Letters from a soldier in the 879th Airborne Engineers
When I came across these letters it was a great addition to the limited available information on the 879th Airborne Engineers who were born at Westover Field, Mass.
The letters are simple letters from a soldier to his uncle back home who served in an earlier war. He writes of nothing in particular, but gives us clues as to what it was like to be there while he was thinking mostly of getting home to his family and his girl.
The 879th recieved training in Lauinburg Maxton Army Air Base in Maxton, North Carolina, then shipped overseas and service in the CBI (China Burma India) , the Pacific theatre of the war. These men spent time in Egypt, India, Burma and dealt with malaria, monsoons, and mud. Their mission to build air strips.
I have also found some other letters, postcards, photos from others in his extended family, dating from the late 1800's which will be displayed here.
Wow. That is awesome. My dad was also in HQ company... a private. What is your dad's name. Did he have a nick name? My dad is Bob Collett, probably known then as Bobby. Send me one of your dad's war stories or boot camp stories, and I will publish it here.
Thank you, it made my dad very happy to see this
ReplyDeleteWas your dad in the 879th? What company?
ReplyDeleteYes he was,
ReplyDeleteWow. That is awesome. My dad was also in HQ company... a private. What is your dad's name. Did he have a nick name? My dad is Bob Collett, probably known then as Bobby. Send me one of your dad's war stories or boot camp stories, and I will publish it here.
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law Robert Jakoubek was in the 879th....Co C. I have numerous photos from his time in Burma.
ReplyDeleteMy father-in-law Robert Jakoubek was in the 879th....Co C. I have numerous photos from his time in Burma.
ReplyDelete