Take a little clue...

Step One:
Find a website that has relevant information. In this case, since I knew Uncle Walt was very active in WWII, I started with little details found in his obituary. One case study is www.b26.com

Step Two:
Post to the site or email the webmaster.

Here is mine : Monday 7-17-06

Marauderman's Name: Major Walter James Joos Bomb Group: Bomb Squadron: 98th Years in service: 21 years (1940 – 1961)
Perhaps it is better to tell you what I “know” and then you may be able to help me find more reliable information.

Walter James Joos was born November 26, 1915 in San Francisco, California. He died January 31, 1991 in Coulterville, Mariposa County, at/ near the home of his niece.

An Unknown newspaper article about his death said the following:

(see Walt’s blurb)

My father also remembers he flew with the 5th Air Force in B-17’s

IF ANYONE KNOWS ANYTHING MORE about my “Uncle” (really cousin) and/or his missions etc., please email me.

I also contacted the curator at http://www.sfmuseum.org/ on the same day with:

I have a newspaper clipping of my “uncle”s obituary that points to San Francisco history.

I don’t know the paper it came from, however it mentions him honored as Hero of the Week during WWII. I’ve included the full citation below, what I want to know is where to look/ whom to ask about more specific details. Thank you in advance- and I love your site!

Step Three: Hope

July 18th (Yes, the NEXT day!) the webmaster of B26.com replied:

Hi Karen, Walter James Joos served with the 596th Bomb Squadron, 397th Bomb
Group in WW2. If you can scan a few pictures of him with his crew and plane and
email to me I am happy to create a dedication page for him on B26.COM - .jpg
images in the 200-300kb (200dpi) range work best.

Thanks, Mike

And the very same day:

Karen, Gosh, it was nice of Mike to send me this message.
Walter Joos was high on my list of heroes in WWII. We were in the 596th Sq together. I have the loading lists for the first mission on D-DAy. I was flying on the right wing Walt's lane on that mission.
I can' recall whether Walt ever had a copy of the D-Day Booklet of the 397th BG ...anyhow, I suspect his children and grandchildren would be real proud of his accomplishments. He, Pilot Bill Rhodes, Navi John Hannigan and Bombardier Joos made up a lead team for our Group.
Best wishes,
--If you have not seen the latest Thunder it is about the all-B-26 Units gathering, Dayton, OH --August 23-26, Crowne Plaza Hotel...let me know....
George Parker
Columbia, MO

On the 18th also, I wrote back:

Dear Mike and George,
Sadly, I haven't seen anything more than what I sent you. I was too young to make much sense of all the things on his walls in his home in Santa Rosa, other than "Uncle Walt" was some kind of a hero and I liked him a lot.
Walt never had any children of his own, although he was involved with them from time to time. I have tried to find his other nieces who might have all of his photos and goodies, but I haven't had any luck.
Believe me, if I had anything I'd slap it up on my website faster than you can
slap a flea.

http://familyology.blogspot.com/
and
http://amshstwi.blogspot.com/2006/07/walter-james-joos.html

No one has submitted anything with him in the background even? I'd give almost anything to just see his face again and know it was him. He was the only relative on my father's side I knew as a kid- apart from my grandparents- and that makes him that much more special to me.
Please keep me posted, and I'll do the same. Thank you!
Karen Winkler Fragassi

PS

Anything you have relating to Walt and his career, stories about him, impressions of him, The Karma-fairy will award you top dollar for it.

Please look at my site, it's still growing, and sources like you gentlemen are exactly what I need.

On the 30th of July, (about two weeks after my initial post) Mike of B26.com forwarded to me a reply he got from my first message put out to the world. This and two pictures of the Mammy Yoakum and her crew came through.

Ms. Fragassi:

My father, Sterling Hoch, was a pilot in the 596th. I have done a lot of research on his service, and have copies of microfilmed monthly histories of the squadron, which mention your uncles name. I could dig through those and provide you with references. Also, attached are two pictures, one of your uncle and other crew in front of the Mammy Yokum II, and another of my father and his crew in front of the same plane. It appears the pictures were taken some time apart because of the substantial number of missions flown, as represented by the bomb images on the plane.

