I'm not sure if this is the proper forum to post this but I thought I'd try here first. Please let me know if I should post to a different on as I am new here.
The tombstone of my uncle (and godfather), Herbert Joseph Rice (#32261778) says he was in Co A, 292nd Eng C Btn. In searching for info on this unit I found this informative website so am hoping someone on here can help me figure out his connection to the 292nd.
I tried the NPRC but only received the dates of enlistment and discharge. I am not next-of-kin -- he married but had no children.
Briefly, here is what I have pieced together so far on his military service:
- Enlisted 23 Mar 1942, Fort Dix NJ – from NY (born in Ireland but brought to US as infant and raised in Manhattan NYC)
- Photo (undated) – in dress uniform, MP slip-on arm band, Sam Brown belt, & pistol with barracks-type buildings in the background. Looks like the US south.
- Was attached to 77th Infantry Div (I have the actual patch he wore!!) - is listed as a Private in Co K in the Div roster but was transferred out before the 77th went to the Pacific, March 1944.
- Wedding photo Jan 1944 – jacket has patch of the 4th Area Service Command.
- Photo (undated) of Herb in uniform having a beer in a bar/club. Written on the photo is “178 (US) Gen Hosp Non Coms Club”. The 178th was in the area of Reims, France.
- A 3 ring binder covered with leather and hand tooled with “Reims 1945” on the cover which he sent home to his sister and now in my possession.
- Excerpts from letters of medical tech father of a fellow researcher written in Reims, 1945, where he was with the 178th Gen Hospital. He mentions “Rice from NY” who told him about the GIs trying to get photos at the school house where the surrender was signed; and then “Herbie Rice, a 253rd man” and says Herb was the supply Sgt and in charge of the bar/beer garden.
- Discharged 8 Mar 1946.
I can’t figure out is how the 292nd fits into this -- from what I’ve read, they landed in France in Dec 1944 and then onward into Germany. I do not see him in the photo of Co A – he was 6'4", skinny as a bean pole, very high forehead, and ears standing way out.
Don’t know what the 253rd was (as mentioned in the letter noted above) or when he was with the 292nd. Could he have been left behind when the Btn went to Germany? Or gone there and come back or ????? I’ve come across 2 other Herbert Rices - one was a POW and another was a Ranger.
If anyone has any suggestions or ideas about this mystery, I’d love to hear from you. Thank you in advance !!
Hello KRO,
Warmest welcome here on the forum, we are certainly glad to have you with us. This is the right place to post your queries. You have given us quite a bit to think about here but hey, we like a challenge. I have given a quick look through all my documents this morning and have not spotted your uncle's name, but my records are not near complete. Our friend Gary (sirgator) has some of the general orders for the 292nd, perhaps your uncle's name is to be found there, I'm sure Gary will check in with us soon. The time frame of when your uncle was transferred out of the 77th matches up with the period when the ranks of the newly formed 292nd were being filled with new recruits and personnel from established units. If he was attached to the 292nd at this time maybe he was originally with one of the other companies in the battalion and this is why you do not find him in the Company A photo. Have you tried to look for him in the Company C photo? His discharge date also matches up with the time frame for the return of the 292nd to the US. A thought here is that perhaps he was just attached to the 292nd for the journey home, not all soldiers returned with the units they were assigned to.
I assume you do not have your uncle's discharge papers since you do not mention it. It of course would help clear up this matter. You could look for a copy at the local courthouse where your uncle lived after the war. The VA would be another place to look. Check out the Help Section here on the forum for where to find documents, Marion has provided a great resource for this.
If you feel comfortable with sharing the photos and materials you have of your uncle with us here on the forum we would love to see them and they could provide us with clues to help solve this mystery. We are still in the process of gathering documents for the 292nd, perhaps your uncle's name will be found in them. Check in with us as often as you can, we will do our best to help you out here.
Randy