Researching World War II Soldiers: Veteran Award List – Part 2

I have learned over the years to be sure and walk away sometimes! Taking breaks from the search will help you focus better when you come back to your research. Sometimes when I go back it is like WOW… that was easy! I found new information fast that time.

The breakthroughs will always come. It may just take you going on a walk around the park like I did today. Then when you start back on the research you will come across new sites or links. You will see things with eyes that are not so tired from the computer screen.

Always remember that everyone makes mistakes, especially when it comes to numbers. Some numbers on this found document were missing. Some of the men have not been found and confirmed, why? Because when you type in a name on some of the military sites you can get twenty or thirty men with the same name. You have to match birth dates, military id numbers or something as proof so you can to be sure.

Also spelling can be very tricky, especially with names. So always try different things. Sometimes I have had to just search with a last name and go through all the entire list to find the correct person.  Otherwise I would have had nothing at all to go on. Also remember that records are only someone’s idea of what they thought was correct at the time.

Case point: My grandmother did not tell anyone that she was actually born in 1911 until right before her death in her 90’s. Her birth certificate had burnt in a fire at the courthouse and when she needed a copy she had to produce a sibling to sign the forms stating that all the information was correct. Guess what – she made herself a year older. Why? I’m not really sure. It could have been so she could go get married legally. She never really said why. But I have some recordings of her stories so maybe when I get a chance to go through them I can put some of the pieces together.

On With the List on Honorable Men

Pfc William L. Bennett 39345695

William had been living in Organ, his enlistment date was August 1, 1944. He was single and was born in 1926.

Pfc Carl L. Lipman 36995730 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Carl was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Donald G. Berntsen 36935380 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Donald was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Mike F. Lonigro 36949089 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Mike was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Edward J. Berthold 35855103

Edward was living in Ohio and the time and his enlistment date was December 26, 1944. He was single and born in 1924.

Pfc Herbert J. Lorig 37365746

Herbert was from Missouri, was single was born in 1926 and his enlistment date was February 14, 1945.

Pfc Thomas R. Black Jr 38737387

Thomas was from Arkansas, his enlistment date was February 7, 1945. He was single, and was working as a sales clerk. He was born in 1926.

Pfc Roy A. Love Jr 35956880

Roy’s place of enlistment was Huntington West Virginia. He was born in 1924, was single at the time working as a farmer.

Pfc Daniel E. Boster 35889810

Daniel’s enlistment date was December 12, 1944 in Ft Hayes Columbus Ohio. He was single, born in 1926 and worked as a farmer.

Pfc Wilford C. Malm 38704456

Wilford was form Texas, he was born in 1925, was single and worked as a farmer. His enlistment date was February 1, 1945.

Pfc Melvin D. Bowers 39345665

Melvin was from Oregon, his enlistment date was August 1, 1944. He was married and worked as a welder. He was born in 1919.

Pfc Kenneth R. McCord 38643323

Kenneth McCord was from Van Zandt County Texas, he was single, born in 1925 and worked as a farmer. His enlistment date was January 30, 1945.

Pfc Robert J. Brokamp 35905311

Robert was from Indiana, his enlistment date was July 26, 1944. He was single, and born in 1926.

Pfc Edwin L. McGahan 36996317 ***no record found this site to confirm id

So coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper about the id number meanings, I have learned that Edwin was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Raymond C. Bruzzone 39430232

Raymond was born in 1926, his enlistment date was February 5, 1945. He was single and from California.

Pfc Eual B. Meek 38643623

Eual was from Grayson County Texas, his enlistment date was February 2, 1945. He was single, working as a farmer and born in 1925.

Pfc Thomas (*W or H) Bube 36994294 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Thomas was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Terrence R. Miles 39425546

Terrence was from California, his enlistment date was September 28, 1944. He was single and born n 1926.

Pfc Andrew (* ) Buman Jr 37761911

Andrew was from Nebraska and his enlistment date was February 15, 1945. He was single, worked as a farmer and was born in 1926.

Pfc Clifford A. Olson 37778402

Clifford was from South Dakota, his enlistment date was November 16, 1944. He was single, born in 1925, and worked as a farmer.

Pfc Bennie G. Cashman 37761162

Bennie was from Kansas, his enlistment date was February 7, 1945. He was married, born in 1921 and worked as a farmer.

Pfc Charles L. “O’Neill 33952331

Charles was from Pennsylvania and his enlistment date was October 3, 1944. He was single, born in 1926, and skill in manufacturing.

Pfc Billie B. Casteel 38640541

Billie was from Texas, his enlistment date was January 12, 1945. He was single, worked as a farmer, and was born in 1926.

Pfc James D. Rahn 37784637

James was from Tripp County South Dakota, he was born in 1923. He was married, worked as a farmer and his enlistment date was January 20, 1945.

