So how do you find dead buddies?

[Sterling Mace]

I realize that a lot of these search places for Marine buddies are not design for people my age - that someone who died 66 years ago is tall order, to find info, pictures, etc...

Actually I don't care so much about the information, but for my book I'm looking for photos of a couple of buddies that were killed on Peleliu, PFC. Lawrence Mahan, 09/18/1944 and PFC. Seymour Levy, 10/01/1944.

Going through the government would do no good. Ancestory.com does me no good. Parris Island? Would they have records? I know they both went through PI, like me, as New Yorkers. If PI shows record of them, then perhaps they can tell me what platoon they were in, and I can obtain the photos.

Yet, in my case, I was PI Platoon 80, 1943, and PI shows no record we had a photo taken.

Seymour was an only child, and I'm afraid that when his parents died, he died with them. Mahan? Hell, I even tried contacting the family of the girlfriend he had, and they never got back to me.

Jesus Christ! If you thought finding your buddies from 1985 was difficult, try my boondockers.

Any ideas?

Sterling G. Mace, K/3/5, 1st Marine Division

[USNAviator]

I realize that a lot of these search places for Marine buddies are not design for people my age - that someone who died 66 years ago is tall order, to find info, pictures, etc...

Actually I don't care so much about the information, but for my book I'm looking for photos of a couple of buddies that were killed on Peleliu, PFC. Lawrence Mahan, 09/18/1944 and PFC. Seymour Levy, 10/01/1944.

Going through the government would do no good. Ancestory.com does me no good. Parris Island? Would they have records? I know they both went through PI, like me, as New Yorkers. If PI shows record of them, then perhaps they can tell me what platoon they were in, and I can obtain the photos.

Yet, in my case, I was PI Platoon 80, 1943, and PI shows no record we had a photo taken.

Seymour was an only child, and I'm afraid that when his parents died, he died with them. Mahan? Hell, I even tried contacting the family of the girlfriend he had, and they never got back to me.

Jesus Christ! If you thought finding your buddies from 1985 was difficult, try my boondockers.

Any ideas?

Sterling G. Mace, K/3/5, 1st Marine Division


Sterling

Welcome aboard to another member of the Greatest Generation

There is another WW2 Marine aboard Ray Merrell who also wrote a book. Send him a PM. He might be able to help you

Dan

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Sterling:


I had a LONG reply done but this useless frakked up gummint computer dumped me and I lost it. Piece of crap.

Lets see if I can reconstruct this...

Ordering his service records from NARA may in the end prove useful. Sometimes the Marines official photo is in it...sometimes it's not. Since he was KIA, likely as not there should be some correspondence in the records to his family asking about body disposition after the war. If I were doing this, that would be my next step.

Ancestry is only good for Marines who served prior to WWII. After 1940 the records aren't in the system yet. Can't wait until they are. I'm hopeful they will be one day.

I checked the ABMC site, he's not listed there.

Only 2 'Levy' names appear in the New York State casualty database online:

LEVY, Seymour, Pfc., USMCR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Levy, 486 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn.

Having the parents address can sometimes help, using census records. Longshot I know.

You no doubt are familiar with this site:

http://brothersinbattle.net/index.html


The WWII Memorial site has him, alas, no picture...but it does show someone listed him:

http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=registry.asp&subpage=search&drawtable=YES

It also shows he's a Bronze Star winner.

Mahan is a bit more difficult. He doesn't show up in the WWII registry, which is odd if he's a KIA.

He does show up here:

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/wwii/reports/mar_s_m.htm

<TABLE id=news-releases style="MARGIN-TOP: 20px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px" cellSpacing=0 align=center><TBODY><TR class=even><TD noWrap>MAHAN, LAWRENCE D </TD><TD>536099</TD><TD>USMCR </TD><TD>PFC</TD><TD>09/18/1944 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Listed as 'Buried at Sea'.

Sorry I can't be of more help sir.

[USNAviator]

Great job Lep. I didn't know half of those sites even existed.

[ChuckH]

Sterling:


I had a LONG reply done but this useless frakked up gummint computer dumped me and I lost it. Piece of crap.

Lets see if I can reconstruct this...

Ordering his service records from NARA may in the end prove useful. Sometimes the Marines official photo is in it...sometimes it's not. Since he was KIA, likely as not there should be some correspondence in the records to his family asking about body disposition after the war. If I were doing this, that would be my next step.

Ancestry is only good for Marines who served prior to WWII. After 1940 the records aren't in the system yet. Can't wait until they are. I'm hopeful they will be one day.

I checked the ABMC site, he's not listed there.

Only 2 'Levy' names appear in the New York State casualty database online:

LEVY, Seymour, Pfc., USMCR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Levy, 486 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn.

Having the parents address can sometimes help, using census records. Longshot I know.

