In This Issue of
Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time
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Welcome to the October 2022 Newsletter.
In this issue. GI photos, Yank Magazine and a story about the Phony War in the air in 1939-1940.
Read on ...
Thank you for all of the artifact donations we have received this year; a remarkable quantity and quality of history has been entrusted to our care.
We want to send out a special thank you to all of our volunteers who have been helping us on many projects. We could not have accomplished so much without your assistance!
Thank you for your support!
Artifacts help tell the stories, money makes the engine run, please
We tell history! Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time.
Remember those that made the #ultimatesacrifice #mia #pow #kia #sonsofliberty. #patriots #army #navy #marines #aircorps #airforce #coastguard #spaceforce #merchantmarine; all those that have worn the cloth.
Join us on this journey.
In Their Memory,
Robert Coalter, Jason Weigler
Executive Directors
"Saving Military History One Soldier At A Time".SM
"Saving History One Soldier At A Time"SM
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If you are looking to volunteer with a non-profit we would welcome your assistance. We have a need to transcribe over 150,000 of these index cards. Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Soldiers Medal, Bronze Stars and Purple Heart. Getting this information into our database will allow us to make this data searchable. Contact us to get started!
We are also looking for General Orders of World War II, all branches, digital copies are welcome; volunteers to transcribe this data.
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Missing in Action & Buried Unknowns |
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There are still thousands classified as Missing in Action or as Buried Unknowns. In our partnership with the MIA Recovery Network we have established data on our websites regarding MIAs.
The quest to account for those of our nation's Missing in Action is one of the most noble of endeavors. There are also a large number of recovered remains that are buried in ABMC cemeteries where the identity is unknown. These are known as X-Files.
The recovery of MIAs pose a number of challenges. For example, Navy or Merchant Marine ships that were sunk are unrecoverable and thus ship manifests are the primary and often only source of names for those that have perished but are still accounted.
Each conflict has had its own challenges. At the end of World War II the military had established more than 360 temporary cemeteries, but the dead were being found continually in farm fields, forests, small church cemeteries, isolated graves and the shores of combat zones. These dead were collected and the remains consolidated into the fourteen permanent European, Mediterranean, and North African Cemeteries maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission along with two permanent cemeteries in the Philippines and Hawaii.
Monetary donations are needed and very welcomed to support these efforts to create case files.
Please consider a DONATION today. Thank You.
X-08038
Each buried unknown of the WWII casualties is a mystery, a “cold case”. In some of these cases there exists a clue, a tantalizing amount of information that may provide an identification. X-08038 is one of those. The best chance for identification of these remains may be the dental records, as the dental chart provides significant evidence of restoration. The remains were otherwise badly fragmented and burned.
X-08038 was recovered from a schoolhouse in the town of Lampade, in southwest Germany.
#neverforget #bringthemallhome
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Sons of Liberty Museum
The Sons of Liberty has hundreds of uniforms and thousands of other artifacts in our collection from the U.S. Revolutionary War to Present day. Our web presence now numbers in excess of 365,000 pages. We continue to accept new material for education and research programs.
Our collection includes memorabilia from the front line soldier to the rear echelon clerk. Drivers, infantrymen, pilots, tankers, seaman, medical, artillery, armorers, engineers, quartermasters and much more. Those that were drafted or volunteered; those that did a single tour or made it a career. Those that returned with all types of injuries and those that gave their full measure being killed in action (KIA). All MOS are welcome from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Marines.
We are Saving Military History One Soldier At A Time. We are honoring the service of the Citizen Soldier.
#sonsofliberty
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Those in service and at home during World War II enjoyed Yank Magazine. Newsworthy stories, public interest stories and a bit of humor entertained the GI. Yank was almost as important as a letter from home. Almost.
Enjoy some of the front and back covers of copies we have in our collection.
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Volunteers
We need volunteers to transcribe award and roster documents. You will place the material into a spreadsheet where it will be added to our database and website. We welcome new dedicated volunteers to work from home and help us with this project!
Interesting Links & Resources
Donations
We welcome donations of monies for operational costs. Artifact donations are sought in the form of papers, books, photos, gear, uniforms, jackets, medals, ribbons, weapons, equipment, scrapbooks, biographies, diaries and more. Please Contact Us
Revolutionary War, War if 1812, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Cold War, Gulf War and current conflict donations accepted. From small to large multi-item donations, they all tell a story.