Pfc Howard C. Chism 35956938

Howard’s enlistment date was February 2, 1945 in Huntington West Virginia. He was single working as a farmer and was born in 1921.

Pfc Nathan Regenstrich 42147692

Nathan was from New Jersey and his enlistment date was December 12, 1944. He was single and born in 1926.

Pfc Charles K. Cline 35891324

Charles enlisted on January 25, 1945 and was born in 1922. He was single and working as a farmer.

Pfc Gerald H. Reinking 36934804 ***no record found this site to confirm id

After coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper about the id number meanings, I have learned that Gerald was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Patrick D. Cosgrove 38635061

Patrick was from Coryell County Texas, and his enlistment date was September 13, 1944. He was single, born in 1926 and working as a farmer.

Pfc Francis K. Robbins 38734944 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Francis was drafted and from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas.

Pfc Charles O. Crane 35968398

Charles was from Washington County Indiana, his enlistment date was February 3, 1945. He was single, was born in 1926 and had been working as a farmer.

Pfc Jose D. Romero 37714090

Jose came from Colorado his enlistment date was December 5, 1944. He was single, working as a farmer and was born in 1926.

Pfc Marlyn K. Cruse 37360045

Marlyn was from Iowa, his enlistment date was April 25, 1946. He was born in 1924, was single and skilled in manufacturing and electoral machinery.

Pfc Arnold J. E. Steffens 37758686

Arnold was from Missouri, his enlistment date was January 4, 1945. He was single, born in 1923, and worked as a farmer.

Pfc Raymond L. Duffey 38735793

Raymond came from Hempstead County, Arkansas, and was born in 1926. He was single and semiskilled in petroleum.

Pfc Carlton W. Thing 36941108 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Carlton was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Earl E. Engle 35967653

Earl enlisted on January 22, 1945, he was single, working as a farmer and was born in 1926.

Pfc Numa J. Trahan Jr 38552734 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Numa was drafted and from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas.

Pfc Fren* ***derick 36949101 ***no record found this site to confirm id

After coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper about the id number meanings, I have learned that this Army man was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Richard Wallenstein 37778696

Richard was from South Dakota, his enlistment date was November 17, 1944. He was single, working as a farmer and was born in 1926.

Pfc Robert R. Full 36949139 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Robert was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Wayne D. Whitehead 36994119 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Wayne was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Glenn D. Gorley 37757050

Glenn was from Kansas and his enlistment date was December 6, 1944. He was single and born in 1926.

Pfc Billie Williams 35086915

Billie was from Kentucky, his enlistment date was May 18, 1944. He was single and born in 1925. His civilian occupation has him skilled in packing, labeling, and marking.

Pfc Lynn C. Grobe 37746530

Lynn was from Nebraska his enlistment date was June 19, 1944. He was single and born in 1926,

Pfc C. L. Williams 38631093

C L Williams was from Cooke County Texas, his enlistment date was July 10, 1944. He was a farm hand born in 1925 and was single.

Pfc Kinsler G. Grube 37785200

Kinsler was from Minnesota and his enlistment date was January 24, 1945. He was single working on the farm and born in 1924.

Pfc Edward J. Zahorka 36925741 ***no record found this site to confirm id

After coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper about the id number meanings, I have learned that Edward was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc Irving J. Haugan 39482792

Irving was from Washington his enlistment date was January 6, 1944. He was married working as a sales clerk and was born in 1909.

Pvt William H. Antelope 38609627

William was from Canadian County Oklahoma, his enlistment date was February 6, 1945, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was American Indian born in 1926 and he was single. He had one year of high school.

As of right now the above information is all that I can safely say that belongs to this Army id number. The following are research investigations of me trying to find more information. There could be a mistake somewhere with the one birth year. Or, I just have not found the right person yet!

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123509346/william-h-antelope#

So this man intrigues me because he is listed as Indian. There were only three men on this entire list that had a different ethnic group listed. I found the exact name and enlistment data on find a grave but his birth year is different.

This site has his birth date as Feb 6, 1927. It shows the correct Army information, he is buried in the Arapaho Cemetery, Greenfield, Blaine County, Oklahoma. He is listed on the Army plaque as PFC US Army and Korea BSM. (BSM stands for the Bronze Star Medal ) He died at the age of 40, March 2, 1967.

He lived in Watonga, Oklahoma after his return. So the only thing different was the year of birth? And I could not confirm the military ID.

So, now to see what else I can find out

So this is why I say to keep digging to make sure. I have known family members that did not know where their parent was born. I’ve seen people that know what day a birthday was, but not the year. So now here is what I found on Ancestry

William Henry Antelope, Native American, age 18, with a date of birth of December 4, 1926. Born in Watonga, Oklahoma and lived in El Reno. This date of registration is December 4, 1944. So this year of birth looks better, but you would have to know the draft registration date and the enlistment dates are different. On his draft registration card it list James V Fire as his contact person. I will see if this connects anything so I can figure this out.

