If you’ve arrived at our site because you are related to, or knew someone who served with the 87th, and would like to find out more about their experiences, the “research room” is a good place to start. Here we’ve attempted to assemble the most useful resources in one spot.
If you are aware of other resources or suggestions which would be useful here, please contact us.
The first step is to assemble all the documents and artifacts you have. Listed below are some of the most common and useful sources of information from which to start your research.
Army Serial Numbers
The Army Serial Number, or ASN, can be very helpful in finding information about a soldier. This can be found on the discharge, and also on the dog tags (see below). Various details can be derived from a soldier’s ASN. A good article covering this is How to Decode a WWII US Army Serial Number.
Military Discharge
This is the single most valuable document for starting your search, as it provides a wealth of information. Some of the information included on the discharge is as follows:
Physical characteristics (height, weight, eye color, hair color)
Home address
Serial number
Rank (at discharge)
Highest rank attained
Organization in which he served
Decorations and citations
Military occupational specialty (MOS)
Battles and campaigns
If you don’t have a copy of the discharge, don’t despair. There are several avenues you can pursue to get a copy of the discharge, or at least some of the information contained in it. Here are some recommendations:
Make a request to the The National Personnel Records Center, Military Personnel Records (NPRC-MPR) for the information. It is helpful to have the soldier’s serial number. This can also be found on their dog tags (see below). Unfortunately, there was a fire at the NPRC in 1973 that destroyed about 80% of the U.S. Army Personnel files for soldiers discharged between 1 November 1912 to 1 January 1960.
The Army recommended that servicemen take a copy of their discharge to the local county clerk or county recorder, so this would be a good avenue to pursue.
Check with the local and state historical societies where the service member resided when they were inducted or discharged.
Check with state and local libraries as well.
Medical records contain useful and interesting information. Request a copy of their Service Medical Records (SMR) at your Regional Veteran’s Administration office.
Dog Tags
Dog tags from 1940 through July 1943 contained the following:
Name
Serial number, tetanus inoculation, and blood type
Name of next of kin
Street address of next of kin
Town and state of next of kin, and religion code
In July 1943, the next of kin information was removed.
Other Sources of Information
Letters and correspondence: Letters written overseas were heavily censored. It’s interesting to note that it was typically an officer at the company-level who read and censored correspondence.
Hometown newspapers: Local newspapers loved printing stories, letters, and photographs of local men who were serving their country. The information may not provide a lot of specifics, but can be useful in piecing together your puzzle.
Photographs: Photographs of the soldier in uniform may show patches and insignia which would indicate the division and regiment in which they served.
