Warren Alexander Garrett served as a technical sergeant and aircraft crew chief with the Army Air Forces. This is the story of his service, from ordnance duty in North Carolina to the Burma Bridge Busters and his decision to re-enlist after the war.
Map of Service
Warren's hometown and recorded service locations. Connecting lines show the places in his story, rather than exact travel routes.
Service stops
Walhalla, S.C.hometown, Oconee County
Camp Davis, N.C.Station Complement, April 1941
Deming, N.M.AAF Bombardier School, 1943-44
Greensboro, N.C.overseas replacement depot, Aug 1944
Warazup, Burma490th Bomb Sq, Dec 1944
Boca Raton, Fla.re-enlisted, May 1946
Route notes
1 → 2At Camp Davis by 18 Apr 1941
2 → 3A technical sergeant in the Army Air Forces at Deming by 31 Oct 1943
3 → 4Left Deming 17 Jul 1944; at Greensboro by 2 Aug 1944
4 → 5Shipment AT-145-A; reached the India-Burma theater by 3 Nov 1944
5 → 6Back in the United States; re-enlisted at Boca Raton Army Air Field, 16 May 1946
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How to read this service timeline
This page brings together records created for different purposes. The labels below tell you what kind of evidence supports each entry; open either guide when a record or military term is unfamiliar.
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Confirmed — Service record
A personal military record supports the entry.
Confirmed — Unit record
A record created by his unit names him or documents the unit’s activity.
Context
Helpful background, clearly separated from personal evidence.
Newly discovered
Information recovered during this research, rather than supplied at the start.
How to read a Morning Report
Morning Reports were daily administrative records prepared by individual Army and Army Air Forces units. They generally recorded changes—such as arrivals, transfers, promotions, illness, or return to duty—not a complete list of everyone present.
MORNING REPORT · SAMPLE
1Organization Company A, 123rd Infantry
2Station or location Camp Example, Virginia
3Date 14 September 1944
4Section Personnel changes
5Pvt Smith, John A., 35123456 6asgd fr Hq Co per SO 187, Hq 123d Inf
In plain English
Private John A. Smith, identified by Army Serial Number 35123456, was assigned to Company A from Headquarters Company under Special Orders No. 187.
1Organization: the company, hospital, squadron, or other unit filing the report.
2Station or location: where that unit reported from on that date.
3Report date: the date of the report, which may differ from the effective date of a change.
4Section: the part of the form containing personnel changes or the unit’s record of events.
5Soldier entry: usually rank, name, and Army Serial Number.
6Change and authority: what happened and the order authorizing it.
asgd
assigned
atchd
attached
trfd
transferred
fr
from
aptd
appointed
EM
enlisted men
SO
Special Orders
GO
General Orders
orgn
organization
sta
station
Common military and research terms
Army Serial Number (ASN)
The unique service number used to distinguish one soldier from others with similar names.
Discharge or separation paper
The document issued when a service member left active service. For many WWII Army enlisted soldiers, this is WD AGO Form 53-55. It summarizes service but is not a day-by-day history.
Morning Report
An Army unit’s daily administrative report. It usually lists people whose status changed, not every person in the unit.
Unit record
A document created by a military organization. It may name the soldier directly or provide context about his unit; the timeline states which applies.
OMPF or “201 file”
The service member’s Official Military Personnel File. Many Army and Air Force files were damaged or destroyed in the 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire.
Unit and final unit
A unit is the organization in which someone served. The final unit is the organization shown at separation; it may not be the only unit in the service history.
Rank or grade
The service member’s level in the military hierarchy. A timeline may show changes in rank over time.
MOS
Military Occupational Specialty—the Army’s classification for a soldier’s primary military job.
Assigned and attached
Assigned means formally placed in a unit. Attached usually means serving with a unit temporarily while belonging administratively elsewhere.
Special Orders and General Orders
Official directives used to authorize personnel actions, awards, organizational changes, and other decisions.
Campaign credit
Official recognition for service connected with a named campaign. It does not, by itself, describe a service member’s individual actions.
Station or location
The place from which a unit filed a report. It does not automatically prove that every member was physically present there.
Source citation
The note beneath a timeline entry identifying the record or records that support it.
