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Hello everybody on this forum.

We are a family from the Netherlands and recently we adopted 6 graves and 2 names on The Walls of Missing.

2 graves from American soldiers on the American Cemetery and Memorial Ardennes in Neupre (Neuville-en-Condroz), Belgium.

2 graves from American soldiers on the American Cemetery and Memorial in Henri-Chapelle, Belgium.

2 graves from British soldiers on Brussum War Cemetery, Netherlands.

And 2 names from American soldiers on The Walls of Missing on the American Cemetery and Memorial Margraten, Netherlands.

By time we will place these soldiers on our own homepage under a new link called Grave Adoption.

We always have been and still are very interested in WWII.

We visited Normandie in 2009, all the beaches from D-Day., cemetery's, museums and many other interesting places.

In 2011 we visited many places, museums, cemetery's ect from The Battle of The Bulge.

You can see photo's on our website, http://www.etiebax.nl

Ofcorse all is in Dutch but Grave Adoption will also be written in English.

One of the soldiers who's grave we adopted is:

Name: Harold F. CASSIDY

ASN: 32795310

Unit: 424th Infantry Regt / 106th Inf Division

Rank: Private First Class

D.O.D.: 16 Dec. 1944

Burial site: Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial

We found some information about Cassidy and we recieved information also, but it is very difficult for us to find something.

So when you have information for us about himself, his Unit, family etc, we appreciate it very much.

Maybe if you want us to give information about the other soldiers who's grave we have adopted, let us known.

And excuse us if our English is not perfect.

Regards, Ed and Anita

Dear Ed and Anita:

Thank you for all you do, and thank you for joining our forum. It's an honor to have you as members.

Let's see what we can discover about Harold F Cassidy.

We look forward to chatting with you. Hopefully we can be of assistance.

Dear Ed and Anita:

 

Thank you for all you do, and thank you for joining our forum. It's an honor to have you as members.

 

Let's see what we can discover about Harold F Cassidy.

 

We look forward to chatting with you. Hopefully we can be of assistance.

Thank you Marion.

We like to do this for these soldiers. A pitty that we could not find any photo from one of these soldiers.

We searched a lot and found information and we recieved information, but still it is very difficult.

We wrote to Fort Knox and recieved a letter this week from Fort Knox that it can take up for at least 20 weeks to get information if they have it.

We asked for the IDPF's but we heard that a lot of information about soldiers was burned in 1973?

But we keep hoping and also on this forum.

Regards ed and Anita

Welkom hier Eindelijk weer Nederlanders erbij.

(In English)

Welcome here, finally some more Dutch people have joined.

Welkom hier Eindelijk weer Nederlanders erbij.

 

(In English)

Welcome here, finally some more Dutch people have joined.

Hallo Frank,

Bedankt, we hadden niet gedacht dat er nog Nederlanders op dit forum zaten, vergissing dus.

Aangenaam dan.

Hello Frank, we did not think that where more Dutch people on this forum, so a mistake.

Please to meet you

Ed

Hello Ed & Anita, welcome to the forum, and thank you for adopting the graves of our fallen.

Info from the 1920 US Census:

Harold F Cassidy was born in 1908 in Bronx, New York County, New York.

Father, James Cassidy born abt 1880 in New York

Mother's name: Katherine Cassidy born abt 1884 in Ireland

brothers & sisters:

John Cassidy born abt 1906

Harold Cassidy 1908

Viola Cassidy born abt 1916

Arthur Cassidy born abt 1916

He enlisted in the Army on February 6, 1943 in New York City, New York. He was noted as being employed as a kitchen worker and also as Single, with dependents.

Harold was a member of Co. C, 1st Battalion, 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division.

From After Action Reports of the 424th:

"The 1st Bn, 424th Inf, was committed at 161145A ( 16 Dec,44, 11:45am) to eject the enemy from the center of the sector of the 424th infantry and then to hold Winterspelt."

Harold was "Killed In Action" near Winterspelt, Germany, 16 Dec 44.

He was first buried (temporary) at Foy Cemetery, Bastogne, Belgium, later buried at Henri- Chapelle Permanent Cemetery, Belgium.

Individual Deceased Personel Files (293 File) are NOT stored at NPRC in St Louis and were NOT burned in the 1973 fire. Many Soldiers Personal files (201 Files) were what was lost in the 1973 fire.

To obtain his IDPF write to:

FOIA OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

ADMIN SECTION, ATTN:TAP-ALP-A (FOIA)

DCS PERSONNEL & LOGISTICS

200 STOVALL STREET

ALEXANDRIA, VA 22332-0405

How to request the file can be found here: http://www.ehow.com/how_7546748_obtain-individual-deceased-personnel-file.html ( use the above address, not the old one on the website)

Hello Ed & Anita, welcome to the forum, and thank you for adopting the graves of our fallen.

