Oh my gosh, imagine my utter surprise when I actually ran across my dad's name from a journal I acquired this week from the NARA records. I just started perusing some of the docs that I got from Carolyn Billups this week (my private researcher). Started seeing some names I recognized and of course AM ALWAYS looking for anything on dad. Well five minutes ago I saw this entry, dated

May 24, 1944

This time frame is while the 540th were in Italy. A few weeks after the fall of Rome.

"Pvt. Hughes from hospital to duty. T/5 Poniedzialek from duty to 15th Evacuation Hospital which was in the line of duty. Pvt Arndt from duty to special duty with 469th Engineers at Naples. T/4 Graman, transferred from absent sick to 7th Replacement Depot as per Special Order F56, May 23, 1944 our headquarters."

Here's two others. How cool is this?

Entry April 22, 1944 - (the Anzio Campaign)

T/Sgt Clendonney from rest camp to hospital 262nd Station Hospital at Aversa which was in the line of duty. M/Sgt Ware, M/Sgt Borowski, S/Sgt Mitchell, T/4 Minkoff, Pfc Provencal, Pfc Rumbaoa, Pfc Ohr, Pfc Lively, Pvt Schaeffer, Pvt Kolosziej, from 5th Army Rest Camp at Caserta to duty. T/4 Luehring, T/4 Rigoli, T/4 Varala, T/5 Poniedzialek, Pfc Tracey, Pfc Anderson, Pfc Carrell, Pvt James, Pvt Bradshaw, Pvt Missahl, Pvt O'Leary, Pvt Difloe, from duty to 5th Army Rest Camp at Caserta. Road grater to Company "C" for road work as per work order #12, 5th Army

Entry April 26, 1944

T/5 Lee, J. from duty to 52nd Medical Battalion Hospital wich was not in the line of duty AR35-1440. Sgt Koeningstein, assigned and joined. T/4 Luehring, T/4 Rigoli, T/4 Varla, T/5 Poniedzialek, Pfc Tracey, Pfc Anderson, Pfc Carroll, Pfc James, Pvt Bradshaw, Pvt Missahl, Pvt O'Leary, Pvt Difloe, from 5th Army Rest Camp to duty.

Cool. Those records are full of details.

I recently bought a booklet on the 5th Army Rest center at Caserta but it was written a couple of years AFTER the war. This booklet focused on the history of the HQ of the Allied Forces that was located there.

As I leaf through all the docs, I find myself treating the men as family. I see a name; ah, I know you. I have a photo of you. I see another name. Oh yes, one of the men from the 540th mentioned you. I feel as though I have met many of them and been there with them. As I go on, I know this will grow. As the months go on and I read more and more, I wlll gather many new friends. I consider them my new family. Sixty years begin to melt and become one with today. It doesn't seem that long ago in my mind...