Oh my God. I just got home, so didn't know about Cindy's son, Dusty. The irony. Here Dusty just completes his training and is awaiting assignment, and his other brother Taylor (Tay-Tay) is in Iraq. Poor Cindy has been frantically worrying about Tay-Tay and then right under our eyes in the States this happens. Please read and say prayers. I am in tears. Cindy and family, my heart goes out to you. Dusty, stay strong and get better soon. You are God's gift to many...

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Taken from a post from Cindy on WBG's site...

I apologize for not knowing where to post this.. Dusty was in a very bad car accident tonite. He is in Intensive Care at a hospital at Ft campbell . He was getting a ride home from a Sgt and his wife who was driving I dont know a lot of details but there were fatalities I am pretty certain. It was very bad weather and there was a head on collision , so far he had to have his ear surgically rapaired , and was on his way for a ct scan etc so I am just here asking for a prayer for my little man, while I try really hard to compose myself enough to find a flight out. Unk I dont know how to do this one. There aint enoguh laundry or dishes to keep me in that other place. I want to get in my car and go , there are no damn flights until the am... I was lucky to find EB (Robert) and buckeye in the chat room and they gave me some advice about getting a flight and gave me a giggle or 2... So please if you say prayers add my little man.

Well, I just returned from a phenomenal weekend with the 36th Combat Engineers. What a great time. What great people and what things I have learned in three short days. True inspiration!

I have come away with a renewed spirit to complete my project; getting my book written and published. From this day forth I promise to devote the majority of my time to accomplishing this mission. I have revamped my original intentions on writing separate accounts, and am now going to begin by combining my efforts and writing the book from the standpoint of ALL the VI Corps Combat Engineers. The 36th and 540th covered much of the same territory, so their stories often cross and will compliment each other. This will enable me to accomplish my goals in a shorter amount of time, which is vital point to the men of these units. The youngest now are already 80 and many more are pushing 90. It goes without saying that they would like to see their names in print while they are still alive.

So I hope that I will have your support, my dear friends, and that you will understand where my heart and goals lead me at this point in my life. So while I continue to try and lend my aid and assistance to all my WWII friends, I must place my focus on accomplishing this goal. Thank you for your continuing support and friendship. If you have anything that might assist me in completing this project, please don't hesitate to contact me. This includes any men from the 3rd, 34th, 36th and 45th Infantry Divisions, or anyone else who fought along with the 5th or 7th Armies or VI Corps. Many of the above mentioned units fought alongside with MY engineers and your info may be integral to my book.

FLYING PT-17 Stearman

I am an old WWW2 cadet of Army Air Corp. (not Force) who was taught to fly the bye wing open cockpit by civilian instructors. Remember the stall, spin, up side down, slip, loop, engine shut off, clime, glide, elementary 8, and don’t forget the chandelles. Instructor saidâ€give me a Channnndelleâ€. Now 60 years later friends from church (Kelly & David Havrilla) have a friend Chris who owns a Stearman PT-17 and asked if I would like a ride. Yes I said and my mind started working, Remember wearing fatigues running out to the plane, strapping on a parachute jumping on wing, bouncing in rear cockpit, a civilian young girl starts cranking the engine, you turn the little switch and “off we go into the wild blue yonder†NOW that was 60 years ago. Yester-say we went to the Ann Arbor airfield to meet, Chris and a beautiful Blue and Yellow, white PT-17 plane. I walk slowly out and raise one leg up to the wing and dave pushes the rest of the body up on the wing. Grab the two handles, act like I am chinning my-self but really trying to get this body in the open cockpit. Once in the cockpit, Chris put the helmet and radio on my head. Kelly hooks the safety straps on me. Chris starts the engine and “off we go into the wild blue yonder. Once up a few thousand feet and Chris spoke the sweets words “ Art we will not do any acrobatics to-day, take over the controls. Turn left, that is easy that is the hand the watch is on. Now Chris said he would take over and land.. Then the tower comes on and said to go around again,some-body is on the runway. I thought must be Kelly, she wants to go up too.

