Received this letter:

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Ms. Chard,

Thanks for your response to my request. Can you help me in locating the

359th Engineer Battalion? My father in law was assigned to this unit during

the final years of WWII. I'm particularly interested in the unit's path

through the US to its final location in WWII. Also I'm interested in what

unit they were assigned to so that I can try to locate a unit patch and

distinctive unit insignia for a shadowbox. Where would be a good source of

this type of information? Thanks for your help!!

V/R

Mike

Support Our Troops!

Co. A., 1-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82D Airborne Division and 32D

Aerial Intelligence Squadron, USAFE

Godspeed To All!!

I sent him the PDF file below and also told him about Robert Hoedel's page. I put him in contact with Nancy Hoedel, Robert's daughter. Ah small world.

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/Rob...obertHoedel.htm

The 359th was a General Service Engineer unit and they have a very interesting history. When you read the accompanying document, you will find out all about POL's or Petroleum, Oil and Lubricants setup and distribution. Amazing what they could do during wartime. Talk about pressure buddy! Let the gasoline flow.

359thHistory.pdf

359th Engineers WWII Association

Company F

Mr. Bernard W. Ehni

Garden Park Terrace, Apartment 112

Wheeling, WV 26003

(304) 277-3760

Please see Nancy's note below regarding this phone number no longer being valid!

Received a letter from Nancy Hoedel today. She is so excited regarding recent events regarding the 359th. I am so happy for her.

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...Anyway, I have a few new wonderful things that I want to share..........first, after calling a few phone numbers I found on the internet, I finally found one of the guys ALIVE that was with my dad! I was so excited I could hardly talk. I did find others that have passed on, but talked to the wives. I did send the original photos to the wives. It was sad, but a glad feeling I had. You know after having them and looking at them for so long, I felt like I knew them and I had to say good bye. They were going home! It was a grand feeling though when I talked to one of the wives that had been married for 58 years. She didn't have a picture of him in uniform...........now she does. She cried and thanked me. Said now she lives on memories. He's been gone for 2 years now. The second thing was finding the book on the History of the 359th Regt. I have a copy of the pages from Michael Brodhead, but the pictures aren't good.......of all places I found the book was in Hilo, Hi! To think I lived in Kona a number of years ago and drove to Hilo all the time.

I am so jazzed Sis, it's like finding the big kuhuna! Now, I'll call the sweet man (Bob Seidel) in a couple of days and see if he got the packet of pictures I sent. He told me a number of things about why's and where's. I'll have to change the info I have on the letter I wrote to you that you printed on line. Dad was in those places, but it was a bit different. Bob did say they did get lost from their unit when they landed on the beach. I pray he stays with us for a long while. He does have a problem with his heart, and eyesight. He sounds so delightful, and has laughter in his voice. He said to call anytime, but I don't want to (yes, I do) make a pest of myself!...

Hi Mare

Just so you know, that information on the 359th is no long valet. I called that number quite awhile ago and someone answered the phone that said it was a new number to him, and he didn't know anything about the 359th.

Nancy

GREAT STory Marion! Glad some of the pics found their way home after so many years. A great succes-story!

Well Stevin:

Seems Nancy and I are gals of similar mind. If you could read all the letters that she and I have shared over the last several months, you'd see the kind of spirit, determination and love she still has for her dad. It is her fierce determination that led her to all her great discoveries, but her love is what carried her the farthest.

For her to give up her photos to make others happy speaks in multitudes.

Just got this letter too:

Dear Marion,

I got a real kick out of reading all the info on the 359th.

Last night I was listing information for the troopship web site you linked to recently. I checked my DD 214 to see what outfit I came home with on the Queen Elizabeth, Oct 4th to 9th, 1945. Sure nuff: It was the 359th.

Hugs,

Dick

You can read all about Dick Fietz here:

http://www.6thcorpscombatengineers.com/Ric...ichardFietz.htm

On behalf of a friend I am trying to find more information about PFC J D Thompson and find family and his Regiment.

This is the information I have so far

http://www.findagrav...r&GRid=10246420.

THOMPSON, Jay D

Servicenumber: 35684269

Age: 28

Born: 1 October 1916, Tennessee

Hometown: Whitley County, Kentucky

Family: Charles Thompson (father)

Gertrude (Hutson) Thompson (mother)

Charles R. Thompson (brother)

William E. Thompson (brother)

Maude Thompson (sister)

Lizzie Thompson (sister)

Ray Thompson (brother)

Robert Thompson (brother)

Howard Thompson (brother)

Jo A. Thompson (sister)

Mary A. (Hutson) Thompson (wife)

Rank: Private First Class

Function: Not available

Regiment: 359th Engineer General Service Regiment

Battalion: Not available

Division – Transport: Not available

Company – Squadron: Not available

Date of death: 13 September 1945

Status: DNB

Place of death: Not available

Spot: Not available

Awards: -

Gravenumber: Plot C, Row 10, Grave 1

Cemetery: American War Cemetery Margraten

Biography: -

Other information: Pfc Jay D. Thompson enlisted in Cincinnati, Ohio on 26 January 1943.

Thanks in advance, Ed

Thanks for posting that Ed. Hope someone will be able to help you. We are always here, and look forward to hearing from you.

Merry Christmas and all the best from the states.

Have you tried contacting Theresa, the woman who created the entry, for she has been working on her family's genealogy for years.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=6853633

She would be the one to go to for help.