My grandfather enlisted in the Navy after Pearl Harbor and served as a battlefield medic for five years in the Pacific Theater. Unsurprisingly, he never opened up about his experiences during the war. He passed away a few years ago, taking his experiences with him.
What I would like is to find out what ships he may have been stationed on, if possible what unit (division? I'm not sure the correct terminology) and what battles he may have taken part in. From there, I would use that information to research other people's experiences to gain a deeper understanding of my grandfather's experience.
TL;DR What resources can I use to discover information about my Grandfather's tour of duty in the Navy during World War II?
Hey!
This should be a good start, it's the National Archive so anything the government still has on your grandfather's service will be in their hands. Good luck!!
https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records
I believe if you're interested, you can also go this route to have a little plaque put at your grandfather's grave marking his service. I know at the foot of both my grandfather's graves is a little marker from the Army and Navy giving their ranks and branch, if you're interested.
Hello there! As your question is related to looking for information regarding military personnel, our Guide on Military Identification may be of use to you. It provides a number of different resources, including how to request service records from a number of national agencies around the world, as well as graphical aids to assist in deciphering rank, unit, and other forms of badges or insignia. While the users here may still be able to lend you more assistance, hopefully this will provide a good place to start!