Service Timeline
12 min
Confirmed — Record
June 2, 1920
Born in Walhalla, South Carolina
Warren Alexander Garrett was born on June 2, 1920, in Walhalla, the seat of Oconee County, South Carolina. He gave that date and birthplace himself on his 1941 draft registration card, shown below, and Social Security and Veterans Affairs records carry the same date. His military service would take him from Army posts in the United States to a bomber squadron in Burma.
Source: WWII draft registration card, Local Board 8, Philadelphia, Pa., 11 August 1941 (shown at that date); Social Security Death Master File; VA BIRLS death file; NARA AAD, WWII Army Enlistment Records, serial 06965956
Confirmed — Unit record
April 5, 1941
Recommended for Camp Davis ordnance duty
In April 1941, Warren was a private first class and specialist third class with Headquarters & Military Police Company, 9th Infantry Division. A cadre list prepared at Fort Bragg recommended him for sergeant-level ordnance duty at Camp Davis, North Carolina. Thirteen days later, orders attached him to the new post's Ordnance Detachment.
Warren Garrett, 6965956: Pvt. 1cl, Specialist 3rd Class; recommended Sgt. (Ord). The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Annex No. 2 to Letter Instructions No. 33, Headquarters, Fort Bragg, N.C., 'Cadre for CASC Camp Davis, North Carolina,' 5 April 1941, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 2826 (1 of 5), image 00380, NAID 441987009
Confirmed — Unit record
April 18, 1941
Ordnance duty at Camp Davis, North Carolina
Warren joined the Ordnance Detachment of the Camp Davis Station Complement. The April 18 order lists him as a private first class, alongside men drawn from several Army units to staff the post. His service number, 6965956, appears beside his name, linking this early posting to his later wartime records.
Under TO ORDNANCE DETACHMENT: Pvt. 1cl Warren Garrett, 6965956, Hq. & MP Co., 9th Div. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Special Orders No. 46, par. 4, Hq Station Complement, Camp Davis, N.C. (1455th Service Unit), 18 April 1941, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 2826 (1 of 5), image 00376, NAID 441987009
Confirmed — Record
August 11, 1941
Between enlistments: a draft registration in Philadelphia
On August 11, 1941, Warren registered for the draft at Local Board 8 in Philadelphia. He wrote out his full name, Warren Alexander Garrett, and gave his birthplace as Walhalla, South Carolina, and his birth date as June 2, 1920. He was living at 1719 Arch Street, listed his work as mechanic and box sorter, and named the Pioneer Box Company as the contact who would always know his address. The registrar described him as about six feet one inch tall and 180 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair. Soldiers on active duty did not register for the draft; a man leaving the Army registered when he returned to civilian life. A civilian address, a civilian job and an August registration together suggest a break in Warren's service that summer. He was back in uniform by 1943 under the same service number, 6965956, which the Army assigned to a soldier once and for good.
Front: Warren Alexander Garrett, 1719 Arch St., Philadelphia; born June 2, 1920, Walhalla, S.C.; signed Warren A. Garrett.Registrar's report: 6 ft 1 in, 180 lb, brown eyes, brown hair; Local Board 8, Philadelphia, Aug. 11, 1941.
Source: WWII draft registration card (D.S.S. Form 1), Warren Alexander Garrett, serial S-87, Local Board 8, Philadelphia, Pa., registered 11 August 1941; Records of the Selective Service System (Record Group 147), National Archives; image via Fold3. Registration rules: Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, sec. 5(a), and Presidential Proclamation 2486 (26 May 1941)
Confirmed — Unit record
November 1, 1943
A technical sergeant at Deming Army Air Field
By the autumn of 1943, Warren was a technical sergeant in the Army Air Forces at Deming, New Mexico. He transferred from the 975th to the 971st Bombardier Training Squadron on November 1, keeping his rank. Deming's bombardier school prepared men for service aboard the Army's bombers.
Paragraph 5, right column: T/Sgt Warren A. Garrett, 6965956. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Special Orders No. 267, par. 5, Hq AAF Bombardier School, Deming Army Air Field, N.M., 31 October 1943, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 318 (1 of 4), image 00717, NAID 455997081
Confirmed — Unit record
February 3, 1944
A stay in the station hospital
On February 3, Warren entered the station hospital at Deming. The squadron recorded his hospitalization as in line of duty; the entry gives no diagnosis.
6965956 Garrett, Warren A., T/Sgt; duty to hospital (line of duty). The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, 971st Bombardier Training Squadron, AAF Bombardier School, Deming AAF, N.M., 3 February 1944, NARA Roll 212 (1 of 3), image 00208, NAID 463229540
Confirmed — Unit record
February 8, 1944
Back on duty
Five days later, the squadron recorded Warren's return from the station hospital to duty.
