I have a knife/dagger that has an eagle head handle with an inscription on the blade that reads: Frank D. Lee, 370th Inf. 1945. Can you tell me anything about the person or the knife or where I can research him.
Candy Berry
? ? ?
Dear Ms Berry,
I have been able to find no information on Frank D. Lee, suggesting that he was not decorated with anything like the Silver Star or Distinguished Service Cross … just another GI doing his best in what was then the all-black 370th Infantry Regiment of the 92nd Infantry Division, Fifth Army in Italy as it crossed the Apennines and closed in on the Alps. You might want to try contacting the U.S. Army Center of Military History, 1099 14th Street NW, Washington DC 20005, (202) 761-5396, supply what you know of Lee’s serial number and any other particulars that might provide clues. The burning of Army records in 1973 presents a problem, but writing your congressman might turn something up (it did for my father). You might also want to contact your local American Legion or VFW, which might in turn know where there might be a veterans association for the 370th. Those seem the best bets.
Sincerely,
Jon Guttman
Research Director
World History
www.historynet.com
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