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THL · 04-23-2006, 20:45 PM

Lunatock
This may be a stupid Q, but did you go to the records dept? They were able to put together most of my grandfathers records (that were not destroyed in the fire they had) for me. They are also sending me copies of all his medals. His records are awesome. Maybe when I get back home I will scan a few and post them. There are accounts that he had written when he got back about when they were captured and how they were treated as POWs. It really is the coolest.

The best part? Get this...this is awesome!! He was in the 44th Infantry Division so I was online searching for everything and anything I could about this and found some websites. I started sending emails and letters like a mad man. I have so far talked to 3 people from his division on the phone. One was with him @ Stalag IVb. I did not know this the first time I talked to him. See since my grandfather had no SSN, it is not listed on anything, but he had a Army serial #. This Army # is listed next to someone with my grandfathers last name but the name of Julian S. (my grandfathers name was Jesus S.) on one of the rosters that were sent to me from one of these men I have talked to. I dont know if they wrote it wrong intentionally or not. Maybe the Germans had a thing against the name Jesus or something

. Anyway, after I got this roster, I called the guy from Stalag IVb back and asked him about a Julian and he said he did know this guy with my grandfathers last name (Since I have the same last name, I am intentionally leaving it out - too many weirdos showing up here). This guy then sent me pictures of the guys that he was housed with at Stalag IVb and my grandfather is this "Julian"!!!!

When my grandfather enlisted, his middle name was Cervantes, but they spelled it wrong (Servantes) and so it is listed this way on all his papers. You know until the day he died he left it as Servantes. Even after he got out he did not change it back to a "C". Strange. But cool too.

I tell you, this is almost addictive, It is like I cannot get enough information from people about it. My aunt and I are even thinking about going to the reunion they are going to have this fall for his Div. My grandfather died very young...when he was 60, so I think it is just cool as can be that I can actually talk to people who know first hand what went on in bit€he, France
(darn profanity checker!) that day that they were captured.

04-23-2006, 20:45 PM	#4 (permalink)
THL *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 06-23-05 Location: 35 minutes outside Chicago (please don't refer to it as "Chi-Town"...that's annoying) Posts: 5,713 Country:	Lunatock This may be a stupid Q, but did you go to the records dept? They were able to put together most of my grandfathers records (that were not destroyed in the fire they had) for me. They are also sending me copies of all his medals. His records are awesome. Maybe when I get back home I will scan a few and post them. There are accounts that he had written when he got back about when they were captured and how they were treated as POWs. It really is the coolest. The best part? Get this...this is awesome!! He was in the 44th Infantry Division so I was online searching for everything and anything I could about this and found some websites. I started sending emails and letters like a mad man. I have so far talked to 3 people from his division on the phone. One was with him @ Stalag IVb. I did not know this the first time I talked to him. See since my grandfather had no SSN, it is not listed on anything, but he had a Army serial #. This Army # is listed next to someone with my grandfathers last name but the name of Julian S. (my grandfathers name was Jesus S.) on one of the rosters that were sent to me from one of these men I have talked to. I dont know if they wrote it wrong intentionally or not. Maybe the Germans had a thing against the name Jesus or something . Anyway, after I got this roster, I called the guy from Stalag IVb back and asked him about a Julian and he said he did know this guy with my grandfathers last name (Since I have the same last name, I am intentionally leaving it out - too many weirdos showing up here). This guy then sent me pictures of the guys that he was housed with at Stalag IVb and my grandfather is this "Julian"!!!! When my grandfather enlisted, his middle name was Cervantes, but they spelled it wrong (Servantes) and so it is listed this way on all his papers. You know until the day he died he left it as Servantes. Even after he got out he did not change it back to a "C". Strange. But cool too. I tell you, this is almost addictive, It is like I cannot get enough information from people about it. My aunt and I are even thinking about going to the reunion they are going to have this fall for his Div. My grandfather died very young...when he was 60, so I think it is just cool as can be that I can actually talk to people who know first hand what went on in bit€he, France (darn profanity checker!) that day that they were captured. __________________ "To dream of the person you would like to be is to waste the person you are."-Sholem Asch "I always turn to the sports page first, which records people's accomplishments. The front page has nothing but man's failures."-Earl Warren "I didn't intend for this to take on a political tone. I'm just here for the drugs."-Nancy Reagan, when asked a political question at a "Just Say No" rally "He no play-a da game, he no make-a da rules."-Earl Butz, on the Pope's attitude toward birth control Last edited by THL : 04-23-2006 at 20:48 PM.