WW2 dogtags

[Major Tom]

I have a couple WW2 battlefield dug dogtags. Where can I research them as to what happened to the owner or his where-abouts today?

[Sunray]

Chances are a plain old net search will turn up something. May not be the same guy though. There is no data base of vets that I've ever heard of other than government. Don't think privacy laws will let you into that.

[m1ashooter]

Google govt archives. I think you can request records from NARDA

[PhillipM]

Most records were destroyed in a fire in 1973.

On July 12, 1973, a disastrous fire at the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) destroyed approximately 16-18 million Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF). The records affected:



Army
Personnel discharged November 1, 1912 to January 1, 1960
80%


Air Force
Personnel discharged September 25, 1947 to January 1, 1964
(with names alphabetically after Hubbard, James E.)
75%




http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/fire-1973.html

[coolhandluke]

I have a couple WW2 battlefield dug dogtags. Where can I research them as to what happened to the owner or his where-abouts today?

If you will post the vet's name or serial number I can do a basic search on NARA for his enlistment records. Your only shot at locating him today would be through a search engine or a service like Ancestry.com.

[musketshooter]

I would search the Social Security death index.

[TomSudz]

No guarantee, but maybe one of these will help-

https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/html/search/search.html
http://wwii-enlistment.com/
http://www.archives.gov/research/military/veterans/online.html
https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/
http://www.militaryindexes.com/worldwartwo/
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/

[usmc69]

I have a couple WW2 battlefield dug dogtags. Where can I research them as to what happened to the owner or his where-abouts today?

Well did you?

[Oyaji]

My uncle's dog tags.....

[5MadFarmers]

My uncle's dog tags.....

Middle name was Willard.
Wife was Edith June Foster.
Parents were Ezra Carter Richards and Blanche Laub.
Had one kid. Daughter right? Kelly Marie?

WW2:
On the USS Calvert, APA 32 (1942)
Then he was on DD 626. USS Satterlee. (1943)

Buried in Crosby Lake Cemetery. Starke Florida.

Born in Utah. Wife was from Idaho.

I dropped my Ancestry membership or I could do more. That was a pretty fast search. It'd take some time to do more and confirm that.

Regardless, if you have a name it can likely be traced.