I am having a tough time believing that he was stateside for close to 3 years before being sent overseas. That just does not make sense. But stranger things have happened. The clipping does not have a date unfortunately. It states he was home after being deployed for 10 months which if you read his discharge paperwork he was overseas for 8 months. Also the clipping says 36th Combat Engineers and his paperwork states 2756th Company A. The timing somewhat matches in regards to him coming home after Christmas. So unless the newspaper had the months wrong and his paperwork is right but I am not sure.
Hey do you know what newspaper that was in? If so, you can actually go through their archives. That's always a possibility. Might not hurt to contact them, if so.
Sorry you have to mess with all this confusion! Yikes! It's difficult enough to put all the pieces back together, and then when you throw in some possible erroneous data...
At this point I would strongly suggest getting hold of the archived unit records from NARA in Maryland. This may shed new light on the subject.
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
So I received a reply back from the archives. They have the unit history for the 2756th. The history starts on October of 1944. I am trying to determine what I want as far as the paperwork goes from the archives. I believe I will ask for the unit history from Oct 44 to June of 45, and general orders from 1945 to 1946. And if the unit was re-designated, why would they not state that on any of his paperwork? As far as the paperwork goes, nothing from before 1944 is here.
Oh as far as re-assignment, the archives only search for exactly what you call for. They are not acting as historians, but rather as librarians, and searching on the stated criteria.
So in order to get EVERYTHING you desire, you would have to tell them what dates for exact units. Then they would let you know what they have in its entirety.
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
The archives sent me the paperwork. It gives a personnel list, however my Grandfather's name is not anywhere to be found. The gentleman I have spoken to from Georgia is listed, but for some reason, not my Grandfather. And on my Grandpa's paperwork it states the 2756th Engineers Company A. Would he not be listed if he was stateside for the first 3 years maybe? I am just not sure. I have the unit's history from Oct 44 to June of 1945. Or could he have been reassigned at the last minute to this unit? I am stumped.
Oh dear, sounds like could have been discharged with the 2756th (reassigned for passage home) but NOT with that group during his service in the ETO. That's what makes the discharge papers so confusing and frustrating. If the Army did it correctly, they would always list his "service" unit, then his discharge unit, not just the one. I have seen this over and over again on this forum.
When was the personnel file recorded? Can you tell?
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
Marion J Chard
Proud Daughter of Walter (Monday) Poniedzialek
540th Engineer Combat Regiment, 2833rd Bn, H&S Co, 4th Platoon
There's "No Bridge Too Far"