We need you ! We need your help to further our mission of preserving and bringing this history to the public. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
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Army Air Corps Museum
The Air Corps Museum online presence encompasses over 355,000 web pages with thousands of photos and other materials. Our artifact collection contains hundreds of uniforms, albums, logs, medals and more from the Army Air Service, Army Air Forces and U.S. Air Force.
World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Cold War, Gulf War and current conflict donations welcome!
Volunteers
We need volunteers to transcribe documents, placing the material into a spreadsheet. We welcome new dedicated volunteers to help us with this project! Work from home.
Interesting Links & Resources
Donations
We welcome donations of papers, books, photos, gear, uniforms, jackets, medals, ribbons, weapons, equipment, scrapbooks, biographies, diaries, letters and more. Please Contact Us
You can make monetary donations. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit your qualifying donations are tax deductible.
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Service and Candid Photos |
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We have tens of thousands of photos in the collection; we would like to share a few. |
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Virgil Carley, 449th Bombardment Group |
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Walter Ruesch, 301st Bombardment Group in Italy. |
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Walter Ruesch, 301st Bombardment Group. |
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Alfred Stewart, 21st Fighter Group |
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Ben Goodman, South Atlantic Command. |
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Earl Specter, 459th Bombardment Group |
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Stanley Greenhouse, 90th Bombardment Group |
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Items have a story, what tale do yours tell?
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"The Phony War in the Air October 1939-March 1940"
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"The Phony War in the Air October 1939-March 1940"
By Thomas Lamlein
After the combined might of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia had conquered Poland in September 1939, the early months of World War II were not overly dramatic. This false sense of a limited conflict, with Germany and the Allies peering at each other through bunker slits, even led to the disparaging term "The Phony War", or for the Germans "Sitzkrieg".
Most of the dramatic actions at this time were at sea. On October 13, 1939, U-47 entered Scapa Flow and sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak. In mid-December, the Royal Navy engaged the German pocket battleship Graf Spee and cornered her in Montevideo, Uruguay. Rather than face a British cruiser force, the Germans scuttled the Graf Spee.
On land, neither the French Army (the biggest force in Western Europe), the British Expeditionary Force, or the German Army were ready, willing, or even able to do much of anything. Some minor patrolling, occasional artillery duels (sometimes with explosive shells, sometimes with leaflets), and frequent posturing and smack-talking were the order of the day--from October of 1939 through March 1940! The French hunkered down in their "Maginot Mentality", hoping that the Germans would avoid an assault on the massive bunker complex that almost covered the Franco-German border. On the German side of the lines, Wehrmacht leaders hoped that no one would notice that half of their men were at least 40 years old, mature enough to have served in World War One. Also, less than half of Germany's divisions were truly combat-ready. Not much happened on the ground during those six months, mostly because no one was ready to fight.
In the air, it was a different story, and slightly less phony. Even so, the air forces involved were small, still acquiring new equipment, and still learning the ways and means of modern air warfare.
An example of early airwar action took place on October 1, 1939 when nine Armee de l'air Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters were escorting reconnaissance planes over the German Westwall. Six Luftwaffe Bf 109s dove on the French recon planes and one of the Messerschmitts was shot down by the Hawks. A dozen more Bf 109s joined the fight and when it was done one Hawk was down along with three total Bf 109s. Victory claims and counter-claims were often exaggerated and misunderstood. British Wellington bombers flew daylight raids, primarily against German naval targets, with overall poor results. French bombers normally flew at night, their raids amounted to little more than a nuisance. German raids in the Phony War period were generally ineffective, and in no way presaged the fearsome, precision strikes of the Blitzkrieg.
The latest fighters were on display--although the RAF did not deploy their new Spitfires to the continent. A late model German Bf 109E was forced down intact in eastern France. It was briefly tested but the intelligence bonanza was never realized as the aircraft was destroyed in a landing accident. Little appears to have been learned in the six-month Phony War period, particularly by the Allies. The Luftwaffe would emerge as a dominant force by May 1940, as German forces swept through Holland, Belgium, and France in about six weeks. By July 1940, the Battle of France was over, and the Battle of Britain had begun.
Photos: (L to R).
1) The Luftwaffe wasn't yet a dominant force in the Phony War period. A Bf 109E shot down and wrecked in France in early 1940.
2) A French M.S.406 pilot poses with a trophy cut from a shot down German plane, late 1939.
3) German Dornier Do 17s handled much of the recon work during the Phony War.
4) Most French bombers were obsolete (like these Amiot 143s) and thus bombing raids were few, and usually conducted at night.
5) American-made Hawk 75s proved to be France's most effective fighters in the early days of WWII.
