Received a very nice phone call from Dan this afternoon. He called to compliment me on the VI Corps site and especially the music. We talked about 15 minutes and he then sent me the following info. Please take a look at their site.

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Marion,

Nice chatting with you just a few minutes ago. Sent you the World War II

Discussion List <WWII-L@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU> where your music was

mentioned - Spike Jones was one of my favorite entertainers - saw his

stage show just after WWII - never laughed so much from the opening

curtain which was many hotel towels.

How did the VI Corps Combat Engineers get to where they served with all

they needed - fuel, ammunition, weapons, food, mail, etc., etc., etc.

Check out - American Merchant Marine at War - www.USMM.org - for all

wars with focus on WWII.

We need your - all your - help - please go to ----

http://www.usmm.org/urgent.html and help us with cosponsors of your

Senators and Members of Congress - have them check out mini history of

the WWII Merchant Marine and reasons to support H.R. 23 and S. 1272 at

http://www.usmm.org/cd.html

Thanks for the music and entertainers -

See Bob Hope's Christmas 1944 Broadcast to the U.S. Merchant Marine

Everywhere - http://www.usmm.org/hope.html

How did you do the music? to make it small enough -- what programs did

you use?

Dan Horodysky,

Communications Director, American Merchant Marine Veterans

American Merchant Marine at War - www.USMM.org

POB 2361, Berkeley, CA 94702-0361

telephone 510-540-8472 (Pacific Coast Time)

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The Canadians recently issued a Battle of the Atlantic stamp. They know their history.

The most critical battle of World War II was the Battle of the Atlantic. That battle insured the supply to Great Britain and our Allies, the Normandy invasion, and eventual end of the war. If that failed the planned German invasion of Great Britain may have happened AND there would have been no D-Day.

If that Battle failed, there would have been no United States of America.

"But once the war was won, what the bureaucrats in Washington did to the

merchant mariners was reprehensible. They treated them like second-class

citizens, and worse." "Battle For The Atlantic: America's Forgotten Heroes," American History, Nov./Dec. 1993

If it were not for the USMM we could very well be eating "ersatz bratwurst with chopsticks."

Dan Horodysky

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