Starting this topic for a new member. Am posting his letter and my initial reply. Already found some info and will post it here too, shortly...
Hello,
I was researching Gilbert M. Bush, Co. H, 2nd Battalion, 313th Regiment, 79th Infantry. I found correspondance on your web site. I wanted to ask a question about a Bailey Bridge that appears in a photograph of my father-in-law (also 313th - taken sometime between 1944 and 1945 in the European Theatre. The bridge has a sign on it that says, "CATFISH BUILT THIS." I've learned that CATFISH was a name for the 1254th Engineer Combat Battalion. There is a large circular sign about the Corp of Engineers sign that has the number "40" on it. I am wondering if the number "40" refers to the bridge itself or if it is a highway sign. My interest is to identify where this particular bridge was located.
Thanks for any help you can offer.
Ken Brown
Linden, Michigan
Hello Ken:
Nice to chat with you.
First off, "40" refers to the load bearing of a bridge. Most common types which you'll run by are "40" and "70". Please see attachment for further clarification.
I will start a topic on the forum, and you can join in. I will post whatever I find on it, so you and everyone can benefit from the research.
The names and Cincinnati-area burial locations of soldiers who served in conflicts from the Revolutionary War to World War I are being made available online thanks to two genealogists who rescued records that were bound for the trash. Mary Remler and Jim Dempsey saved five priceless books from the Hamilton County Recorder’s dumpster.
A Works Progress Administration project in the 1930s cataloged that information from Hamilton County cemeteries in five books. The books had been microfilmed years ago but the microfilm was fading and a bit out of focus. The newly-discovered books can now be digitized and preserved online for everyone's use.
You can read the full story in an article written by Cliff Radel and published in the Cincinnati Enquirer at
I did not know him and that is a shame, but another friend in Alger sent this to me and I thought it would be nice to pay homage to one of my local vets,
Joseph A. Stoyak
Died May 2, 2012
Joseph A. Stoyak, 93, of Alger passed away on Wednesday, May 2, at St. Mary’s of Michigan Skilled Nursing in Standish.
He was born on Feb. 1, 1919, to Anton and Victoria Stoyak in Alger. Joe retired from Lincoln Brass in 1980. He served in the US Army in WWII from 1943 to 1946. He was a member of the Standish VFW and St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Joe is survived by his son, William (Jeanette) Stoyak of Canton; three grandchildren Genevieve, Amanda and Corrie; and three great-grandchildren, Noah, Abigail and Kyle.
He was preceded in death by his two wives, Genevieve and Josephine.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 5, 2012, at 11 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Alger, with Father James Falsey officiating the service. Burial will be at the Alger Cemetery.
Visitation will be on Friday, May 4, 2012, at the R. O. Savage Funeral Chapel in Standish from 1-8 p.m.
