This is a great story about the uncle of Jim Grossman,  one of our contributors ( who served in the 763rd) and it talks about the 8 Grossman boys ( his Dad and Uncle's ) who all helped out the war effort ( 6 served in combat roles) during WWII.
Jim writes ...

Thanks so much to Jim for these great photos.
Jim Grossman writes ...
I was the supply officer for the 763rd Railway Battalion (Maintenance) at Ft. Eustis, Va. from Sept. 1964 to about July 1965, when I left to go to 8th Army Hqs in Korea. The battalion was being taken out of service at that time.

Here are two; in one I am sitting in engine 606 in Jan.1965, and the other is a photo of me with fellow lieutenants during a field exercise at Ft. Eustis in March 1965. In that photo, Lt. Colonel Walsh, the battalion commander is promoting 2nd Lt. Cummins to 1st Lt. I am second from the right in the photo.
At that time there where two battalions in a Group (I cannot recall the Group's number and name). They were the 714th Operating Battalion and the 763rd Maintenance Battalion. I got orders in March 1965 to be reassigned to the 8th Army in Korea the coming July. About a month after that, nearly every lieutenant in both battalions received orders to report to Danang in Vietnam around the same time.

The 714th and 763rd were the last two railroad battalions in the Army in 1965, I believe. I do not know if they were revived there or in Vietnam.

716th Christmas Card Thanks Tom Whittle !

716thchristmascard by on Scribd

728th Richard Fenzel Obituary

729th Transportation Railway operating Battalion Anthony Swiatowy

Anthony Swiatowy
CORFU — Anthony Swiatowy, 83, of Corfu, formerly of Akron, died Thursday (Sept. 29, 2011) at home surrounded by his loving family.
He was born in Buffalo on May 26, 1928, the son of the late Felix and Pearl (Popek) Swiatowy.
Mr. Swiatowy attended Akron High School and went on to proudly serve in the U.S. Army from 1950-1951, in the 729th Transportation Railway operating Battalion at Fort Meade, Md.
He was employed at Bell Aircraft from 1951-1959, and retired from Buffalo Crushed Stone as a mechanic crusher operator in 1993 after 34 years of service.
A member of the First United Methodist Church of Akron, Tony will be remembered for his great sense of humor. He also loved his family and he will be greatly missed by his wife children, grandchildren and nieces and nephews.
He felt that his grandchildren and great grandchildren were a total blessing in his life. Following his retirement Tony enjoyed growing pumpkins on his small farm and collecting antique tractors. He also enjoyed hunting.
Tony is the loving husband of the former Patricia (Scarborough) Swiatowy, whom he married April 17, 1951. Loving father of David (Shirley Shankles), of S. Pittsburg, Tenn., Thomas (Erin) Swiatowy, and Deborah (Kevin) Schultz both of Akron.
He was the cherished grandfather of Jill (Martin) Heitzmann, Kelly Schultz, Michelle Swiatowy, Elizabeth Schultz, Jennifer (Richie) Kirkum, Peter (Jennifer) Swiatowy and Nicole (Michael) Beeken. Great-grand father of Natalie Beecken, Ryleigh Kirkum, Colin Kirkum, Cayden Beecken and Makenna Beecken. Dear brother of Celia (late Laslie) Matusek, Bernice (late Dominic) Delre, Dorothy (late Donald) Walf, Josephine (Dennis) Waldron and the late Florence (Darwin) Marble, Felix (Gladys) Swiatowy and Frank Swiatowy.
Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.
The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday in the Childs Funeral Home, LLC, 10 Eckerson Ave., Akron, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday. The Rev. David Weidman will officiate. Burial will be in Evergreen Lawn Cemetery, Akron. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations in Tony’s memory be made to Hospice and Home Care Batavia. Visit www.childsfuneralhomeofakron.com.

Lot of real photos in good condition, vintage World War I images of the American S.O.S. railroad workshop and camp at Nevers, France - circa 1918. Some edge wear and typical aging. 5 3/8 x 3.5 inches.
• 10 of the images are signed as by photographer Pierre Premery.
• The other seven are assumed to be by Premery but are not signed, there are several duplicates in this group of the interior of the railroad workshop.
• There is one card with a postcard back of the railroad yard exterior.
Company D, 33rd engineers of the American Expeditionary Forces, WWI, built the railroad car repair shops and yards, including a German prison camp and American barracks. The base began operations in July 1918 and served as a central depot in the Services of Supply (S.O.S) intermediate zone.
Pierre Premery was one of the foremost French photographers, he lived in Nevers and is the subject of the book, "Regard du Photographe Pierre Premery, Nevers et sa region de 1906 A 1956", by Monique Premery-Thuriot.

Thanks so much to Tom Whittle for sharing some of his Dad's (Thomas Lee Whittle) photos and documents from his service in the 716th ROB.
Tom would love to talk with others who's Dad or Grand Dad served with this unit.
You can contact him here: Thomas Whittle tlwhittle[at]cox.net

From Thomas ...My dad was a railroader for 7 years before enlisting and his dad was a railroader too. He was with the Southern Pacific, I think, in St. Louis or East St. Louis but was done with "the roads" after he mustered out in '45.

