97th Engineer Battalion Guest Book
Name: Chris Orndorff
Email: chrisorndorff@cybernet1.com
Location: Hamilton MT usa 59840
Date: Friday, July 05, 2002
Its been a long time--- 40 years since discharge--although vassincourt was isolated, it was a good time to serve compared to korea, or later, vietnam--and at that time you didnt worry about "being politically correct" met a lot of good guys, and have a lot of memories-- my only regret was cashing in 40 days leave, so i would have an extra $200 when i got discharged--its nice to see that a few individuals such as don have taken the time to put up this web site-.
Thanks,
Chris Orndorff,
Hamilton, Montana.
Name: Ed Patoka
Email: Ed Patoka
Location: Hartford, Wisconsin 53027
Date: March 4, 2004
I enjoy reading any info I can get about the 97th. I'm not sure if you or anyone else remembers who I am. I was the company clerk from June 1962 till Dec. 1963. I spent all of my time screwing off in the orderly room with the 1st sgt. (Fred Robinson) and the CO (Capt. Horace Schow and later 1st Lt. Nicholas) , a black dude who drove a green Jaguar, came to us from a unit in korea, was death on black guys who screwed up. I spent more time with the Officers ( Lt. Rundle, Brinson, etc.) and the NCO's then with most of the other guys. My wife came over and we lived in Sermaize-les-Bains, other guys and wifes who lived there were Don & Lillie Parrish, Jack & Kay Ratley, Ernie & Mary Comeau and a few others. I knew Jim Willis for AIT at Leonard Wood and with your help he located me last year, my wife and I are going to visit him and his wife in April of this year. After 40 years since leaving the outfit (Co. D, 97th Eng.) I often think of some of the guys and wonder what happened to them. I have a lot of fond memories of that part of my life, and I thank God for the experience and the life I had thus far. Horace Schow was a real regular Army, airborn ranger, west point guy who was a nuculear engineer by trade, I remember when he made major and left for battalion hq... Never did get a picture of the 1st sgt., which I had one of him in his usual position, feet up on the desk reading a comic book. I always felt that I could write a book about the guys in Company.
Thanks again,
Ed Patoka, just an old Remington Raider.
Name: Donald E. Parrish
Email: DonParrish
Location: Wilmington IL USA 60481
Date: Sunday June 30, 2002
Comments: hi
Name: Frankie A JonesEmail: FrankieLocation: Vandalia IL USA 62471Date: Saturday May 11, 2002 13:42:51 GMTComments: I served in the 97th from 1961 to 1963. I never served with a better bunch of boys, than I did in the 97th. These pictures bring back alot of memories. Thanks, to everyone who has sent me pictures of the men of the 97th. Thanks Donald for the memories.
Name: Harry Puncec
Email: Harry
Location: Lakewood CO U.S.A. 80227
Date: Thursday May 09, 2002
Comments: It's great to hear from another vet from the black & white photo days in the 'beloved' 97th. While I arrived and left before you I know we shared many of the experiences unique to the Army, the engineers, and France. Best of luck and keep up the excellent work on the Web site.
Name: Brien Carrigan
Email:Brien
Location: Burlington, NC
Date: Friday, May 03, 2002
Comments: It's been a long time. Glad to see some of the guys. Remember a few. I was there from Oct.60-Oct.62. I'll try to send some photos when my computer is operational again. Hope we can locate more guys from the 97th. Thank's Don. I'll be in touch.
Name: Donald M. Ricks
Email: donrix@peoplepc.com
Location: Decatur, AL USA 35603
Date: October 27, 2007
Comments: I was a member of Co. D, 97th Engr Bn (Const) from March 1961-September 1963, and I served in Headquarters Platoon as a mechanic, tool room keeper, and equipment operator. It was a fast three years! I retired from the army after 23 years and enjoyed all those years.
Name: John H. Montgomery Jr. (USMC/U.S. Army
E-mail: John
I have been going down memory lane. I just realize T.F.A.D. and Vissincourt had a website. My father was stationed at both TFAD and Vassincourt. He ran the Dispensary. Ist. Sgt. Jefferson. My father was SFC John H. Montgomery. This was from 1957-1962. If you lived in Quarters or on base, I was the paperboy for the Stars and Stripes.
I went to school on post then we later went to Vassincourt.. The school was rather new when I left. Was that turned over to French? Yor pictures brought back a lot of memories. We went to the theater at Vassincourt. My chilhood was great there.
I'll be adding tidbits of my and picture as I come across things from a dependants point of view. I would that more dependants get involved.. This has been a joy to me. I wish I had found this before my, dad passed away. The military was the only thing that life couldn't take from him. His picture is the web site with his red MG. You may have known him. He ran the dispensary. SFC John H. Montgomery.
