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I was looking for the Navy version of the Army`s IDPF - Individual Deceaced Personel File and came up with a source for info thru the Mortuary Affairs Section of the Military Medical Support Office

IV. The Navy has index cards on deceased sailors. These 5x6 cards normally include a description of how the seaman was killed, burial place, next of kin, and birth, enlistment and death dates.

Write to:

Officer In Charge, Naval Medical And Dental Affairs

Mortuary Affairs Branch, PO Box 886999, Great Lakes IL 60088-6999,

Phone: (800)-876-1131 Ex 621, 627 or 628 Fax: (847)-688-3964

Write or call them with your uncle`s name & service number, they should be able to help you obtain the records.

I have some preliminary research findings for you Greg. First is the correct name spelling as found in the record searchs on the ABMC & WWII Memorial websites, the name is VAN DE MOORTEL, second is his Service Number: 6092682.

 

G. C. Van De Moortel

Seaman, Second Class, U.S. Navy

Service # 6092682

United States Naval Reserve

Entered the Service from: New York

Died: 15-Aug-44

Buried at: Plot A Row 1 Grave 19

Rhone American Cemetery

Draguignan, France

Awards: Purple Heart

 

An ARC search for New York casualties at

State Summary of War Casualties from World War II for Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Personnel :

http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/ww2/navy-casualties/

 

VAN DE MOORTEL, Gordon Charles; Seaman 2c, USN,

Parents, Mr. and Mrs Jacob Van De Moortel, 33 Wadsworth St., Geneva.

 

Time to pack it in for tonight, we`ll see what tomorow brings.

Thanks Larry,

Well this is quite shocking that the Navy has misspelled his last name, it is VanDeMortel only 1 o not 2. But thanks so much for the info you have dug up and also for the link which I certainly will make useful. I will either call or write very soon and look forward to talking directly with someone.

What you have done for me is very appreiciated and I am grateful. This whole site has just been amazing and I look forward to reading so many of the other posts on here. I know that I may not add or respond to much on here but it wont keep me away from reading all others.

I will tell you that my trip there next year will be a dream come true and I will take many photos of this trip. I have a German woman in my life and she will be moving here very soon , in the meantime we are doing quite alot of traveling throughout Europe. As my picture I added may show do you know where I was? I have others of this ( spot ) and it was wowwww.

Look forward to hearing from you even if your searches come up empty or they go cold. Thanks for everything

Sincerly,

Gregory

There is a wonderfully detailed book on the Southern France landing. It is called

 

Dragoon - The Other Invasion of France - author Paul Gaujac

 

There is a section, The First Onslaught Comes From the Sea, which you would probably find of great interest. Lots of photos too.

 

It's worth having in your collection, and comes highly recommended by me and many of the veterans who landed there.

Hi Marion,

I will certainly look for this book very soon it sounds like something of high interest for me. I am trying to learn as much as possible about Gordons last day before he left us so soon. As you know I never knew him but my mother talked often about his childhood and what a wonderful brother he was.

I also would like to add that I will never forget you for all the help you and your site has done for me, I will undoubtably take this with me to Draguignan. I plan on spending a few days there and also at the beach shore of the landing site if I can find out a relative point of this. My camcorder will be busy and I think I will add this to this site either from Borkum or when I arrive home.

It is also my wish that if anyone wants a picture or anything at all from Rhone Cemetery or anything at all please just ask and I will do whatever I can for whoever it may be.

Thanks again Marion

Gregory

Name spelling errors can be found in any type of record research.

In this case, the 2 O s -- MOORTEL is probly the Dutch spelling of the name. It`s possible early family, Marriage, Birth, Death, & Census records could be found with the 2 O spelling.

His name on the Veterans Memorial, Geneva, NY is also spelled Van De Moortel

http://ontario.nygenweb.net/veteransmemorialgeneva.htm

Name spelling errors can be found in any type of record research.

In this case, the 2 O s -- MOORTEL is probly the Dutch spelling of the name. It`s possible early family, Marriage, Birth, Death, & Census records could be found with the 2 O spelling.

 

His name on the Veterans Memorial, Geneva, NY is also spelled Van De Moortel

 

http://ontario.nygenweb.net/veteransmemorialgeneva.htm

Thanks Larry,

I will ask my Uncle this question about the spelling, this is very interesting I had not thought of that possibility. You have me in awwww again, I haved learned so much in just a few days I dont know how to thank you!

Your incredible and with people like you on this site it makes me feel nothing is impossible.

Did you see my picture Larry? Do you know what and where this is? Alright I'll tell you Koln and its the Dome I was there last November and it was awesome

Thanks

Gregory

Gregory:

I can tell you it's our absolute pleasure to assist you. It's just what we do, and we do it with a smile.

I have a lot of great people under my wing, and I'm proud to call this home. As Mary Ann puts it, these are my "peeps". Larry's one of the special peeps, for he does a lot of research for us. I really appreciate that too since there are many times when I am up to my eyebrows in research and work on the web, etc., and Larry comes through for me.

Thank you Marion for the kind words. I just try do to whatever i can to assist YOU in making YOUR forum the BEST WWII forum on the web.

More onfo for Greg: the August 15, 1944 entry from:

The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II - Chapter VI: 1944

15 August, Tue. --

Pacific

"USAAF B-24s (5th Air Force) attack Japanese convoy and sink army cargo ship Tosho Maru in Banda Sea, southwest of Soena Islands, 04°30'S, 125°26'E; auxiliary submarine chaser No.18 Nitto Maru rescues survivors.

RAAF Mitchells sink Japanese cargo vessel No.14 Sakura Maru off north coast of central Timor.

Other aircraft sink vessel Kono Maru off Halmahera Island.

Mediterranean

Allied troops (Major General Alexander M. Patch, USA) land on coast of Southern France between Toulon and Cannes in Operation DRAGOON, preceded by heavy naval gunfire and aircraft attack. The operation is under the command of Vice Admiral H. Kent Hewitt, Naval Commander Western Task Force and Commander Eighth Fleet. After the landings, naval gunfire engages German coast defense batteries and continues to support the troops ashore. Infantry landing craft LCI-592 is damaged by mortar fire off southern France; LCI-588 and LCI-590 are damaged by mines off RED Beach ALPHA; tank landing ship LST-282, damaged by glider bomb while approaching GREEN beach, is beached and abandoned, 43°25'N, 06°50'E; submarine chaser SC-1029 is damaged when landing craft ahead of ship explodes, 43°12'N, 06°41'E. U.S. freighter Tarleton Brown is damaged by bomb and near-miss during German air raid on Allied shipping off St. Raphael; there are no fatalities among the merchant crew, the passengers, or the 44-man Armed Guard.

Destroyer Somers (DD-381) sinks German ship Esebart and damages corvette Uj.6083 (ex-Italian corvette Capriolo). The latter is captured and then scuttled southwest of Isle Port Cros. "

The above list may be incomplete as it only lists only the larger landing craft & Liberty ships with major damage. There were many small landing craft damaged or destroyed by mines or enemy shells.

the website: Casualties: U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vessels, Sunk or Damaged Beyond Repair during World War II, 7 December 1941-1 October 1945 has another vessel sunk 15 Aug:

Motor Mine sweepers (YMS)

USS YMS-24 sunk by a mine off St. Tropez, France, 15 August 1944.