I was born in the 60's but songs like this really touches my Heart.

I love JO STAFFORD'S songs.

I love songs of yester years. Like also Andrews sisters and Vera Lynn !

Thanks GI's . For all the beautiful inspiring music you gave us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R4hZk-1fpo...feature=related

Véronique

What a wonderful surprise. Received this a few minutes ago. This will be of special interest to Capt Todd and my friend Steve Casey.

Dear Marion,

I was very pleased to discover your website on the 540th Combat Engineers - I had just read a review of a new book about the war in Italy and decided to search the web to see if I could find anything about my father's unit. I grew up hearing about the 540th and went to some of the reunions in the 50s and 60s, as best I can remember. As you note in your article in Army Engineer, my father, Dan Manning, took over comand of the unit from Colonel Marvin toward the end of the war.

My father was extremely proud of his service with the 540th. He was part of the unit from the beginning to the end. Thank you very much for all the work you've done to preserve the memory of this distinguished outfit and the men who were part of it.

Best regards,

Dan Manning

This is so exciting. Yet another son of one of the commanding officers of the 540th. Fantastic!

Yes, believe it or not this old Infantry Dogface started off in Combat Engineer Basic training in WW 2. How well I remember my basic training with the "knot obsticle course", demolation training, booby trap and land mine training, and all the rest of the Combat Engineering training till damn near done with Basic. Then suddenly due to high infantry casualties in the ETO we were , without further adeau shipped to Camp Howze TX for 6 weeks of Advanced Infantry Training and over to France as Infantry Riflemen. Actually I found the Combat Engineer training more ardous than the Infantry training I recieved at Camp Howze.

Some long marches and bayonet and unarmed combat training along with calestenics but a lot of weapons

training of all Infantry weapons. All in all they tried to pack in a lot of training in the less than 12 weeks of Engineering training plus 6 weeks more of Infantry training. I know some had more training prior to going into Infantry combat, but also some had less training. The life as a Infantry rifleman replacement was not usually easy as one did not go into as a division or group but bits at a time to outfits who had casualties and needed replacements. Luckily I was buddied up with a "old timer" who had almost 2 months of combat time since joining the company. From him I did learn a lot in a hurry Anyway, my luck held for the duration and I lived and learned.

I'm not even american but god bless man they fight so we can be free semper fi guys semper fi

God bless america

Take care capto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0OtDKl2cP4...feature=related

vee

I certainly have been learning a lot, as I write the dialog for the documentary. While putting together the final sequence for the amphibious training section, I ran across a few names,which will excite a few of our members including Capt Todd.

Wilbur Dickens, also a member of the 540th, mentions the names of O'Brien and Casey. Steve Casey attended the reunion with me last year, and will also be pleased to hear about this dad.

I plan on copying what I found so far, and will place it hear in the very near future. It's always so exciting to hear about the relatives of people you know.