RESEARCH

On June 11, 1994, Starlin H. Hughes, the grandfather of Team Normandy's CEO Vincent Z. Whaley, passed away at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at Mountain Home, Tennessee. Exactly 50 years to the day on June 11, 1944, Private First Class Hughes stepped ashore Utah Beach in Normandy, France, on D-Day-plus-five with the U.S. Army’s 9th Infantry Division in World War II.

Following Hughes' death, Whaley began research into his grandfather's involvement in the war and discovered there were no books currently available about the 9th Infantry Division’s role in the Second World War. A newspaper journalist at the time, Whaley interviewed more than a hundred veterans and began writing a book, Through the Perilous Fight: The 9th U.S. Infantry Division in World War II.

Having conducted research for his book at the National Archives Records & Administration Center just outside of Washington, D.C., Whaley obtained copies of more than 1,000 After Action Reports and General Orders from the 9th Infantry Division during World War II. Whaley also experienced two successful trips to Europe and interviewed residents who lived in cities and small towns liberated by the 9th Infantry Division during the war.

In 1988, Whaley's father, Lewis D. Whaley, requested and obtained every medal, ribbon and award Hughes had earned during World War II, because the government did not send them to him following the war.

If you have a loved one or close friend whom you would like to learn more about their military service careers, no matter the time period, Team Normandy, LLC can assist you in obtaining the information. In addition to research, Team Normandy, LLC also provide services for helping families obtain the medals and awards from the U.S. government for their loved ones who served in any branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.