American Military Records

[rp76226]

My grandfather, Salvatore Puma, served in the US Army during WW1. He fought the Germans in trench warfare in Argonne, France. He never talked about his WW1 service. His daughter told me today that he was shot in the leg during combat there and had a horrible scar from it. However, the military records that I have for him indicates that he was never wounded. How do I discover the truth? See links:

https://s12.postimg.org/4xrrn4dil/Puma_ ... Record.jpg

https://s21.postimg.org/ysa1h1won/Sal_P ... Record.jpg

[Biff83]

In July of 1973 80% of the military records at the National Personnel Records Center in St Louis for Army personnel discharged from 1 Nov 1912 to 1 Jan 1960 were lost in a fire. I would tend to believe the record you posted, but make no mistake your grandfather was a brave man for enlisting and serving in a rifle company at the point of the spear in WWI, one of the most horrific conflicts ever. The 313th suffered 223 KIA, 78 DOW, and over 1200 WIA during the campaign.

Based on the information you posted he was in the 1st Battalion of the 313th Infantry Regiment, 79th Infantry Division. He would have served during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive aka The Battle of the Argonne Forest.

https://www.abmc.gov/multimedia/videos/ ... h-regiment

https://archive.org/details/historyof313thus00thor

Biff

[Tessa78]

I don't know if this will help, but I found this newspaper article about WWI soldiers, dated November 1918.
A Salvatore Puma, New York, is listed as Missing In Action.
See fourth column - just about the "Section Three" heading. (to the right of the photo)

http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/hi ... Page=false

AND*** in this newspaper under the heading "American Casualty List" - Missing in Action
http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/hi ... Page=false

AND*** in the fifth column in this paper - Salvatore Puma, New York City (under missing in Action)
http://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/hi ... Page=false

T.

[rp76226]

Tessa, is there a way to find out if this Salvatore Puma was ever found. If he wasn't found alive, then he cannot be my grandfather. I never heard of any stories that he was missing in action. Unfortunately, my grandfather never talked about his military service, and now it's too late for me to ask.
I also found that there was an obituary for him on August 11, 1981 in the Journal from White Plains, but it is on one of those subscription websites. Not sure if there's another way to get to read that obituary.

[rp76226]

Biff, did my grandfather enlist or was he drafted? I thought that he was drafted.

Ron

[Tessa78]

Tessa, is there a way to find out if this Salvatore Puma was ever found. If he wasn't found alive, then he cannot be my grandfather. I never heard of any stories that he was missing in action. Unfortunately, my grandfather never talked about his military service, and now it's too late for me to ask.
I also found that there was an obituary for him on August 11, 1981 in the Journal from White Plains, but it is on one of those subscription websites. Not sure if there's another way to get to read that obituary.

Here is the transport record/passenger list of military returning from France in May 1919. Salvatore Puma of the 313th is passenger 80.

https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/61 ... PUBJs=true

The only identifying information in the MIA list for Salvatore Puma is his hometown of New York City. While there were other Salvatore Pumas in NYC at that time, I can find no military records for those other Salvatore Pumas.

T.

[rp76226]

Thanks again Tessa. Kind of sad that his listed emergency contact - his brother Gaetano Puma had died the year before of the Spanish Flu at age 33.

[Biff83]

Biff, did my grandfather enlist or was he drafted? I thought that he was drafted.

Ron

It appears you're correct since enlisted is lined out; however, his June 1919 discharge papers on your tree states he enlisted. Also, since he wasn't naturalized until Aug 1919 after the war, I'm not sure he would have been subject to the draft as a foreign citizen. His service would have fast-tracked him for citizenship.

Biff

[rp76226]

Thanks, Biff.

[Tessa78]

Thanks again Tessa. Kind of sad that his listed emergency contact - his brother Gaetano Puma had died the year before of the Spanish Flu at age 33.

Indeed!

T.

[rp76226]

Going back to his military discharge paper (see link below), what does the word or abbreviation "todisch", that appears after his unit - Company A, 313th Infantry, mean?

https://s12.postimg.org/4xrrn4dil/Puma_ ... Record.jpg

Also, referring to the three newspaper articles dated November 18, 1918 submitted by Tessa78 in an earlier reply, listing a Sal Puma from New York missing in action, is there any way to find out the Army serial number of the Sal Puma missing in action? I still do not think that he would have been my grandfather since he returned home, unless he really was wounded in action as his daughter claims he told her (shot in the leg) when she saw the wound and asked him, and he could not physically get back to his unit right away. My grandfather's Army serial number was 3,197,381.

[Biff83]

"todisch"--to discharge. Indicates he served in A Co/313th Inf for his entire length of service.

Biff

[rp76226]

Thank you.