ATTENTION!!!!!

If you know of any WWII veteran who participated in Battles at Tinian or Saipan , please contact me.

Please forward to Meigs / Roundup or other Engr networks.

Thanks much

jack

Jack O'Neill

Colonel (Retired), US Army Corps of Engineers

Executive Director, Army Engineer Association

703-428-6049

I may have a lead on some Marine vets who were there. I am writing an e-mail to someone in the Marine CorpsTankers' Association. Do you know what the Col needs to talk to them about?

No I don't dear, but I figure it might have something to do with an article, since Jack is the exec director.

I received it yesterday and posted it right away. I wrote back to Jack and told him about the forum posting and he sent his big thanks for my assistance.

I look forward to hearing what transpires. Thanks for your help!

Hi, I'm trying to find out what I can on the unit that built the airfield on Saipan. My Dad was the commander of what I think was a seperate company that built those airstrips. I know at one time he told me the unit designation, but I've forgotton it over time. He passed away in 1991 and my brothers and sister are trying to find out more information. The unit landed on D+9 and didn't redploy untilo after the war was over. Any information would be appreciated.

Hi David. There were many engineer units that built airfields on Saipan, Seabees, Army Engineers and Aviation Engineers so we`ll have to narrow it down.

The first things you need to do is obtain a copy of your dad`s discharge document, see the Research Section of the forum on how to locate a copy.

If you will give me his name, date of birth, residence, ( state where he lived at enlistment), i should be be able to enough information to help you in your quest.

Larry

Thanks Larry, Martin A. Tonner, 5/20/1921, Bluffton. IN. OCS at FT Leonard Wood.

This is Martin`s enlistment record showing his original Army Serial Number. After he graduated OCS as an officer, he would have been issued a NEW Serial Number designating an officer, officer Serial Numbers started with an O,

ie: O - xxxxxxx.

ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 35359116

NAME TONNER#MARTIN#A

RESIDENCE: STATE 51 INDIANA

RESIDENCE: COUNTY 179 WELLS

PLACE OF ENLISTMENT 5140 INDIANAPOLIS INDIANA

DATE OF ENLISTMENT DAY 03

DATE OF ENLISTMENT MONTH 07

DATE OF ENLISTMENT YEAR 42

GRADE: ALPHA DESIGNATION PVT Private

GRADE: CODE 8 Private

BRANCH: ALPHA DESIGNATION BI# Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA

BRANCH: CODE 00 Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA

TERM OF ENLISTMENT 5

Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law

LONGEVITY ###

SOURCE OF ARMY PERSONNEL 0 Civil Life

NATIVITY 51 INDIANA

YEAR OF BIRTH 21

RACE AND CITIZENSHIP 1 White, citizen

EDUCATION 4 4 years of high school

CIVILIAN OCCUPATION 480 Tinsmiths, coppersmiths, and sheet metal workers

MARITAL STATUS 6 Single, without dependents

COMPONENT OF THE ARMY 7 Selectees (Enlisted Men)

CARD NUMBER # #

BOX NUMBER 0929

FILM REEL NUMBER 3.351

"FILM REEL NUMBER 3.351"

Is that as in microfilm? For records keeping?

From what i`ve read, the original enlistment card records were microfilmed in the late `40s. The enlistment records on the National archive`s AAD website were compiled from these old films, which were in very bad condition when NARA created the database and some were unreadable. Thus not all enlistment records are not in the AAD database.

Thanks, a lot of good information. I'll try to go thru the link to get his discharge records. One thing that Dad did tell me is that the majority of his OCS class went to Europe and were heavily involved in the Battle of the Bulge, where a lot of them became casulaties. That's what brought it up, that he had been lucky and was sent to the Pacific.