You no doubt are familiar with this site:

http://brothersinbattle.net/index.html


The WWII Memorial site has him, alas, no picture...but it does show someone listed him:

http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=registry.asp&subpage=search&drawtable=YES

It also shows he's a Bronze Star winner.

Mahan is a bit more difficult. He doesn't show up in the WWII registry, which is odd if he's a KIA.

He does show up here:

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/wwii/reports/mar_s_m.htm

<table id="news-releases" style="MARGIN-TOP: 20px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px" align="center" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr class="even"><td nowrap="nowrap">MAHAN, LAWRENCE D </td><td>536099</td><td>USMCR </td><td>PFC</td><td>09/18/1944 </td></tr></tbody></table>
Listed as 'Buried at Sea'.

Sorry I can't be of more help sir.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Thanks sir. I've got a multitude of sites that I hit when I'm trying to research.

[EGA1957]

Lawrence D. MAHAN, DOB: 11/26/1925, shows up on Ancestry.com as being buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery (209 Truman Ave., Yonkers, NY 10705) and having died 9/18/1944.

Possible contact persons at the cemetery may be Rob or Rose Johnson.

Ancestry.com also shows him on their Military database records.

[JRHD72]

We have a Pelelieu survivor in our MCL det. His name is Harry "RED" Hibbard. G 3/5. He lives in Clinton ,NY. They just had their reunion here in Rome. Don't know if you knew him, but it is posible for me to arrange contact.
Semper Fi!

[Sterling Mace]

Sterling:

LEVY, Seymour, Pfc., USMCR. Parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Levy, 486 Brooklyn Ave., Brooklyn.


You no doubt are familiar with this site:

http://brothersinbattle.net/index.html


The WWII Memorial site has him, alas, no picture...but it does show someone listed him:

http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=registry.asp&subpage=search&drawtable=YES

It also shows he's a Bronze Star winner.

Mahan is a bit more difficult. He doesn't show up in the WWII registry, which is odd if he's a KIA.

He does show up here:

http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/wwii/reports/mar_s_m.htm

<TABLE style="MARGIN-TOP: 20px; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 20px" id=news-releases cellSpacing=0 align=center><TBODY><TR class=even><TD noWrap>MAHAN, LAWRENCE D </TD><TD>536099</TD><TD>USMCR </TD><TD>PFC</TD><TD>09/18/1944 </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Listed as 'Buried at Sea'.

Sorry I can't be of more help sir.

Thank you, Sarge. That is both Sy Levy whom I was only 20 feet away from when he was killed (where I later found out was the China Wall), and Larry Mahan who was with L/3/5 and was hit on the beach on September 15th, 1944, and died of wounds on the hospital ship.

I'm not sure when the word came down to me about Larry - only that it was before we invaded Ngesebus - nonetheless, they told me right away they dumped him over the side of the ship. There was no cemetery on Peleliu that early and I remember thinking what a crummy way to be burried.

But you just can't think too much about that stuff in combat.

[Sterling Mace]

Lawrence D. MAHAN, DOB: 11/26/1925, shows up on Ancestry.com as being buried in St. Joseph's Cemetery (209 Truman Ave., Yonkers, NY 10705) and having died 9/18/1944.

Possible contact persons at the cemetery may be Rob or Rose Johnson.

Ancestry.com also shows him on their Military database records.

Yes, that's Larry, too. He was from Dobbs Ferry, NY. I didn't see that about Rob or Rose. I wonder who they could be. I will try them in Yonkers.

Thank you for your help. Quite a bunch of detective, you Marines!

Semper Fi!
Sterling G. Mace

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Sir, you know the brotherhood! Ask...and we jump to it. Sorry no pics, though.

[crazymjb]

Yes, thank you for saving everything we love in life today.

Mike

[Sterling Mace]

Thank you fellas, I know you are sincere. It kind of reminds me of a joke title for my book that I used to tell the locals:

"Saving the World, by Saving my Ass...One Nip at a Time."

Yeah, that's a joke. But on the other hand, it sort of has a ring to it.

Semper Fi
Sterling G. Mace

[sparkie]

I am honored to read this thread. One o the things I won't forget.

[Sgt Leprechaun]

Great joke sir! LOL

[SGT7477]

This is from all of us, Sir. Thank you for your service.
:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:, Semper Fidelis.

[USMC WII Vet]

I was wounded in action on Sept 20,1944 at Peleliu. I was hospilized then went back in action.
What states were your Buddies from?
I will look through my paperwork.
Semper Fi,

[FoxtrotOscar]

National Gravesite Locator....

http://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/j2ee/servlet/NGL_v1

[Sgt Leprechaun]

That's not a bad reference overall, but you really have to be able to narrow things down.

Believe me, researching WWII Marines can be a difficult and frustrating process at times LOL.