He married my mother (Bette) in 1940, worked on the Southern Pacific RR in St. Louis and attended night school classes until he joined the Army in '44. He mustered out of the Army in '45, attended Northwestern University in Chicago where he studied accounting, graduated in 1949. We lost him in Nov., 1960 at age 42 from cancer and he is interred at Elm Lawn Cemetery in Elmhurst, IL.


716threcord of Events

Thanks to Jerry Pavia for sharing some of his Dad's wonderful photos !

These great photos thanks to Fred Bottorff's daughter, MGilbert.

Pieter in Holland recently wrote ...

Here are pictures of the helmet liner of Clarence E. Stone and his Honorable Discharge.Stone had his training with the 1st Engineer Training Battalion in 1942. He can be seen on the yard long photo, GI # 164.

The liner is multiple marked with Stone's laundry mark S 4573. Also on the front above the eyelet Cpl chevrons were scratched .Between the eyelet and rivet Stone was scratched. Both markings are difficult to see because they were painted over.
He got his training with the Tank Destroyers and was assigned to the 397th MP Bn in Europe.
I am a collector of WW2 US items and helmets (I published a book on the M-1 helmet of WW2) In my collection I have a liner & documents of a GI who served with the 711th Railway Operating Bn.

Regards,Pieter
He also sent the discharge papers and I research a little and found this obit for Stone.

711thStonedis by Nancy

LARENCE EMORY STONE was born July 02, 1917 in Saville Twp., Perry County, PA, and died November 11, 1984 in Loysville, Perry County, PA. He married HILDA M. BOOSE. She was born April 20, 1928.

Notes for CLARENCE EMORY STONE:
Ronald Stone visited cemetery in 1985 with Clarence's widow, Hilda M. (she was born

Apr 20, 1928). Viewed Clarence's headstone in Restland Cemetery, Perry County, PA. " July 2, 1917- Nov 11, 1984"

Obituary obtained from Perry Historians:
" Clarence E. Stone, 67, of Loysville, RD1, died Sunday, November 11, 1984 in Perry Health Center. He was a farmer and a retired State employee, a veteran of World War II, a member of the Ickesburg Fire Company, a member of the Ickesburg Ambulance Club and Centre Presbyterian Church.
Surviving are his wife Mrs. Hilda M. Stone, three sons, Clark E. and Gale E.
both of Loysville, R.D.1, and Mervin K. of Duncannon; six daughters, Mrs.
Gloria J. Diehl of New Bloomfield, R.D.2, Mrs. Darlene C. Narehood of Lititz, Mrs. Brenda A. Weldon of Newport, R.D.1, Mrs. Sarah M. Myers of Newville, R.D.4, Miss Kathy M. of Delaware, and Miss Laurie M. at home, a brother, Kenneth of Newport, R.D.3; two sisters Mrs. Violet Rowe of Blain, and Mrs. Pearl Cook of Carlisle; and
12 grandchildren. Services were held Thursday in the Nickel Funeral Home, Loysville, with the Rev. Jeffrey Roth officiating. Burial was in Restland Cemetery."

More About CLARENCE EMORY STONE:
Burial: November 1984, Restland Cemetery, Loysville, Perry County, PA

Children of CLARENCE STONE and HILDA BOOSE are:
i. CLARK E. STONE.
ii. GALE E. STONE.
iii. MERVIN K. STONE.
iv. GLORIA J. STONE.
v. DARLENE C. STONE.
vi. BRENDA A. STONE.
vii. SARAH M. STONE.
viii. KATHY M. STONE.
ix. LAURA M. STONE.

Thanks to Linda for sharing this amazing roster.

She writes .... My Dad, Timothy Edgar Randles, Jr. served from in the 740th Railway Operating Battalion from July 1944 to December 1945.


740th CoC Roster

Military Railway Service Veterans and Friends:

The year 2012 will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Army Transportation Corps on July 31, 1942. To celebrate this milestone the Chief of Transportation, COL (P) Stephen E. Farmen, will be hosting a four day Transportation Corps (TC) Conference starting July 25th at Fort Eustis. Opening ceremonies will held at the Transportation Museum with the dedication of the currently under construction rail pavilion and the recent acquisition of ALCO locomotive RSD1 #8011. Locomotive #8011 was one of 57 similar units sent to Iran in WWII for service on the Military Railway Service operated Iranian State Railway. The dedication ceremony will be followed by tours and special activities at the museum. The dedication and museum activities are open the public and you participation is encouraged. A complete listing of TC Conference activities at both Fort Eustis and Fort Lee will be posted at the Transportation School's WEB site www.transchool.lee.army.mil as plans are finalized. Plan to join us at Fort Eustis in July to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of Army Railroaders from the Civil War to current operations in Afghanistan.

See below for TRAINS Magazine News Wire February 6 posting on the event.

Mark Metz
LTC (R), TC - USAR
Foundation Rail Committee
(717) 597-2636

All these wonderful photos and documents were shared by Becky Lowe, daughter of Major Thomas Brennan of the 732nd. Thanks so very much Becky !

Biography of Major Thomas J. Brennan

This is a 3 part blog post see the second half of the photos and the key to some of them on subsequent posts.