Jerry H Warren was my father. He served in the Corps of Engineers, US Army from approximately January 1945 to August 1945 when he was shipped out to serve in Okinawa. He was born in 1923.
I am trying to find out which unit he was assigned to. I remember that his uniform jacket had the 3rd Infantry Brigade's patch sewn on one shoulder. I remember him saying that his ship was 3 days out from Okinawa when the first atomic bomb was dropped.
Any info is greatly appreciated. Ronald Warren
I found his discharge papers in my sister's records. They list the 1574th Engineer (HS) Co as his last unit of assignment. He was in Okinawa at that time with duties as a shop mechanic according to the documents.
Was this a unit that was transferred from Europe to Okinawa?
I will attempt to post a picture of Dad's gravesite. He is buried in Blythefield cemetery near Grand Rapids, MI.
Jerry worked his way up from an apprentice tool and die maker at the Fisher Body General Motors plant in Wyoming, MI to department supervisor.
He and his wartime bride were just a few months from their 50th wedding date when he was struck down by brain cancer.
I wondered about the Okinawa assignment, for the 3rd never went to Okinawa. Looks like he was assigned to another unit after the war in Europe, ended.
Hi: Trying to look up some info on that unit. Will place what I find, here:
This looks like an interview with a member of the 1574th, which is part of the Library of Congress's Veteran's History project.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/bib/21788
Doesn't look like there's a lot of info on the internet regarding them. I will write to the office of history and see what they have in their archives.
I did find the obit for the gentleman listed above. His name was Lloyd Lee Dodson. He just passed away last year.
http://www.penwellgabeltopeka.com/obituary.aspx?src=choice&obitid=76251&fname=Lloyd&lname=Dodson&city=Topeka&st=KS
"Lee had also enlisted in the US Army in November 1942 serving in the 1574th as a member of the US Army Corps of Engineers. He served in both the European and Pacific Theaters of Operation during World War II until March, 1946. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, France and in Aachen, Germany. He also served for several months in Okinawa."
He was from Topeka, Kansas, so you may be able to find one or more of his relatives. It's a thought.
Ah, I have been trying to find more info and discovered an obscure pdf reference for a Wilford Gordon MACY, which lists him as serving as a Tec4 with the 1574th Engineer Heavy Shop Company in WWII. That may help!
I shared this info and everything above with the Office of History. They haven't found anything yet, so we are trying to help each other. I will keep you posted on any developments.
Okay, next step in the process...
The Army Corps of Engineers came up blank, so here is what I suggest next. Get in contact with NARA in Maryland and obtain the unit's records by either one, hiring a research assistant or college student, or arranging to go there yourself one day to copy the records.
Several years ago I hired a research assistant, for I could not get there myself. She copied several hundred documents for me. Talk about a wealth of information.
Mind you, not every unit will have that many documents in the archives, but you never know what it available until you try. It is worth the effort.
Visit this link for more info. Please let me know if you need any other information. Will be happy to give guidance.
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/researcher-info.html