The following letter was sent to John Fallon, 36th Engineer. John then shared this with me. His comments follow...

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John N. Toro, U.S. Postal Service worker, WWII Army Veteran

John Toro, 89 years old, of Pottstown, died on Jan 17, 2007.

There will be a service at St. Aloysius Church Pottstown, Pa. Arrangements are by the Warker-Troutman Funeral Home.

Mr. Toro was born in Anselma, Pa. June 24, 1917 to Maria Raccano Toro and

Vincent Toro of Fresagrandinaria, Italy. He was a brother to James, and two sisters, Jenny Toro Giangiacomo and Mary Toro Prospero, all deceased.

He spent much of his youth in Phoenixville where he graduated from Phoenixville

High School in 1934, He was inducted into the U.S. Army on April 3, 1941. He joined Company A of the 353rd Engineer Construction Battalion, where he eventually attained the rank of technical sergeant while serving as a construction foreman in the Pacific Theater where he spent the duration of the war.

He was honorably discharged from the Army on November 21, 1945, and returned to Pottstown where he lived for many years with his mother Maria Toro and subsequently with his sister Mary Prospero. He joined the U.S. Postal Service and

worked in the Philadelphia Post Office until his retirement in 1981.

He is survived by nieces and nephews: Dr. Joseph Prospero of Miami, Fla; John Prospero of New York City; Richard Prospero of Princeton, NJ; Rudy Giangiacomo of Pottstown; Florence Giangiacomo of Pottstown; Mary Wigle of King of Prussia; JoAnne Ciccerone of Pottstown; James Toro of Pottstown; and David.Toro and George Toro, both of Allentown Pa.

Dear Mr. Fallon, You are the leader of a great generation! Uncle John was a quiet, wonderful soul. He died peasefully in his sleep.

Stay RUGGED!!!

Richard Prospero

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Today we lost another one of our valued comrades. John Toro was with us until the last and we will remember him in all our prayers. He is in fine company and I know he is waiting for us to join him one day. I know God will welcome him as a fine soldier.

36 Engineers are rugged......John Fallon II. Capt. USA Ret.

Hello All,

Happy new year 2007 !

I research narrative of events of the 141st Infantry regiment / 36th for the period of october 1944 and the narrative of events of the 7th Infantry regiment / 3Rd for the same period.

Thanks a lot for your help,

Gerome

I remember this song from the 60's. Papa Art sent me an email regarding the lyrics. He copied this from another post. I'm placing his post here, and then what I found out regarding the lyrics.

I always thought "Sky Pilot" by The Animals was about WWII, but I may be wrong:

Sky Pilot

He blesses the boys as they stand in line The smell of gun grease and the bayonets they shine He's there to help them all that he can To make them feel wanted he's a good holy man Sky pilot.....sky pilot How high can you fly You'll never, never, never reach the sky

He smiles at the young soldiers Tells them its all right He knows of their fear in the forthcoming fight Soon there'll be blood and many will die Mothers and fathers back home they will cry Sky pilot.....sky pilot How high can you fly You'll never, never, never reach the sky

He mumbles a prayer and it ends with a smile The order is given They move down the line But he's still behind and he'll meditate But it won't stop the bleeding or ease the hate As the young men move out into the battle zone He feels good, with God you're never alone He feels tired and he lays on his bed Hopes the men will find courage in the words that he said Sky pilot.....sky Pilot How high can you fly

You'll never, never, never reach the sky You're soldiers of God you must understand The fate of your country is in your young hands May God give you strength Do your job real well If it all was worth it Only time it will tell

In the morning they return With tears in their eyes The stench of death drifts up to the skies A soldier so ill looks at the sky pilot Remembers the words "Thou shalt not kill" Sky pilot.....sky pilot How high can you fly You never, never, never reach the sky

Nick Sic volvere Parcas

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What I found out:

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2429

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Pilot

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dic...efid=1861734676

Any one around that spent time in South Pacific Isllands WW2?, 32nd div, 125th infantry

Natie Sahn D co.

Frank Curry D co,

Clare Herald H co.

Frank Bounds Korea

Lyle Duanne Gordon

If you have any info e-mail

papa@twmi.rr.com

papa Art

“Echo Taps Worldwide†Planned For Armed Forces Day 2007

Hundreds of volunteer brass players are being recruited to perform the 24 notes of “Taps†on May 19, 2007, in recognition of Armed Forces Day at National Cemeteries , State Veterans Cemeteries and American Battle Monuments Cemeteries overseas.

The event, called “Echo Taps Worldwide,†is being organized by the VA National Cemetery Administration and Bugles Across America to honor and remember American veterans through a worldwide performance of Taps. Organizers also hope the event will interest brass players in volunteering to perform Taps at the military funerals of veterans throughout the year. “Each day, America loses about 1,800 of its veterans, primarily those who fought in World War II and Korea ,†said Leslie Hampton, a Navy veteran of Vietnam and a member of Bugles Across America. “In honor of them and the service they provided, it is important that our Nation preserves the tradition of a live bugler to play final military honors.â€

During the event, players will form a line through the cemetery and perform a cascading version of Taps. Brass players of all ages are encouraged to perform at the cemetery of their choice. Schools and other organizations are also invited to participate in the tribute as performers or support volunteers. More information and a sign-up sheet are available at www.echotaps.org.

The first large “Echo Taps†event occurred In May 2005, when 674 brass players from 30 states lined 42-miles of road between Woodlawn National Cemetery in Elmira, NY, and Bath National Cemetery in Bath, NY. Playing “Taps†in cascade, it took nearly three hours from the first note played at Woodlawn to the final note of Taps sounded at the National Cemetery at Bath . In 2006, players performed “Echo Taps†at 52 National Cemeteries and State Veterans Cemeteries across the Nation on Veterans Day in preparation for the upcoming eff! ort. Th e Armed Forces Day event in 2007 will involve buglers around the world to include participants at American Battle Monument Cemeteries overseas.

“A live bugler performing Taps is an expression of the Nation’s appreciation for the service of each veteran,†said Thomas Day, a Marine veteran who founded Bugles Across America in 2000. “With more than 600,000 veterans dying each year, we are always looking for new volunteers to perform this valuable service. Echo Taps Worldwide will honor America ’s 40 million veterans who have served over the course of our history and draw attention to the need for more buglers to perform “Taps†as part of final military honors,†Day said.