6) The French M.S. 406 fighter--France's most plentiful interceptor, cursed with middling performance.
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Museum Expenditures-Donations |
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As a non-profit it's important to let our patrons know where some of their money is going.
This riker-mount display box is one of the most important pieces that we use. They contain ribbons, medals, patches, pictures and other small memorabilia items.
Last year we purchased 534 of these items. We will fill them all in less than 12 months.
$5000.
Constant Contact charges us $1200 annually to create, store and send this newsletter.
Our web servers, domains and hosting cost $7100 / year.
The annual total for just these three components is $13,3000. Naturally, we have other expenditures, but 100% of monetary donations go to operations. All staff and directors are volunteer.
Monetary donations are needed and very welcomed to support these efforts.
Please consider a DONATION today. Thank You.
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Rescued History & Museum Quality |
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We rescue a lot of military artifacts; items destined for the trash heap. From torn papers and faded ribbons to moth damaged uniforms decades pass and the condition of items deteriorate. These artifacts still have a story to tell.
Many museums only want items in pristine condition, we say differently. Some so called museums only want materials from a well known commander written up in history books or the fighter ace or a man who would fly to the moon or a Medal of Honor recipient.
While we have artifacts such as these we also have the items of the draftee who answered their nation's call and served their tour and then went home. Some were not so fortunate. In our mission of "Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time" it is about all who have worn the cloth of our nation's military. Artifacts help us bring stories to life no matter their condition.
We accept donations of artifacts in ALL CONDITIONS.
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This 15th Air Force tunic was recently donated to us by a person, so technically they rescued it. The jacket was left at a fast food restaurant many years ago and the manager kept it hoping the owner would return. Alas, that never happened. Instead of disposing of it, he donated it to us. There happens to be a laundry number in it and we are hopeful that we may be able to determine the serviceman and thus SAVE some more history! Stay Tuned. |
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The Cinema, another way to describe it is it's our own Netflix.
130 combat films represented by 209 clips and 1436 minutes of footage will keep you watching for hours.
Army, Army Air Forces, Navy, Marines. WW2 and Vietnam. There's something for everyone.
This is a subscription service of $14.95/month.
Take a few minutes and go see what's "Now Showing" and decide if you want to signup and start watching. Go now !
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301st Bombardment Group, B-17 Flying Fortress. England, North Africa, Italy during World War II.
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USS Hilbert. Destroyer Escort, DE-742. Pacific Theater of Operations, World War II.
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Preserve This History, Honor the Service, Provide Education For Future Generations |
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Thank You For Your Support ! |
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Thank You For Your Support ! |
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---- What is Liberty ? ----
"definition. the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views."
Merriam-Webster defines it as " the power to do as one pleases, the freedom from physical restraint and freedom from arbitrary or despotic control.
---- So what is a Son of Liberty? ----
In our context and beginning these were the men and women in America who wanted the freedom from the King of England. They desired a right of self-determination for their lives. They fought for this liberty and codified it in the Constitution of a new country. To keep this liberty they created a military to ward off the any would-be belligerent. Since the War of Independence until and including the present day the men and women who have worn the cloth of our nation's military are its Sons of Liberty. They have fought enemies in other nations, they have fought each other and they have stood as sentinels of the watch.
We celebrate the service of these individuals, we tell the historical story of these selfless patriots.
---- The Sons of Liberty Museum ----
Over a decade ago we chose a name for this organization and our sister the Army Air Corps Library and Museum. We believe these names accurately describe these men and women who serve. We will not change any name to satisfy a radical viewpoint or computer algorithm. We don't allow for any revisionist history, we tell the factual stories.
We are Saving Military History One Soldier at a Time.
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Need a Good Book or Video?
Check out these titles.
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I was a navigator in the 459 Bomb Group 758 Bomb Squadron flying B-24's from Torre Giulia Field, tower named 'Coffee Tower', a gravel airfield near Cerignola, on the Foggia Plains of Southeastern Italy during the period August 4, 1944 to May 16, 1945. I flew 50 combat missions over targets in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Yugoslavia and Northern Italy.
Project Option: 6×9 in, 15×23 cm
# of Pages: 386
IsbnSoftcover: 9781714032860
Publish Date: Dec 12, 2019
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Most aircraft of World War II had pictures of sexy girls, tributes to sweethearts, songs and home. The planes were fondly referred to in a feminine manor. That was not the case with this B-17 tail number 42-25233. He was Rigor Mortis.
This is the story of Rigor Mortis and his men who flew over 120 missions from North Africa and Italy in 1943 and 1944.
