Need one more Fold3 look-up. I promise this is the last one!

[Dem2theMax]

I thought I had all the info on a service member, but I am falling short.

My former neighbor -

James Waldo Kidder
b. 06 Jul 1922, Ft. Collins, Larimer, Colorado, USA
d. 21 Aug 1987, Escondido, San Diego, California, USA

I know he was in the military from 1942 through 1945, and according to his granddaughter, he served stateside.
The one item I could find on him, on Ancestry.com, says he was "AC / U.S. Army.'
His granddaughter says he was in the Air Force. I don't know a thing about the military.
So I am trying to find out which branch he really served in, and if at all possible,
his rank when he was discharged.

If anyone can help, I would SO appreciate it. He is going to be honored in a veterans memorial being built where he
lived at the time he passed away. I want to make sure I am putting in the correct info for him.

Thank you ahead of time!
Dem2theMax

[flyingfysh]

1. That sounds like the Army Air Force

The Air Force used to be part of the army. My dad spent the war teaching pilots how to fly. He kept volunteering to go to Europe, they kept him in Arizona teaching pilots. He finally got assigned to go on a bomber over Japan, but Japan surrendered before he could go.

The Air Force became a separate service later.

[Dem2theMax]

2. That sounds pretty familiar to me.

Both of my parents were WWII vets, my Mom being in the Army Air Corps, or Army Air Force, serving stateside.
I put her name in the memorial, and had no clue as to whether to list her as Army or Air Force.
You have to choose. So I looked at her discharge papers and all were from the U.S. Army.
So Mom got an Army memorial marker. I can't change it now, and I'm wondering if I
should have put down Air Force instead. Oh well.

I still need the rank info on James Waldo Kidder, and a vote as to whether I should list him
as Army or Air Force. So DU'ers, HELP.

Thank you, flyingfysh, for your info. It does help. Even if it confuses me more as to which to choose. LOL?

Dem2theMax

[flyingfysh]

3. there was no separate Air Force then

Army is the one to put down. The Air Force did not exist until after the war.

[Dem2theMax]

4. THANK YOU!

That means I did it correctly for my Mom. YAY!

[Dem2theMax]

5. Kicking, as I still need help.

Hi everyone. I have all but one question answered. I still don't know the rank of James Waldo Kidder.
His family said they 'think' he was a 'Basic Airman.' I don't know a thing about military ranks, but
I can't find any ranks anywhere that state 'Basic Airman.'

Can someone please go to Fold3 and see if you can find out what rank James was at the time of his discharge?

I would just go and buy a subscription to Fold3 myself, but I have this tiny problem.

Actually, thousands of tiny problems. They are brown, they have wings, and they like to eat wood.
And they are eating my house. I have to have the house tented, so every penny is going towards that,
otherwise I wouldn't be begging someone who has a Fold3 membership to go and take a peek for me.

I am still in a time crunch. I have to give this information to the veterans memorial committee by September 30th, or James
won't be included.

Thank you ahead of time for any help.
Dem2theMax