Correspondence with my new friend Geoff:

Dear Marion:

I contacted Mr. Al Panebianco in regards to my grandfather and he wrote that I might contact you. Here is what I sent to Al.

My grandfather Linwood M. Johnson served in the U.S. Army during World War II. I believe he trained at Fort Pickett in VA, he later served in Africa, Anzio and later Europe in the VI Corps with a Signal battalion. I would like to find out as much as I can about his service to our country, I know from photos that he attained the rank of Sergeant. I never spoke to him about his service and now I wish I had, he died in 2002 and when my grandmother moved from her home two years ago we cleaned out what was their home and I found quite an assortment of photos, postcards, maps and charts. What is surprising was the photos of German officers and German troops on skis apparently in the Alps. They are marked on the back as being "Forbidden" and "Propaganda", I don't have a clue how he came across them.

If you have any information or where I can obtain information I would be grateful.

Thank you,

Geoff Littlefield

P.S. I have an Ike coat, hat and trousers that belonged to him. I believe his social security or service number is located in the hat.

Later email:

I think I deciphered that he may have belonged to the VI Corps 57th Signal Battalion possibly a repair company as I have pictures of him climbing telephone poles and the other information was photographed on a truck. I believe he also had a typewriter which was photographed as well.

Here is my reply to him...

Hi again:

The 57th participated in the following:

Naples-Foggia (with arrowhead); Anzio (with arrowhead); Rome-Arno; Southern France (with arrowhead); Rhineland; Ardennes-Alsace; Central Europe.

That would make perfect sense.

Marion

More from Geoff...

Dear Marion:

Thanks for the info, by the way my grandfather's nickname was lucky. My grandmother told me it's because of his wild driving he's lucky he didn't kill himself.

When I scan the pictures I'll send them your way.

Good luck with your projects.

Geoff