Hi All,
Reading your discussion about requests for records from NARA, I'd like to share my own experiences. I just received After Action Reports of the 327th Engineer Combat Battalion of WWII - my father's unit. Approximately 80 pages. WooHoo! I'm eager to scan the pages into PDF files for our new website at www.327engineer.com .
Years ago I ordered and received copies of my father's service records and separation documents, which show the charred edges from the 1973 fire at the NPRC in St. Louis.
I actually requested documents regarding the 327th ECB on September 8, 2003. I received a quote by mail on September 17, 2003. "We estimate the cost for copying the approximately 1,000 pages in file will be $0.50 per page. Enclosed is a copy of our index to these records...."
Well... the index listed History, A/A Reports, Opn Reports, and "SOP - for def Against Cml Attack". (No, that's not a typo. I should have asked what that means.) The index did not say how many pages were in each group. I was daunted by the $500 cost and filed the quote away.
In April this year I requested copies of General Orders for the 327th. Note that "General Orders" were not even listed in the 2003 index they sent me. I received a quote for the General Orders, I sent the fee and had 126 pages in hand by mid-May.
June 17 this year I pulled out the old quote from 2003 and called College Park. The representative & I discussed what the content of the 1,000 pages would most likely consist of. He explained that a lot of the papers would be meaningless without overlay maps, etc. We talked for quite some time, and he offered to go through the documents himself to sort out the After Action Reports and send me a quote. I received them in just over 8 weeks.
I am very excited about these AARs. They report dates, locations, what each company's activities were and which larger unit they were assigned to at the time. They really round out my father's letters in which he could not state locations or details of their activities.
For anyone who has a record request, I would recommend that you follow up with a phone call. Be prepared with pertinent questions. Ask for separate quotes for After Action/Operation Reports, General Orders, History, and ask them to let you know what other types of documents they find in the file. Not every employee will be apt to have a long discussion with you. If you do not feel satisfied, call again and you may reach a more helpful representative.
I must say that I would like to visit the facilities at College Park someday to see for myself if the other documents are "meaningless". Preparing the AARs for the web site will keep me busy for a while, but I imagine I'll be contacting NARA again in the future.
I wish everyone good luck & satisfaction with your records requests!
Laurie