Here's a letter I composed this morning, and will be sending out to dozens of corporations and organizations. Wish me luck!
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Dear ??????:
I'm the historian and web master for 6thcorpscombatengineers.com, a comprehensive website dedicated to my father and his fellow veterans. What began as a simple labor of love, quickly grew into the site it is today, with over 133,000 visitors since June 24th, 2004. The site features dozens of veteran's stories, hundreds of pages of documentation, over 2000 combat engineer photographs, various links, archived film footage, and a very popular WWII forum with more than 700 members, including many veterans.
Beyond conducting my own independent research, I've had several articles published in WWII Magazine, and Army Engineer Magazine, and I'm working in conjunction with historians at the Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, and the U.S. Army School of Engineering.
One thing I'm constantly reminded of; very little credit is given to WWII engineers. While there are thousands of books and films dedicated to this period in history, combat engineers seemed to have slipped between cracks; a downright shame.
When speaking to "my boys" (as I affectionately refer to them), they often express disappointment, and sometimes outright anger at being forgotten, and this brings me to the reason I am writing to you today.
I'm producing a several-hour documentary series, NO BRIDGE TOO FAR, the story of four engineer regiments; the 36th, 39th, 540th, and 1108th. The production begins with state-side training, covers their first beachhead assault in North Africa, and every campaign thereafter, concluding with post-war occupation in Germany and Austria, emphasizing the unique and extensive role played by each unit during the war.
As you may be aware, our WWII veterans won't be around for much longer, and it serves as additional motivation to get the "show-on-the-road". However, I'm working as an independent producer with a very limited budget, and therefore seeking contributions ranging from $500.00 to $5000.00, to help me bring my dream to fruition. Until now, I've solely relied on donations from the veterans and their families, but funds are quickly dwindling, as costs for copyrighted material, voice-over talents, etc., continue to accrue.
If you are unable to assist at this time, would you kindly pass my letter to other corporations or organizations who may be interested. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Regards,
Marion Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek - 540th Combat Engineer
1460 Joy St / PO Box 147 Alger, MI 48610-0147
989-859-8418
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"