First entry: 6965956, Garrett, Warren A., T Sgt. Fr sk sta hosp to dy (LD). The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, 971st Bombardier Training Squadron, AAF Bombardier School, Deming AAF, N.M., NARA Roll 212 (1 of 3), image 00223 (8 February 1944), NAID 463229540
Confirmed — Unit record
February 20, 1944
Fifteen days of emergency furlough
Warren began a fifteen-day emergency furlough on February 20. The reason for the emergency is not recorded.
Second entry: 6965956, Garrett, Warren A., T Sgt. Fr dy to emerg fur (15 days). The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, 971st Bombardier Training Squadron, AAF Bombardier School, Deming AAF, N.M., NARA Roll 212 (1 of 3), image 00251 (20 February 1944), NAID 463229540
Confirmed — Unit record
March 6, 1944
An absence after his furlough
When his furlough expired, the squadron listed Warren as absent without leave, effective just after midnight on March 6. The entry gives no reason; a morning report marked any man this way who was not back when his furlough ran out. By April 30, the school again listed him among its technical sergeants, his rank unchanged.
6965956, Garrett, Warren A., T Sgt. Fur 15 days to AWOL 0001. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, 971st Bombardier Training Squadron, AAF Bombardier School, Deming AAF, N.M., NARA Roll 414 (1 of 3), image 00598 (6 March 1944), NAID 466024597
Confirmed — Unit record
April 30, 1944
On the school's roster of technical sergeants
The bombardier school's April 30 orders list Warren A. Garrett among the technical sergeants of Section C at Deming.
TECH SGTS, Section C: Garrett, Warren A., 6965956. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Special Orders No. 104, par. 5, Hq AAF Bombardier School, Deming AAF, N.M., 30 April 1944, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 207 (1 of 2), image 00850, NAID 473418013
Confirmed — Unit record
May 31, 1944
His trade: keeping aircraft ready to fly
At Deming, Warren's specialty was recorded as 750, Airplane Maintenance Technician. The Army's description of the trade covered supervision of aircraft inspection, maintenance and repair, with working titles including crew chief. On May 31 his records changed the specialty number from 752 to 750, the replacement number for the same trade.
Right column: 6 965 956, Garrett, Warren A., T Sgt. Dy (752) to (750), MOS (752 SSK) to (750 SSK). The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: MOS and duty changes per AAF Manual 35-1, 31 May 1944, Section C, Deming AAF, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 207 (2 of 2), image 01428, NAID 473419014
Confirmed — Unit record
August 2, 1944
Greensboro, North Carolina: preparing to go overseas
Warren left Deming on July 17, 1944, with twelve days' delay en route authorized. By August 2, he had reported to the Army Air Forces Overseas Replacement Depot in Greensboro, where men were processed for overseas assignments.
Garrett, Warren A, 6965956, T Sgt, with S/Sgt Harold E. Brown: from the 3013th AAF Base Unit, Deming, 17 July 44, per par 21 SO 169. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, Sec. O, 1060th AAF Base Unit (ORD), AAF ORD Greensboro, N.C., NARA Roll 151, image 00451 (2 August 1944), NAID 564882864
Confirmed — Unit record
August 8, 1944
On the roster for an overseas shipment
Warren's name appears on Warning Roster No. 127, alerting him for overseas shipment AT-145-A. The same shipment code appears in his records in the India-Burma theater three months later.
Line 121: GARRETT WARREN A, 6965956. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Warning Roster No. 127, shipment AT-145-A, 8 August 1944, filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 65, image 01797, NAID 567874514
Confirmed — Unit record
November 3, 1944
In the India-Burma theater
By November 3, Warren had reached the India-Burma theater. Orders attached him to the 34th Replacement Company at Replacement Depot No. 3, whose Army Post Office, 494, served the Kanchrapara area north of Calcutta, following his journey from the United States. He was still a technical sergeant, with aircraft maintenance specialty 750.