I just knew TFAD would go away, I just started throwing e-mail combinations and there it was. I have written a lot . Some people I feel that I have known for a long time.
John, October 16, 2007
Name: John Todd
E-mail: JohnDTodd@gmail.com
Date: 14 Feb 2008
Hi Don,
You don't know me but I was stationed at Vassincourt about the same time
that you were there. Our entire MP company was then moved to TFAD in
approximately June or July of 1961. I rotated back to the states in
December of 1962 and was honorably discharged that month at Ft.
Hamilton, NY. I spent 23 months over there to include 3 months of TDY
in Turkey at the Incirlik Air Force base.
A couple of nights ago, out of the blue, I decided to google
"Vassincourt, France". Your website for the 97th Engineers popped up
as the 2nd listing. Wow, what a treasure trove find for me! I spent
over 2 hours just going from picture to picture and page to page.
Please know that your work of putting that website up and maintaining it
is certainly greatly appreciated by me -- and I'm sure by many others
who served at Vassincourt AND TFAD. I've already called and sent the
links to one of my closet buddies from those days. He's already
emailed me that he also spent hours strolling down that military memory
lane! There are a few others that were there with me that I intend on
contacting to advise them of my discovery of your wonderful website.
I've got to cut this short at this time. I'm semi-retired and do
occasional computer consulting. I have a job at 1 PM. Also, just
FYI, I live in Deerfield, IL which is about 25 miles north of Chicago.
Another FYI, one of my friends from Vassincourt days and the next 40
years was Harold Eickmeier who was in your company. I also knew Achen
but not closely.
Again, I thank you so much for your "labor of love" website. I so
appreciate being able to look at so many pictures from those days. They
prompt a person to re-live similar experiences that they knew. It's
just a wonderful website -- "I'll be back"!
Best regards,
John Todd
Date: 1/3/2008
Jim Willis' 69th Signal Web site
"This is my first attempt at making a web page. It took me awhile to do it and to my surprise, it works. It isn't as cool as Don Ricks', but I did use two of his photos. They are the ones of how the place looks today.
Hang in there,
Jim Willis "
Hello...I served in France from 1953-1957, at Maginot Caserne. I was a Personnel Clerk. I am 76 years of age, retired from being a Mortician. I'm an elected official at Union Tpwnship. a Trustee in White County Indiana. My e-mail is county 91@yahoo.com
Mr. Cook
Name: Lawrence Ervin
E-mail: lervin@verizon.net
Date: 12/18/2008
Mr. Ricks; thank you for the fine job you've done putting these
pages together. While never in the 97th, I was certainly of it: I was
with the 510th Eng. Co. (Heavy Equipment) based in Toul, and worked
with every one of the 97th's companies during my three years in France.
My Vassincourt time was March through December, 1956: I operated a
road grader when we were building the TFAD road system. In October -
November, 1956 everyone went to work, equipment operators included, on
tearing down our old wood-framed canvas and tar paper tents and
building the Quanset huts that appear in your pictures. Quite an
improvement in billeting, but didn't answer the general mud problem.
I returned to Vassincourt in Fall 1957 as a crane operator and loaded
dump trucks with gravel for A Co. road crews, and later ran a 2 cubic
yard drag line at TFAD, building a rail head.
Our local attraction/distraction was the "hole in the wall" and trips
to Bar le Duc.
Thanks again for letting me see your pictures and reading about you
and your friends.
Lawrence Ervin
Name: M. R. Carmichael, Jr
E-mail: patc87@juno.com
Date: 12/19/2008
Don: The tar paper tents the guy mentioned, I
will never forget them. They had little round heaters like we had in
Korea that burned diesel fuel. In the 97th when I was there they burned
coal. There was a ladder up the side because we had to go up and drop a
lump of coal about every hour or the chimneys would plug up. That made a
real mess. Each "tent" had two heaters. The mud was very bad, like the
guy mentioned. I extended a year to go to Europe and ended up in
Vassincourt. I got to the 97th in January 1955, my ETS was late July
1956. I would probably have been there when the tents came down if I
hadn't I been put in the hospital in Verdun and transferred to the 2nd
General Hospital in Germany. I was sent to Brooke Army Hospital in San
Antonio in May, went back to duty in October 1955. Cold injury from
Korea. I was in the Army from July 1952 to July 1956. Thank you so much
for sending me the message, it really reminds me of my time in the 97th.
May all of the members of the 97th have a very Merry Christmas and a
Happy New Year.
M. R. Carmichael, Jr.
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