My grandfather’s diary is part of my family history. Preserving it also brings a responsibility to follow the questions he left behind and to distinguish a family account from a conclusion established by the military record.
I want to develop the record behind Walter’s Purple Heart recognition effort and the recognition owed to 1st Lt. George W. Foote, whose actions Walter credited with helping the surviving crew escape. Useful support begins with documents, firsthand accounts and reliable research leads.
Walter’s wartime record
The diary identifies Walter G. Gates as the right waist gunner in Foote’s crew, 716th Bomb Squadron, 449th Bomb Group. His later epilogue records the aircraft’s loss over Wiener-Neustadt on May 24, 1944 and says six crew members survived captivity. [1]
The Purple Heart inquiry needs its own documentary chain: any injury or treatment record, relevant unit reports, award records and earlier correspondence about recognition. This page records the family’s effort; it does not announce that a new application has been filed, decided or approved.
Recognition for 1st Lt. George W. Foote
In his epilogue, Walter credits 1st Lt. George W. Foote with remaining at the controls of the burning aircraft and giving surviving crew members an opportunity to escape. Walter argued that Foote deserved the Medal of Honor. That is Walter’s eyewitness account and recommendation, rather than a finding that a particular award was granted. [1]
Read the account of the crew’s loss, captivity and later correspondence →
How to help with the research
- Identify or share a relevant letter, citation, award order, injury record or dated reply about Walter’s recognition.
- Help locate the original Missing Air Crew Report referenced as 05370 in Walter’s epilogue, and the associated crew and mission records.
- Help locate recommendations, citations or correspondence concerning recognition for 1st Lt. George W. Foote.
- Provide a firsthand family account with the speaker, date and source clearly identified.
Please begin with a description of the material and where it comes from. Keep originals safe; send copies only after arranging how private records should be handled. A photograph of a medal is useful context, but its award order or citation helps establish the underlying record.
The email link opens your email application for you to review and send. The inquiry draft requests research help; it is not an award application or an allegation of wrongdoing.
Finding official records
The National Archives provides routes for requesting military personnel and related service records. Its current instructions explain access, required information and applicable fees. Requests go through the official process; no official request is submitted by this website. National Archives military-service record requests →
Two inquiries, two documentary trails
The two recognition efforts ask different questions. For Walter, an injury or treatment record would help establish what happened to him, while award orders and correspondence would help establish what was considered or recognized. For Foote, the account of his actions needs to be read alongside crew, mission and recommendation records. A document useful to one inquiry may provide context for the other without settling it.
Walter's epilogue is valuable because it identifies the crew, describes the loss and states why he believed Foote deserved recognition. The next step is to connect that testimony with records that can be traced to their original issuing office or collection. Keeping a copy's date, author and accompanying letter together makes later review easier. The aim is a clear account of the evidence behind each effort, with unanswered questions visible and neither man's record used as a substitute for the other's. [1]
Sources and open questions
[1] Walter G. Gates, Overseas War Diary: header, epilogue, account of Foote’s actions and July 30, 1996 correspondence. The source register retains the original archive references.
The injury and award records, any prior formal submissions and the current recognition status remain to be established for each effort.
Albert Schweickart’s documented family account of a Purple Heart is a separate case. Read Albert’s Pacific chapter →