Chris Boonzaier Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 I assume a Bronze star with a simple "James H Turner" is a waste of time to try and research?What about one of those WW1 wound docs with the guys name and unit... any chance of finding out where and when he was wounded?ThanksChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Dienna Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Never a waste of time to try!The Bronze star....can you post a photo? The engraving style can indicate the period, and narrow it down. You can then check the social security rolls and the National Archives website for information. I can check the lists of KIA's from WW II, Korea and Vietnam to see if it is posthumous. The Archives site may provide a service number that would permit requesting his file from St. Louis.As to the WW I citation...I don't have the address, but there is an office of the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis that has a card index of all WW I wounded who received a Purple Heart, kept alphabetically. If you provide a name they can provide a copy of the award card which will give unit and date of wound. Or if you can provide us with the unit, it may be possible to narrow him down to a specific State, and the State archives often have excellent files on WW I service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Hi,here is the wounded guy.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 Harry Colvill.The Bronze star is in the thread below about US naming.All the bestChris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Dienna Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 The 344th machine gun battalion was a part of the 90th Infantry Division. The division was comprised of the National Guard units of Texas and Oklahoma. The unit patch, for this reason, was a combined "T" and "O", leading to the division nickname of "The tough ombres".I would think that both Texas and Oklahoma would have pretty decent WW I service records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Danner Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 The 344th Machine Gun Battalion was part of the 179th Infantry Brigade of the 90th Infantry Division, a National Army formation, not a National Guard formation. It was originally formed in Texas and Oklahoma, though.World War I National Army divisions (76th and up) originally had regional orientations like National Guard divisions, to make induction and training of recruits and draftees easier, but manpower needs of the National Guard divisions resulted in changes, and the National Army divisions eventually became generic all-American formations. So the 90th Division lost its original specific Texas and Oklahoma nature, but kept the T and O in the patch. Similarly, the 76th was originally raised in New England, the 77th in New York, the 78th in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the 82nd in the Southeast, etc.The National Army became the Organized Reserve after World War I.The 36th Division was the combined Texas/Oklahoma National Guard division. After World War I, Oklahoma's National Guard was increased and joined with other Southwestern states to form the 45th Division, and the 36th Division became an all-Texas formation in World War II.By sheer coincidence, that Google Books site I mentioned to you earlier, Chris, has the 90th Division's World War I divisional history: http://books.google.com/books?id=l1oDAAAAMAAJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Dienna Posted March 20, 2007 Share Posted March 20, 2007 Well, there ya go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Boonzaier Posted March 20, 2007 Author Share Posted March 20, 2007 It shows a bit of the casualty list... but not the page with my guy !!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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