T/Sgt Warren A. Garrett, 6965956, AC, 345, 750. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Special Orders No. 154, par. 44, Hq Replacement Depot No. 3, USAF IB, APO 494; continuation page dated 4 November 1944 records the attachment as effective 3 November; filed with the Morning Reports, NARA Roll 520, image 02264, NAID 576002178; APO 494 location: CBI Theater APO list, https://www.cbi-theater.com/misc/cbi_apo.htm
Confirmed — Unit record
November 24, 1944
Assigned to the 490th Bombardment Squadron
Warren was one of twenty-three men ordered to the 490th Bombardment Squadron, with the assignment effective December 1. They were to take the first available air, rail or Army motor transport and report for duty. Two men listed with him, Staff Sergeant Ira F. Wheeler Jr. and Sergeant Vauder C. Hutchens, would join the squadron alongside him at Warazup.
T/Sgt Warren A. Garrett, 6965956, AC, 750 - second of the twenty-three men ordered to the 490th Bomb Squadron. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Special Orders No. 174, par. 1 (extract), Hq Replacement Depot No. 3, USAF IB, APO 494, 24 November 1944, filed with the Morning Reports. Two separately filed copies, both naming him: NARA Roll 520, image 02467, NAID 576002178 (shown); and NARA Roll 777, image 02474, NAID 579765533
Confirmed — Unit record
December 11, 1944
Joins the Burma Bridge Busters at Warazup
On December 11, Warren joined the 490th Bombardment Squadron, 341st Bombardment Group, at Warazup, Burma. Wheeler and Hutchens arrived with him. The squadron recorded 406 enlisted men and 111 officers that day. Warazup was a forward airfield and supply depot on the Ledo Road, in the Mogaung valley northwest of Myitkyina.
Garrett Warren A, 6 965 956, T Sgt, 750. With Wheeler and Hutchens: Above 3 EM enroute to jn to jd. The yellow is ours — it marks his name and service number on the sheet.
Source: Morning Report, 490th Bomb Sq (M), 341st Bomb Gp (M), Warazup, Burma, NARA Roll 612, image 02156 (ending 11 December 1944), NAID 579201926; Warazup and the Ledo Road: U.S. Army in World War II, China-Burma-India Theater: Time Runs Out in CBI, ch. 3, http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-CBI-Time/USA-CBI-Time-3.html
Squadron roster
Squadron roster
Warren's role: crew chief
The 490th's personnel roster, compiled from the group's microfilmed records and from veterans and their families, lists him as Garrett, Warren A., T/Sgt, Crew Chief. That title matches his aircraft maintenance specialty. It was work centered on inspection, maintenance and repair: the ground support that kept a bomber squadron flying.
The Burma Bridge Busters flew B-25 Mitchell medium bombers with the Tenth Air Force in Burma. Their specialty was attacking bridges at low level to disrupt Japanese transport. The squadron's reputation was already established before Warren arrived: the Army Air Forces' official history records the squadron's claim of thirteen bridges in the first thirteen days of October 1944. The unit earned a Distinguished Unit Citation for Central Burma, October–December 1944. In April 1945 it moved from Warazup to Hanchung, China. It left China that September and was inactivated at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on November 2, 1945. The Army's digitized daily reports end with December 1944, so the squadron's later movements and honors are given here as the history of the unit Warren served in.
Twelve days after Warren joined the squadron, a United Press report appeared on the front page of North Carolina's Wilmington Morning Star. It credited the Burma Bridge Busters with destroying eight more Japanese bridges, five of them railroad spans. The report gives a glimpse of the squadron's work during his assignment; it names no individual airman.
The Army's weekly magazine, YANK, published Sergeant Dave Richardson's account of a flight with the 490th on March 9, 1945. The article described low-level bridge attacks and reported 114 bridges destroyed and another 51 damaged beyond use in less than a year. Recalling the squadron's successes in early 1944, it quoted a general's congratulations to the aircrews and all the boys on the ground who keep 'em flying. That message predates Warren's arrival, but it recognizes the importance of the maintenance work his trade represented. The article does not name Warren.
On May 16, 1946, Warren re-enlisted in the Regular Army at Boca Raton Army Air Field, Florida. His record identifies him as a married man from Oconee County, South Carolina, still holding the rank of technical sergeant in the Air Corps. The enlistment index codes his term as "Enlistment for Hawaiian Department." After wartime service that had taken him to Burma, Warren chose to continue his military career.
Warren died on September 23, 2008, at the age of 88. Social Security and Veterans Affairs records both carry that date, and his family, who attended his funeral, confirmed it. This timeline is offered in his memory.
Source: Social Security Death Master File; VA BIRLS death file; confirmed by his family, September 2026
