I asked around and found that TogetherWeServed.com was probably my best bet for finding Navy buddies of Gerald. As of then, I had no information on his unit, rank, etc. Once I created a memorial page for Gerald, I started poking around the message boards. I picked the closest matching board for my query and typed up a post asking if anyone knew a Gerald Kline stationed on Lemoore Naval Air Station. Within minutes I had a response. Not from someone who knew Gerald, but the moderator. She suggested I request a copy of Gerald’s DD214 and other military records. This can only be done by next of kin, so I called up my dad and he completed the paperwork. We sent over his signature and Gerald’s obituary (again, thank God for Ancestry.com!) and a few weeks later Gerald’s records were in the mail.
I don’t want to post exact scans of these but I gained some great information.
- Enlistment: July 13, 1960.
- Discharged: Honerably on July 10, 1964.
- Unit: Attack Squadron 127
- Rank: ADJ3 (E4)
- Job: Jet aircraft servicer
- Recruit Training: Great Lakes Recruit Training Center, Illinois
He finished up his high school diploma in Memphis, Tenn. through the Navy. These documents also place Gerald at the H. O. Toor Shoe Company before his enlistment.
For those of you looking to find information about your deceased service members military records, visit: http://www.archives.gov/veterans/evetrecs/index.html
