USN Service Records

[squorch2]

Correct. The folks at NARA are very helpful - just ask!

 

[flynavy830]

Other than basic information about promotions, a history of assignments and possibly a record of unit or personal awards, I doubt that there will be much in a service record to prove or disprove sea stories or family lore. There won't be anything of an operational nature in the service record.

What - specifically - are you looking for?

I'm in a similar position. My grandfather was in the navy, and as far as the family story goes, he was apart of some "test" unit for special ops. Honestly, I know I need to take all stories with a grain of salt but would love to find any relevant information.

 

[sickboy]

Have you checked with the museum in Pensacola? My grandfather was a Naval Aviator, and we were able to obtain copies of a lot of his training records and flight information from them. My mother got this from them in the past year or so, I will check with her to find out what she had to go through if you would like. I don't think it was very hard, they asked when they were there and got a DVD with all the docs within a few weeks. Wish I could sit down and talk with him again.

This is an fantastic idea. There's a warehouse on base that the museum has which has a bunch of cool shit in it. Amongst that cool shit are boxes and boxes of ATJs going (almost) back to Theodore Ellyson. Some poor stash Ensign named me had to sort through them and create an spreadsheet to track them with. Not sure if they ever finished the project or not, I hadn't gotten into WW2 before I classed up. But I will say that Butch O'Hare had some airsickness issues in the Stearman.

 

[squorch2]

The project isn't done. It's close, but not done yet. Most old ATJs will be shredded. Notable ones will be retained.

 

[Beans]

It's nearly free to scan them (except for that it seemed to me in my squadron that obtaining a scanner was only slightly easier than getting one's hands on some Plutonium), and super cheap to store them. Why not?

 

[Spekkio]

I'm in a similar position. My grandfather was in the navy, and as far as the family story goes, he was apart of some "test" unit for special ops. Honestly, I know I need to take all stories with a grain of salt but would love to find any relevant information.

Stories get twisted. My grandmother thought her husband (met after both retired) was a diver and thus must have been a SEAL... he was a CSC (SS) qualified to stand dive, which is not the same thing. She just couldn't wrap her head around the difference between a diver, SEAL, and DOOW.

 

[squorch2]

It's nearly free to scan them (except for that it seemed to me in my squadron that obtaining a scanner was only slightly easier than getting one's hands on some Plutonium), and super cheap to store them. Why not?

Navy records management policy.

 

[sickboy]

The project isn't done. It's close, but not done yet. Most old ATJs will be shredded. Notable ones will be retained.

That's just a bummer.

 

[squorch2]

Good news is new ATJs are returned to the member upon transfer from the training command.

 

[Flash]

Good news is new ATJs are returned to the member upon transfer from the training command.

How can we get a copy if we don't have one?

 

[squorch2]

Navy keeps the records for 50 years. Yours is likely still down in Pensacola. NHHC can help you find it.