I received the photo with your uncle from another member of his family, but unfortunately, I have had some computer problems and have lost all my old e-mail, and no longer have that person's identity (maybe it was you!!). Anyway, I hope this info will be of some use.

Donald
S. Hoch

Well I promptly emailed those to my dad and demanded to know which one was Walt. A week later (it seemed) Dad said Walt was front and center.

On the 31st of July I sent this to Mike and Donald

Dear Donald,
I swear my heart just about skipped a beat to see those vivid images. They definitely did not come from me, as I told Michael before, I don't have ANY pictures of Walt or know anything more other than what is represented below. My father would remember more because he hung around Walt like a puppy dog. Dad didn't serve 1/4 the time Walt did and of course never saw that much action...
How do you think this person found you, Donald? The website? Can we put a lost and found kind of post there too, to hopefully flush out whomever else remembers him? I've tried to get ahold of his niece to no avail...

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Karen

Mike replied, same day:

Hi Karen - we don't have a lost and found section on the web site b26.com but your guest book entry generated a *successful* contact from Mr. Hoch... so that's the best we can do. When there are more contacts, you'll get them too.
-Best, Mike

Later the same day, I got this from Don :

I just found the individual who I corresponded with. It is on a
website named:http://www.b26marauder.com/
this is the post:
Entry: 42 Time: Wed. Aug 3, 2005
Lew Homan City: Coulterville

(Your Uncle) Major Walter J. Joos flew 397th Bombardment group in Europe 1943 and 1944. He received several medals of valor. His total medal count is 29. Passed away in Coulterville, CA 1989. The name of his plane was "The Mammy Yokum." I have his records.

I corresponded with him (Lew) once or twice and he sent me the picture.

Don Hoch

Well I recognized the town of Coulterville right away and got on that lead like ugly on an ape...
Don also sent me this, later, same day:

Attached are excerpts from the 596th BS monthly histories. I have hi-lited all instances of Walter Joos being mentioned in the histories. The document is a Microsoft WORD document, about 10 pages long. I transcribed these histories from the originals which are stored on microfilm at the Air Force Historical Research Agency at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, AL. They should be fairly accurate, but may have some typos, because some
of the microfilm was not very legible.

Don Hoch

August 1st, 2006 I received this note from Lew, actual blood kin :

Karen I am Walter Joos's nephew, Lewis Homan. My mother was his sister, Lorraine. My sister Dot may have known your father or grandfather, Bud.
Call me at: 209-555-****. or my sister Dot at; 209-555-****. (She is the family
historian). Lew

I called Dot that very night. What a wonderful woman. I know this is one of those times when you find you're related to someone, but you also find you could also have just been friends with them. Does that make sense to you? It does to me, I would enjoy her immensely even if we weren't related. (hee hee hee...)

In September, George emailed me this:

Karen,
I have a few items to mail to you. I need an address?

One spiral bound book about 140 pages I put together was entitled: D-Day Plus Special Missions & History Sketches, 397th Bomb Group.
I think you will be interested in the content of this book...it is on file at Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson AZ and at Univ of Akron, .. Either place should be able to copy that book for the cost of copying and mailing.
I could get it done at Office Depot and the copying and mailing shoud be about $20.00.
I have copied a few pages involving Walter Joos that I will send to you.

George Parker
Columbia, MO
The B-26 MarauderArchive, Pima Air & Space Museum
6000 E. Valencia Rd, Tucson AZ 87506
http://beta.blogger.com/www.pima.air.org

So, as you can see, sometimes it IS that easy! Sometimes...

But if you look at it, because of the internet and email, and these very active Veterans, in two weeks I went from knowing only what was on paper to finding a cluster of relatives who have also been wishing they could know more of their kin. We have been trying to arrange an informal reunion, I wanted to go out there in September, but money has prevented this. I am regrouping and planning on the new year. We will have many mutual discoveries...

Please, regard this as motivation to make that contact, write that letter, research that little lead... You never know what it may lead to if you're open to it. Document everything you find and don't find. Don't give up hope.