Project Option: 8×10 in, 20×25 cm
# of Pages: 382
IsbnSoftcover: 9781714727803
Publish Date: Apr 20, 2020
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A Novel of MACVSOG in Vietnam. By Gene Pugh a Special Forces Recon Team Member.
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Surrender Not an Option
Survivors guilt is not the only thing that is bothering Allen Purvis. He has to relive in his mind the battles in a denied area when he was assigned to MACVSOG the ultimate secret organization during the Viet Nam war. He is put to the test when he commands his friends to sacrifice themselves to save the others of the unit. Wendy Salas, nurse at the 95th Evacuation Hospital sees the horrors of the war everyday. Her pain is personal. A chance meeting on R&R in Hong Kong brings these two people together as soul mates in a hope that one of them can save the other. Purvis like the others wondered why they were saved and the answer was there all the time.
- Paperback : 312 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1539108333
- ISBN-13 : 978-1539108337
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
Gene is a member of our advisory board.
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A Novel. By Gene Pugh a Special Forces Recon Team Member during the Vietnam War..
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The Reunion Mission
A chance meeting at a military reunion brings Sam Waters together with his former Viet Nam War teammates. But that is not the only surprise. A promise made a long time ago is now called to be cashed in. Will his teammates put their lives on the line for him and his family? Is that bond still there? Because of a rash act on his part the whole mission could be jeopardized. A new future and his past must come to terms for him to move forward.
From Fort Bragg to Dallas and Panama follow the continuing story of Sam Walters and Allen Purvis.
*** Shipping July 25, 2022 ***
Gene is a member of our advisory board.
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By Tom Laemlein
Tom is a member of our advisory board.
Many of the photos and illustrations in this book, some of them in color, are strong enough to be displayed in full page format. The images deliver the gritty details of USAAF armaments’ use down to their nuts and rivets, and the high-velocity rounds they fired. This is a unique photo-study, with many of the photos never-before published.
U.S.A.A.F. Aircraft Weapons of WWII
This book focuses on the war-winning weaponry of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. With 144 pages containing more than 250 photos it offers stunning visual details of the machine guns, cannons, bombs, and rockets carried into battle by USAAF bombers, fighters, and attack aircraft.Many of the photos and illustrations in this book, some of them in color, are strong enough to be displayed in full page format. The images deliver the gritty details of USAAF armaments’ use down to their nuts and rivets, and the high-velocity rounds they fired. This is the first photo-history of its kind, with many of the photos never-before published.
Combat conditions dictated that many aircraft were adapted into roles for which they were not designed. As necessity is the mother of invention, aircraft were modified in both their roles and their armament. B-25s became ground attackers, A-20s became night fighters, and every wartime USAAF fighter was adapted to carry bombs.
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301st Bombardment Group DVD
Enjoy this history of the 301st Bombardment Group in World War II with this discovered archival film footage. The first footage is in North Africa where the 301st moved after a short beginning in England. From Maison Blanche to Biskra, Algeria in 1942-1943 then Lucera, Italy in 1944 and many missions in between. Watch the men on the ground and in the air with both black and white and color footage. There are also some scenes with sound. Listen to the commanders recap the North African Campaign and a crew interview.
Watch the mission to bring back repatriated POWs. View the destruction of war on the enemy at the various targets of the 12th and 15th AF heavy bomber units.
View some great color footage of General Spaatz and General Eaker in the desert of North Africa. Listen to Generals Eisenhower, Spaatz and Doolittle talk about the Tunisian Campaign. Watch the bombs drop on missions including the oil fields and production facilities at Ploesti, Romania. View destruction on the ground. Watch as liberated POWs of the 15th AF are brought back to Italy.
This DVD contains a mixture of black and white and color film footage.
There are a number of minutes that contain sound. Runtime: 218 Minutes (3 hours, 38 minutes). Price: $39.99
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By Kenneth Breaux
The author takes the reader on a compelling odyssey, beginning with a wartime mystery which endured for nearly sixty years. A compelling and often gripping story of loss and discovery.
About the Author:
Kenneth Breaux served as a Naval Officer during the Vietnam era, where he first became acquainted with the plight of MIA's and their families. He spent over twenty years on active and reserve service and retired from the Navy with the rank of Commander.
