I never know what will come across my desk and yesterday was certainly no exception, for I was graced with a personal history, written by Major Frederick C Woods, of the 540th Combat Engineer Regiment, my dad's unit. What makes this EXTRA special, is the fact that I had already read many of the official reports from NARA, and Fred's reports have been among those documents. And now I can place a face to that NAME and get to know who he really was.

Many thanks to Dan Ewing and Wirth Yarborough for sharing this with me. Here's the letter I received:

Marion,

A good friend of mine Wirth Yarborough, asked me to send the personal memoirs of his late friend, Major Fredrick C. Woods 540th Combat Engineers to you as a possible addition to your website. Wirth cleared release of these memoirs with one of Fred’s surviving daughters. If you have any questions concerning this material please feel free to contact us. BTW, your website is superb and a wonderful tribute to “The Greatest Generation”.

V/R
Dan Ewing
Wirth Yarborough

I am delighted to share Major Wood's personal memoir with all of you. I think you will love his keen sense of humor and find his his story, a wonderful addition to the 540th's history. I am very excited about the prospects of adding his insights to parts two and three of my documentary, No Bridge Too Far. Perfect timing!

You will also find several reports (mentioned above) on the 540th's History Page under the heading "National Archived Documents - Sit Reps and More!" that were written by the major.