Cadetat6

I lost this bit of nostalgia and missed it till just the other day. I tried all the old URL's with no success, then went basic and WALLAH!!!, there it was. If you like a good story with simple , but haunting music, give it a try.

It is about John Christian, in his own mastery of words, who as a boy, loved airplanes. He enlisted in the WWII cadet program with hopes of becomming a P-51 fighter pilot and eventially getting into Aeronautical Engineering, but someone had other plans for him. Which proves; you never know where you're going till you get there.

Give it a try. Enter aviatian days by john cristian

click search

click on #4

Let me know

chucktoo

My dear friend Gene Fiducia, put a very big on this face today.

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/GeneFiducia.htm

Gene wrote to me a few days ago and said he was going to send a poster to me. So needless to say I was very excited. Well, today when I went to pick up my mail at the post office, they handed me a big heavy box. What's this I thought? It wound up being a very intriguing personal collection that included:

many original objects

such as newspaper articles (including one on the Remagen span collapsing), a swastika, a Guide Book to the U.S. Army, a booklet on contributing to the war entitled, Give 3... Get 4!, postcards from the Normandy area, a French Franc, a V-Mail dated Aug 21, 1944, a War Department Basic Field Manual - Grenades - dated June 15, 1942, another manual from the same series - First Aid for Soldiers - dated April 7, 1942, a button, a patch - Bayeux 1944, a piece of camo (Gene has just informed me that the piece of camouflage with the pin from Bayeau is part of a German parachute), the booklet - Engineering The Victory - The Story of The Corps of Engineers, an MP armband

commemorative objects and copies of originals

merci La Boutique du Holdy - Ste Mere Du Mont pin, a copy of his induction papers, The American Battle Monuments Commission - WWII Commemorative Program, a pamplet in French and English - la nuit des Paras a Sainte-Marie-du-Mont - Utah Beach, a pamphlet - The D-Day Landings and The Battle of Normandy, a brochure of the Battle of the Bulge & Liberation - complete with map, a booklet 1944-1994 - Jubilee of Freedom by the Regional Council of Normandy, and a great commemorative Stars and Stripes newspaper - D-Day+50 - The World Remembers

Can you tell I'm still a bit shaky? I can't believe what I have in my hands. Of course I sat down and immediately sent off this email to him.----------

Dearest Gene:

I can't believe, let me repeat, I can't believe all the great mementos you sent me. My husband and I were completely blown away by all the items that you gave me. I can't say how delighted I am and can't believe your generosity. And here I thought I was getting A POSTER. Imagine my surprise when I picked up my mail and this big heavy package was placed into my hands. I'm still reeling. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Have I said thank you yet???

What is especially great is, I have all this to take to the reunion tomorrow in Lebanon PA. Don't worry, it is all going in my suitcase as take-on luggage as is all my precious WWII mementos. The guys will just love this.

Thank you AGAIN for thinking of me and making my day. Heck you made my month. I am still in awe!

Love ya lots. Hugs,

Marion

This is what he sent back.

Happy that you like what I sent to you.

My oldest son had one of the posters framed and it is our den and can be seen as visitors and repair men enter the house and all have who have seen it are say that it is a rare item and should be passed down in the family. I thought of donating the poster to a library or a museum but since you have been so kind in posting my stories and photos, I felt that I owed you something special.

Have a great time in Pennsylvania.

I was researching a book in our reference section in the Margate Library entitled Enclclopedia of Arms and Weapons, Bonanza Books published by Crown Publishing and found an error in plate #81 where they have a photo of a German K43 semiautomatic rifle and described it as a Mauser 1898. I sent them an e-mail advising them of the error. I wonder if they will acknowledge it. I told them that I have a K43 and that I know the difference.

Gene.

I feel so very blessed to be loved so much. You guys sure know how to win a girls heart. Well at least mine. I am FOREVER grateful to you Gene and to all the vets that have so generously given their time and their precious mementos from the war. I have to stop now before I lose it. Hey Cindy, guess what? Yup, I'm teary-eyed once again!