There appears to be several men with the exact same name. One born February 6, 1927 and The Indian Census Rolls have one born June 2, 1927. And of course the one with the military id with the year being 1926.

For now I will go with that one thinking there could be a mistake being he enlisted on his birthday. I will come back and do more research on this man at another time.

Pfc Enoch W. Hayes 38620147 ***no record found this site to confirm id

Coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper, using the id numbers I have learned that Numa was drafted and from Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Texas.

Pvt Dominic A. Bagnola 35857365

Dominic was born in 1926, his enlistment date was February 5, 1945 and he was single.

Pfc Donald E. Holter 37784782

Donald was from Minnesota his enlistment date was January 22, 1945. He was born in 1922, was single and working as a farmer.

Pvt Ben H. Cook 44075057

Ben was from Georgia and his enlistment date was February 15, 1945. He was married, born in 1915, and working as a farmer.

Pfc Elmer E. Hyden 18243334

Elmer was from Texas and his enlistment date was December 18, 1944 and he was born in 1926.

Pvt Manuel E. Covarrubias 39735433

Manuel was from California and his enlistment date was January 22, 1945. He was single, born in 1926 and worked as a farmer.

Pfc Joseph A. Jaeger 37779201

Joseph was from Minnesota, his enlistment date was November 21, 1944. He was single, born in 1925, and working as a farmer.

Pvt Jack P. Hale 39939766

Jack was from Idaho, his enlistment date was January 25, 1945. He was single, born in 1925 and working as a farmer.

Pfc Ralph B. Johnson 42084256

Ralph was from New Jersey, his enlistment date was February 23, 1944, and he was born in 1925. He was also single.

Pvt Robert H. Hamilton 35929936

Robert Hamilton was possible born in Ohio, his birth date was 1926, he was single and the enlistment date was July 14, 1944. He enlisted in Cleveland, Ohio.

Pfc Theodore D. Johnson 37752318

Theodore D. Johnson was from Polk County Iowa, his enlistment date was September 18, 1944. He was born in 1926, and he was single.

Pvt Raymond H. Porath 36495091 ***no record found this site to confirm id

After coming back from the information I found at the bottom of this paper about the id number meanings, I have learned that Raymond was drafted and from Illinois, Michigan or Wisconsin.

Pfc William W. Laird Jr 33713041

William Laird was from Pennsylvania his enlistment date was September 13, 1944. He was married, born in 1919 and semiskilled in the process of chemicals.

BY ORDER OF COLONEL ELLIS:

OFFICIAL: HARRY L HART
Colonel GSC
Chief of Staff

ORVILLE O McMANUS
Captain AGD
Asst Adj Gen
DISTRIBUTION:
“A” & “D” plus
200 – Hq Co Nagoya Base (1-ea FM)

RESTRICTED

Exhausted But I Still Want More!

More tips, searching strategies, and information

I keep thinking that all of these men had to be in the same place at the same time, or in the same unit. But, I have not been able to find what I need so far to be able to say any of that. Why did they all receive this award? What did they do? I feel there has to be more to this story.

So, I found some information that is really good to help with this research.

https://www.wwiidogtags.com/brief-dog-tag-history/army-serial-numbers/

 

All the numbers in the men’s Army id all stand for something: any id number that starts with the digit 3, were draftees that were called up by the Elective Training and Service Act. Then the second number indicated the Corps Area or service. (this means where the men were from). Wow, this site has some great information

If you look at William Antelope’s id number 38609627, The 3 meant he was drafted, and the 8 meant he was from either Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico or Colorado. Which we already know he was from Oklahoma, but this is good to know for further reference.

Here are what some the beginning id numbers mean:

* 1 = enlisted in the Army (volunteered)
* 2 = federally recognized National Guard
* 3 = drafted
* 4 = drafted 5, 6, 7, 8,
* O = male commissioned officer
* W = male warrant officer
* T = flight officer Army Air Force
* L = Commissioned officer of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)
* V = WAC warrant officer
* A = WAC enlisted women
* R = hospital dietitians
* M = Physical therapy aides

Wow, how did this help? Well, for the men that I could not identify or confirm with their id number, the id number system helps by giving a place where the person lived.

There were several good hits that gave really good information. More than just dates and where they were from. I will continue to work on this list till I just can’t anymore. There has to be more. Only one beautiful obituary telling about the awards and honors! These men deserve to have it all listed. To have their honor shared!

These men dropped their lives and took off to go fight for our country. Left their wives, homes and jobs. Some right before Christmas. Most were just out of high school and were all very young. Whatever it was I feel they have earned the respect of all just for going…

References:

“US Army WWII Dog Tags” by Alain Batens on World War II Living History and Reenacting Information.

https://www.wwiidogtags.com/brief-dog-tag-history/army-serial-numbers/
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/index.jsp
http://www.ww2enlistment.org
https://www.fold3.com