How do I know which book to buy?
1. Try asking the veteran what unit he served in.
2. Try the Veterans Affair Office for the county that the veteran is buried in. They are required by law to maintain records on each veterans buried in their county. If you are related they should be nice enough to provide you with the veterans war time assignment. Note they are not required to give to this information unless you are a next of kin. Which is defined as a parent, spouse, or child of the deceased veteran. They only have the minimum amount of information on each veteran, don't expect more than the rank and the unit.
3. Try the funeral home who handled the burial. Most veterans get some type of benefit from the government for their burial. The Funeral home may have a copy of the veterans DD-214 on file.
4. Try the cemetery where the veteran is buried, many times their unit is on their headstone.
5. Many states offered war bonuses for returning veterans which normally required the veteran to register their discharge in the court house. The name of the office that handled these records varies form state to state. Due to privacy requirements it is wise to bring along proof of your relationship to the veteran and their permission or proof of death. The most important step is being nice to the clerk as they don't have to give you a copy and these records are rarely considered "public".
6. You can contact me, time permitting I will scan through the books looking
for a name. Please provide me with as much specific information as possible.
Believe it of not about 2 million or more men served in the 3rd Army sometime
during WWII.