge Certificate).  This should provide that info, as well as a listing of awards and any overseas time.

You can also go to www.military.com and do a search on the unit.  You have to be a member to do this, so check it out before you try.

All else fails, get his name and social security number and call the local dept. of veterans affairs.  They probably know some places to look for this kind of info.

Thanks for the info.  I'll let him know.

So not forget the VA.  Im sure there is a chaper in you area.  Check the phone book.

Your buddy should also contact the National Personnel Records Center - Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) in St. Louis, website [url]http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis/military_personnel_records.html[/url]. They had a fire in 1973 that destroyed a [b]lot[/b] of records, including many from the WWII era, but they're worth a look anyway.

JScott