Info from the 1920 US Census:

Harold F Cassidy was born in 1908 in Bronx, New York County, New York.

Father, James Cassidy born abt 1880 in New York

Mother's name: Katherine Cassidy born abt 1884 in Ireland

brothers & sisters:

John Cassidy born abt 1906

Harold Cassidy 1908

Viola Cassidy born abt 1916

Arthur Cassidy born abt 1916

 

He enlisted in the Army on February 6, 1943 in New York City, New York. He was noted as being employed as a kitchen worker and also as Single, with dependents.

 

Harold was a member of Co. C, 1st Battalion, 424th Infantry Regiment, 106th Infantry Division.

From After Action Reports of the 424th:

"The 1st Bn, 424th Inf, was committed at 161145A ( 16 Dec,44, 11:45am) to eject the enemy from the center of the sector of the 424th infantry and then to hold Winterspelt."

Harold was "Killed In Action" near Winterspelt, Germany, 16 Dec 44.

He was first buried (temporary) at Foy Cemetery, Bastogne, Belgium, later buried at Henri- Chapelle Permanent Cemetery, Belgium.

 

Individual Deceased Personel Files (293 File) are NOT stored at NPRC in St Louis and were NOT burned in the 1973 fire. Many Soldiers Personal files (201 Files) were what was lost in the 1973 fire.

 

To obtain his IDPF write to:

 

FOIA OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

ADMIN SECTION, ATTN:TAP-ALP-A (FOIA)

DCS PERSONNEL & LOGISTICS

200 STOVALL STREET

ALEXANDRIA, VA 22332-0405

 

How to request the file can be found here: http://www.ehow.com/how_7546748_obtain-individual-deceased-personnel-file.html ( use the above address, not the old one on the website)

Hello SonofaMP,

Thx you very much for all the information about Cassidy and his familiy, also for the info. about the IDPF's.

Forgive us but now we don't know if we did the wright thing to write to Fort Knox.

Do we have to write again to the adres you gave us in Alexandria?

We will place the letter they send us back and after this letter we send them our E-mail adress en asked for the IDPF's from 2 more soldiers from the Walls of Missing Margraten.

Because we adopted these 2 soldiers after we send a letter to Fort Knox.

We place the answer from Fort Knox so you can read what they wrote to us.

Read it please and can you tell us what we must do next? wait or write to Alexandria or?

Thx and regards, Ed and Anita

Ed and Anita,

Thank you so much for what you do. I wish more people in the US knew that this sort of thing went on (I didn't know about it until I joined this forum). If people did know more about it, I'm sure it would bring comfort to the families of the men who fell. Hopefully, they do know what you and so many other people over there because it shows the deep respect you have for those young men and what they did. As a service man myself, I am thankful for people like you who look after those who have worn the uniform before me. It is deeply appreciated.

Todd

After reading your letter from FT Knox, it appears that they can & will obtain the IDPFs for you so you do not need to send another request to Alexandria. 20 weeks is about average for getting info. Since they can scan the files & send them to you in email, there will probaly be no charge.

Ed and Anita,

Thank you so much for what you do. I wish more people in the US knew that this sort of thing went on (I didn't know about it until I joined this forum). If people did know more about it, I'm sure it would bring comfort to the families of the men who fell. Hopefully, they do know what you and so many other people over there because it shows the deep respect you have for those young men and what they did. As a service man myself, I am thankful for people like you who look after those who have worn the uniform before me. It is deeply appreciated.

Todd

Hello Todd

Thank you for the compliment, we like to do this for these soldiers. WWII is long ago but that doesn't matter. You must know that all the graves on American Cemetery and Memorial in Margraten (Netherlands) are adopted.

You can read it on http://www.adoptiegraven-margraten.nl/englisch/index1.htm

1. All graves adopted

The foundation is particularly pleased that all 8301 graves have been adopted. Herewith the adoption register is completely updated. We consider it not to be a secret that volunteers of our foundation have worked thousands of hours in order to achieve this. Yet the result speaks for it self and therefore we are very proud. The news that all graves have been adopted does not indicate that graves will no longer become ‘vacant’ for adoption. Nothing is less true. The reality shows us that with e.g. the death of an adoptive father, emigration etc. graves, less frequently, will become ‘vacant’ again. Signing up for the adoption of graves is still possible. When no graves are available when you sign up, your name will be put on a waiting list. Signing up is possible by following the procedure described in the next article.

So we adopted 2 soldiers (names) on the Walls of Missing in Margraten.

Regards Ed and Anita