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"Courtesies of the Heart"
In the early morning hours of September 11, 1944, US Army Air Forces P-51 pilot Lt. William Lewis climbed into an overcast sky with the 55th Fighter Group on a mission escorting bombers. He had already flown more than 100 hours of combat over Europe. Over the channel he joined a vast fleet of more than 1,000 airplanes including the B-17’s of the 100th Bomb Group bound for Germany. This day’s combat would be one of the largest aerial engagements of the war, conducted at the very edge of operational range. By the next day, all of the aircraft were accounted for or known to be lost. Among the missing was Bill Lewis, who would remain an MIA for almost sixty years.
A chance discussion in a Texas home on New Years Eve 2001 regarding the movie “Saving Private Ryan”, a renovated Czech schoolhouse in the village of Kovarska, experts from the US Army in Hawaii, and Czech volunteers extended and fulfilled the Courtesy of the Heart begun by a gracious German citizen in September 1944 in the Thuringer Wald of Germany.
This is the fascinating story of how a Tulsa World War II pilot came home on Memorial Day 2004, only a few months short of sixty years from the time he flew his last mission. The book began a new role for the author, whose retirement has since become centered around the families of the missing in action of World War II and the search for their remains, and the origin of a not for profit company called MIA Recovery Network and a second book slated to be released by years-end 2021, called “Known But to God: America’s Twentieth Century Wars and the Search for the Missing”.
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By James & Barbara Farrell
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"James Joseph Farrell"
James Joseph Farrell was born October 27, 1921 and grew up during the Great Depression. He joined the Army Air Corps in 1939.
He served with distinction in North Africa in 1942-1943 with the 301st Bombardment Group, 32nd Bomb Squadron flying 51 missions as an aerial engineer, top turret gunner.
He earned his pilot wings in 1945. This is his story.
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***NEW Release: 6/20/2022 ***
98th Bombardment Group, WWII
Seen below is Col. John Kane, CO of the 98th Bombardment Group.
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98th Bombardment Group
Enjoy the history of the 98th Bombardment Group in World War II with this discovered archival film footage. The first footage is in 1942 where the 98th setup their first bases. Watch as the men fight in the African Campaign with targets from Egypt to Tunisia. Then view targets across the Mediterranean Sea. View some rare color footage of the famous Ploesti Mission of August 1, 1943. View activities and missions from bases on the Foggia Plain. Get a look at the men in many award ceremonies.
Identified B-24 Liberator aircraft are seen on the ground and in the air at their various bases and the viewer gets a unique look and visual record of the 98th Bombardment Group men in action during World War II.
355 Minutes (nearly 6 hours) rendered in 67 chapters of material make up this historic dvd.
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MIAs - Missing in Action
We have information on over 90,000 MIAs. This includes most all the World War II MIAs and some from World War I, Korea, Vietnam and the Cold War.
With our strategic partners, the MIA Recovery Network, we want to tell the last chapter in the life of these Citizen Soldiers.
We would also like your help in telling the first chapters of the lives of those still Missing in Action. Do you have service photos of a family member that is or was MIA? News articles? Service related material?
Material on Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines MIAs:
Air Corps:
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X-Files - Buried Unknowns
There are many citizen soldiers whose body was recovered, but they are unidentified. There are thousands of these unknowns buried in American Battle Monument Cemeteries around the world. They are also known as X-Files.
Material on Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines X-Files can be found:
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Awards, Rosters
Unit Documents
We need you ! A continued big thanks to our fantastic army of volunteers. We have much more so if you can type and have a couple hours each week we can use you !
Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force
We have received material on many units and are hoping to compile much more.
Unit Citations, Awards, Transfers, Rosters
Many groups received unit citations during their particular conflict. The paperwork, in triplicate, would include a roster of all assigned and attached personnel. We are seeking and requesting copies of those roster documents. Please search your papers, talk to your association and help us out with this information and get them to us pronto!
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Attention Website Owners &
Veteran Associations
Many WWII veterans organizations have shut. Many these organizations had developed some type of website, some with enormous amounts of data and history. Sadly, many had/have not made provisions for their website to be continued and thus when the bill stops being paid, the website disappears and all the work and information is lost. We want to help and we need you to help us. If you know of a disbanding group, please have them get in contact with us; we would like to bring their website and information under our wing. If they want to continue to maintain it we can give them access to continue that as well. One of our top goals for this and every year is to preserve this history not lose it!
Not a WW2 unit? That's ok. We are also interested in your history and want to help preserve it. Korea, Vietnam and all other conflicts.
If your organization has physical materials such as uniforms, patches, photos and other memorabilia do you have plans for them when you cease operations? We would be honored to be the custodian of your group's history.
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Contact
Sons of Liberty Museum
Army Air Corps Library and Museum
Directors' Line: 214.957.1393
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