Matt LeMasters, Military Records Researcher at WW2 Research Inc.
Matt LeMasters of Collinsville, Illinois, joins WW2 Research Inc. as a military records researcher. Matt is an expert in historical military records research and in US military operations in World War 2. His expertise helps families and descendants of Americans who served in the US armed forces during World War 2 learn about their loved ones’ military service and some of what they experienced during the war.
Matt has had a lifelong passion for Twentieth Century military history. Wanting to learn more about his family’s World War 2 story, he first visited the National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, in 2015. He immediately fell in love with digging through original records and uncovering military histories that had been buried for decades and hasn’t stopped since. After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Illinois at Springfield, Matt moved to the St. Louis area in 2019 to pursue his dream of helping others find their own families’ World War 2 stories.
With ten years’ experience under his belt, Matt joins WW2 Research Inc. as an expert in US military records, terminology, unit-level history, and reconstructing the service histories of US veterans whose personnel records were lost in the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) fire of 1973. Matt is an exceptional researcher, interpreter of historical military files, and writer. His experience gives him knowledge in all aspects of US Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard service records dating from 1917 – 1945 covering the entirety of World War 2. Matt also has extensive knowledge of World War I, Korean War, and Vietnam War records.
Coming from a World War 2 military family himself, Matt takes great care when talking to clients about sensitive war-time information. He greatly enjoys helping families find answers they’ve been seeking for decades and understands the impact of his work.
Matt serves on the board of the Archival Researchers Association, which exists to represent professional researchers, expand and improve access to high-value government records maintained by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Inspired by his great-uncle’s service with the 37th Infantry Division from 1942 to 1945, Matt is particularly passionate about uncovering and telling the stories of the US Army’s actions in the Pacific Theater during World War II, although his expertise covers all aspects of the war, including the European Theater. When he’s not hard at work piecing together historical puzzles, Matt enjoys spending time with his family and their dogs and enjoys watching the Chicago Cubs when they’re not losing.
