THE 97TH ENGINEERS MOVED TO GERMANY
(photos from Pirmasens Germany)
During 1967—69, under command of and from the estate files of
Colonel Albert A. Dupont, deceased July 18, 2009:
Photos submitted by Stephen Dupont, son of Colonel Albert Dupont:
"The pictures I have are only for the time he was the commander, 1968 in Pirmasens Germany to 1969, when he brought the battalion back to Ft. Riley Kansas. They are mostly the battalion newspaper, a scrapbook of battalion functions, and just odd and ends of things he collected. I don't think there is any historic stuff but I was never in the Army. I served for 22 years.
Stephen Dupont"
THE NEW 97TH ENGINEER BATTALION (CONSTRUCTION) COMMANDER,
LTC ALBERT A. DUPONT
On 23 August 1967, LTC Albert A Dupont assumed command of the 97th Engineer Battalion Construction from LTC Harold L Myron who is assigned to the US Army Engineer Command, Europe, in Frankfurt, Germany. A formal change of command ceremony took place. LTC Dupont was born on 5 October 1926 at Providence, Rhode Island. He has a BS Degree in Civil Engineering from Rhode Island State College and a MS Degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from New York University. As a civilian, Lieutenant Colonel Dupont worked as Assistant Superintendent of HP Cummings Construction Company, Ware, Mass. LTC Dupont is married and has three children, a daughter and two sons.
LTC Dupont served as an Enlisted Man for a short period in 1945.
On 12 June 1950, LTC Dupont received a reserve commission in The Corps of Engineers in the US Army from ROTC. On 1 January 1951, he came on active duty as a platoon commander of Hq Company, 412th Engineer Battalion (Construction) at Camp Carson. The Commander received his RA Commission on 3 February 1956.
LTC Dupont’s foreign service includes Japan, Korea, the Azores and USAREUR ECOM. The medals he has received are the Victory Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, General Staff Identification and the National Defense Service Medal with first Oakleaf Cluster. Lieutenant Colonel’s campaigns include Korean Summer and Fall of 1952 and the Third Korean Winter.
LTC Dupont’s assignments include the 412th Engineer Battalion FECOM, Student Detachment, Fort Belvoir, USA Engineer Division, North Atlantic Corps of Engineers (9802), Corps of Engineers Ballistic Missile Construction Office (2407), Los Angeles, California, Headquarters 1st Corps Group, USARPAC-Korea; Office, of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, (8535), Washington, DC, and his present assignment with the 97th Engineer Battalion (Construction).
SOURCE: The Constructor, Volumn 1, Number 1, November 1967, transcribed by MAJ (Ret.) Larry L. Castleman
Assumption of Command:
CHANGE OF COMMAND PHOTOGRAPHS, 23 AUGUST 1967:
1LT Thomas Brian Heverin’s comments: For these photos from LTC Dupont’s change of command ceremony, the one immediately above shows the commander of troops, who was the battalion XO, MAJ Richard H. Kafonek (deceased 2012), and the staff members from left the right were 1LT Morgan T. Morris, III, S–1; 1LT Thomas W. McCormick, S–3; CPT Jerry N. Cornell, S–2; and 1LT Richard B. Rasinski, S–4. The XO left shortly afterwards or with LTC Myron, and CPT Cornell left shortly after that departure.
The following photograph (note the Engineer Castle on the cake) is courtesy of LTC Dupont's son, Stephen, and it probably represents the assumption of command party for the new 97th Engineer Battalion commander, and the date is on or about the date of the above order. LTC Dupont is cutting the cake, with community leaders and the outgoing commander attending:
Editor’s Note: Colonel Harold L Myron, U. S. Army (Retired) was born on 01/04/1921 and died on 08/21/2000 at the age of 79. Harold Myron is buried in Crest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery, which is located in Atlanta, GA.
In honor of Colonel John C. Mattina, 24th Engineer Group Commander, 1967, in the above photo, here is his obituary, which shows the service record of a great American officer:
Colonel John C. Mattina
Obituary: Nov. 23, 1916—Sept. 7 2011
Col. John C. Mattina, U.S. Army (Retired), 94, passed away peacefully on September 7, 2011. He was born in Buffalo, New York on November 23, 1916. He was a long time resident of Oxnard, California recently moving to Sparks, Nevada to be with his son and daughter–in–law. Col. Mattina graduated from Canisius High School in 1935, attended Canisius College before entering the United States Military Academy–West Point and graduating in 1942. He was commissioned as a 2LT, Engineer, US Army. He was awarded two (2) Silver Stars during WW II while serving in the China–Burma–India theatre of operations 1942–45. Following WWII his assignments took him to the Central Intelligence Agency 1947–48, California Institute of Technology (CalTech) where he earned his master's degree '49, Alaska District Engineers Office, United States Army Command and Staff College '52, District Engineers Office in Washington D.C., The Engineer Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA 1952–55, Office of the Joint Chief of Staff in the Pentagon 1958–61, 8th Army, Korea 1961–62, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, District Engineer – Chicago District 1963–66, Commander, 24th Engineer Group, Germany 1966–67, Deputy Military Construction, Europe 1967–69 and retired in 1969. Following retirement from the US Army he was a Vice President with Conrad Associates, a structural engineering firm in Van Nuys, Ca. and president ’78. He retired in 1986. Surviving family is his son LTC. John C. (Kendall) US Army (Retired), daughter Mary A., grandsons Christopher J. (Brandi) and Patrick T. (Derra) and four great grandchildren Mason, Yrilan, Maxxwell and Isabella. John was preceded in death by his wife of 56 years Nellie E., daughter Ann, father Alfonso, mother Angela G., brothers Vincent (Sally) and Joseph (Sidney) and sister Lillian.
Services will be on September 28, 2011 at 10:00 at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York. The funeral mass will be at the Most Holy Trinity Chapel and burial at the West Point Cemetery.
Source: Published in Reno Gazette-Journal on September 18, 2011
LTC Albert Dupont took care of his officers and men:
NOTE (LOA): 1LT Thomas B Heverin received a Letter of Appreciation from the battalion commander for his outstanding service as S-3 Officer and OIC of the Class 60 Bridge Training, The Constructor, December 1967.
