I skimmed this posting, but i wanted to say,.... I sent a request to the St Louis office asking for any records that can be released to me about Grandad. They sent me a form letter and a buncha forms stating that most of the information was destroyed in the 1970s by fire but will send what they can and needed more info, which i dont have which was why i was asking in the first place. So i send what I had all over again, and then pulled what I could from Derrick of Dauntless, some info from ancestry about his enlistment (if that is in existence, wouldnt the rest of his file be also?) and some bits and pieces from family folklore. Hoping for the best now. But, I see here you say that an office in MD has more information? Where in MD?? I live in MD and might plan an little field trip.
You can find all the answers to your questions about NARA, etc., in our Research section:
http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/engforum/index.php?showtopic=23
Smiles, M1
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"