# Is there anyway to track down where my Grandfather was in WW II? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082 "2003-05-09T11:14:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/1 "2003-05-09T11:14:20Z")
I know my Grandfather was at Guadacanal in the war but I am really interested to find out what company he was with to see if there is any records of what they went through. My question is…is there a website of any kind where you could punch in people’s information and find out what their military company’s history was in WW II? ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/2 "2003-05-09T11:24:13Z")
Would the [National Personnel Records Centre](http://www.archives.gov/facilities/mo/st_louis.html) be of any help to you? ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/3 "2003-05-09T12:22:19Z")
If you can discover his unit, you may be able to use a search engine to bring up sites about that unit’s history. Military personnel were advised to “record” their separation papers(DD-214) at the local courthouse soon after leaving the service and that form may show the unit. If your grandfather was in the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars, the organization may have your grandfather’s organization recorded, or perhaps direct you to someone who may remember what unit he was in. ---
**Author:** ![Zoff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/6de8d8/32.png) [@Zoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoff)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/4 "2003-05-09T13:05:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Ice Wolf_ > Would the National Personnel Records Centre be of any help to you? Unfortunately, a fire destroyed most records of soldiers serving during WWII, but it’s still worth a shot. As I recall from when I was trying to track down my grandfather’s service record, they want to know as much information as possible, such as his unit, etc. That kind of puts you in a Catch-22. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/5 "2003-05-09T13:33:00Z")
If you can get some information about his unit, the military services have historical branches with information about which unit went where, etc. Unfortunately, I am not sure if the Marines (which I assume your grandfather was in) have their own historical office, or if it is shared with the Navy. I’d recommend writing a letter with all relevent information that you can dig up to: NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER Washington Navy Yard 805 Kidder Breese Street SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060 I’m told that they do not respond to emails. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2003, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anyway-to-track-down-where-my-grandfather-was-in-ww-ii/174082/6 "2003-05-09T14:07:12Z")
It’s quite a long shot but, if your grandfather’s last name is unusual or has an odd spelling, you might try googling it with “Guadalcanal” or other battle sites.