The internet is endlessly fascinating. Below is an email letter written by a man looking for the man who fathered his sister. He found my father from a web page where we posted my Dad's story about his World War II experience. I changed the name to protect the innocent (or guilty, we do not know for sure).
Incidently, this is an example of a Reserve unit and individuals called to active duty for 4 years with service in Ireland, North Africa, and Italy.
And it is another word of warning to you other guys who may have committed youthful indescretions. Your little bundle of joy may show up on your doorstep 63 years after the act of commission.
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Dear Clif,
It was with great interest that I read the piece in the military.Comweb site posted by Craig.
I come from that part of the world, born at a place called Cherrymount near Enniskillen then moved to Trory then Laragh, places that you may have traveled through to get to Enniskillen. My Father and Uncle used to haul the materials to make the airfield at St Angelo near Rossahilly, on the way to Killadeas..
Anyway, the REAL reason for writing is to try and finalise a family mystery that has beset my sister for the past 63 years and that is (now that my Mother has died) that my sister's Father was an American (engineer we think) called V________.
It was only a year before she died that my Mother divulged his name but as she was only 16 at the time and as it was so long ago, she couldn't remember where V_____ came from.
I am just dropping this e-mail to you in the hope that MAYBE he was one of the 109th. I have tried for 5 years to track him down mainly to give closure' to my sister and, maybe, if he is still with us, to make contact with V_______.
If you could help in any way, Clif, we would be most grateful.
Regards
Ben
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Hi Ben: After my first response that V______ was apparently not in the 109th Engineers, I took another look in a book about the SD National Guard. In addition to the Engineers, there was also the 109th Quartermaster Bn. that was part of the 34th Div and went to Northern Ireland and at least part of them were stationed in or near Enniskillen. In their Company C which was mobilized out of Pierre, SD was a V ________. It says that he was in Northern Island and on to North Africa and was wounded in Bologna, Italy, transferred to Hospital and returned to the U. S. Since the war was almost over when we got to Bologna, almost anyone who had been in since 1941 might have been sent directly home. The 34th was deactivated in Italy about that time.
If you think the possibility that V__________ might be the scoundrel in this case, I can xerox the pertinent pages from the book. It would probably take some detailed dectective work to pin it down but Pierre is a small city and their should be people or records that might be available.
_____________
Will
Gulp.
