As you can imagine, many if not most of the men with whom your father-in-law sailed have passed on by now. And of those who may still be around, many may not know of the Armed Guard website or even have an interest in or ability to use the Internet. On the other hand, you never know. Maybe someone who sees your message knew your father-in-law.
You might read through the older messages on this message board since some of them include recollections from other former Armed Guard sailors. From them you can learn some of the experiences your father-in-law may have had. And read through the various pages of the website, some of which likewise include information on what Armed Guard sailors went through.
I made a search of Ancestry.com, which is more commonly used for genealogical research but which includes the names of crewmen of ships arriving in various ports of entry over many years. I found a record of a Michael F. Cropley, one of 28 men of the Armed Guard unit on SS ALEXANDER MARTIN, which arrived in San Francisco on September 4, 1945, having sailed from Okinawa. He and the rest of the Armed Guard crew had joined the ship in Baltimore in mid-April. He is described as a gunner, age 19, 5’5” tall and 140 lbs. For what it is worth, here is a list of his Armed Guard shipmates:
Caizza, Carmen
Collins, Harold B.
Deer, Lloyd Royal
Faies, Harold L., Jr.
Foley, George R.
Guiliani, August A.
Harris, Bennie E.
Harrison, James W.
Malinowski, Walter D.
Manley, James A.
Mattingly, Dan
Odell, Verbal S.
Pearson, Benjamin J.
Pendley, Louis A.
Prince, Betrand B. Lieut., officer-in-charge
Rice, James T.
Ridley, Charlie E.
Servantee, Joseph
Shunway, Richard O.
Siegel, Milton F.
Virgil, James E.
Viscusi, Mario
Visnauskas, Michael J.
Walker, Frank J.
Weinberg, William F.
Weinder, Paul E.
Wilks, James L.
Unfortunately I do not know whether any of these men are still living, nor do I have contact information for any of them.
Walter D. Malinowski is listed on the Armed Guard website as a member of the Armed Guard Veterans Association. You may wish to contact the Chairman of the Veterans Association to see if he knows whether Mr. Malinowski is still living and, if so, how to get in touch with him. The person to contact is:
C.A. Lloyd, Chairman
U.S.N. Armed Guard World War II Veterans Association
115 Wall Creek Drive
Rolesville, NC 27571
Telephone: 919-570-0909
E-mail: clloyd@nc.rr.com
Given your interest in research, it is possible to get detailed information, again from the National Archives, on the operational history of each of the ships in which your father-in-law served. These details may include such information as where the ship sailed and when, any unusual events during voyages, names of crew members, etc. Please see this page from the Armed Guard website, http://www.armed-guard.com/searchmil.html, and see part IV. Researching Ship Records. You will most likely be interested in the Armed Guard logbooks and reports, movement report cards, muster rolls/personal diaries, and records of individual convoys. You will need to supply the names of the ships in which you are interested and the applicable dates, information you already have.
Good luck and thank you for your interest in the Armed Guard.
Ron Carlson, Webmaster
Armed Guard website www.armed-guard.com
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