77th Comrade Locator
Many families of former 77th soldiers are looking for information and contacts. We will publish their requests and would greatly appreciate if you can directly contact them if you can help them with any news or information.
► If anyone can provide any information, we would appreciate it if you can email it to Mr. Ruckdaschel. My dad was in the 77th Infantry Division, 305th Infantry Regiment, Company B during WWII. My wife and I are planning a trip to The Philippines next year, and her home town is Cebu City. I would like to retrace some of his footsteps during the time he was there. Are there any markers, plaques, monuments etc. on Cebu or Letye to show where they were camped or did battle? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Guy Ruckdaschel. gbird02@sprynet.com
► My Grandfather was Luther F. Holmes S/SGT G Co. 306th Infantry,
77th Division serving 21 months in the Asiatic Pacific Theater. He
served in the Army from Nov. 1942 to Dec. 1945. My Grandfather
brought back these two photos from WWII and I wanted to share them
with your community. He is in the photo showing the Japanese flag
and what’s really interesting is he’s holding a Japanese pistol
smiling on the front row, second from the right. We still have this
Japanese pistol today in perfect firing condition. He only let my
cousin and I shoot it one time because the bullet casings had to be
gathered up so he could have them reloaded. The ammunition must have
been some weird caliper that he couldn’t easily buy from the local
gun shop. I also have a Japanese flag he brought back with the names
of all the locations they were at including (Guam, Leyte, IE Shima,
Kerama Retto, and Okinawa). If anyone recognizes a loved one in
these pictures I would love to hear from you. My email address is
toolnbama@charter.net.
May God bless these heroes, their families, their sacrifice, and our
blessed United States of America. (Click on
images below to view it in a larger format)
► I am looking for information about my grandfather, PFC Gerhard F. Eggert (posthumously promoted to Staff Sergeant). He served in the 77th Infantry, 306 Infantry Regiment and was KIA on May 7, 1945 in Okinawa. He received a Silver Star for his actions in the battle in which he was killed. I am looking for other soldiers from his unit or more information about the battle. I can be reached at fcawley@whitehurstlaw.com, Frank G. Cawley.
► My Father T-5 Harold A. Martin from Milwaukee WI. Like some
veterans he didn’t speak much about the war, but since his passing I
am trying to “put the pieces” together about his life. Here is what
I know: He was a medic. He was discharged from or assigned to
“Baker” company during the Occupation of Japan. He was the 77th Div.
Golden Gloves Champion (boxing) in ’42 or ‘43.
Occasionally mentioned Hokido and duty aboard ships returning Korean
slave labor back to Korea from Japan. Any help of information is
greatly appreciated! I can be contacted at
vhfan5150@yahoo.com
or Mike Martin, 218 E. Hoover Ave, Appleton, WI 54915.
► Major Henry Clay Graves served in the 777th Ordnance Co and was
CO until he was promoted to major. The photos were shot during the
occupation on Hokkaido in 1945. Maj Graves was a native of
Demopolis, Ala and joined the National Guard around 1939 or 40. He
attended OCS at Camp Pickett, VA and joined the 77th in '42 as one
of the first lieutenants assigned to the reactivated division.
After the war, he returned home and worked for the next 40+ years as
a wholesale grocer, retiring in 1988 and attending quite a few
reunions of the 777th Ordnance Co. He died in August of 2006.
Feel free to contact me if you need any more info. Sam Graves, 2312
W. Jackson, Broken Arrow, OK 74012;
sgravesok@windstream.net
► PFC Joe G. Casillas, who served in Company E, 307th Infantry Regiment during the Okinawa campaign in WWII (April - June 1945), and his family are requesting to hear from any veterans of that unit (or any other unit) who knew him at that time. Mr. Casillas is particularly interested in hearing from any other survivors of the three nights at Ishimmi ridge. He can be reached at 820 Barbara Way, Woodland, CA 95776, Tel. No. 661-310-6643. Alternatively, his stepson, Mr. Agustin Valdovinos, can be reached at 951-375-0458, or amvaldovinos@yahoo.com.
► While going through some of my father's things, I found a
Purple Heart in the presentation case. On the back of the medal is
the name, "Adam E. Rogers." Also in the case, was a Honorable
Discharge Emblem (Army) and an enlisted man's Air Corps badge. My
father was a previous commander of the local VFW. That is how he
probably came to own the medal. According to the WWII Memorial site
and a newspaper article, PFC Rogers was out of Kings County, NY, but
his next of kin was listed as Mrs. Sophia Litvin of Bakerton, PA.
PFC Rogers and Mrs Litvin are both buried in Sacred Heart Cemetery,
in Bakerton, PA. On PFC Roger's grave is listed that he served in
the 77th Division. He also died in 1945 probably on Okinawa.
I've tried The Military Order of the Purple Heart with no luck. I'd
like to return the medal to its rightful owner (the family) or to
friends of PFC Rogers if they are still alive.
Can you help me with this project?
MICHAEL.DILLINGHAM@us.army.mil
(Click on images to enlarge)
► My father, James A. Goutierez of New Orleans, served
in Company C of the 306th and participated in all of the 77th's
campaigns. He died in 1991, telling me shorly before his death how
grateful he was to God for having had the gift of many years that
most of his buddies never had. I would be very grateful to any of
the brave men he served with who might remember him and who would be
kind enough to share their recollections. I can be reached at
rgoutierez@gmail.com.
Thank you for your service.
Russell Goutierez
► My grandfather is Sgt. Theodore R. Branson. He was
in Fox company 306th INF. He was in all the 77th's Campaigns, with
the exception of Leyte since he was wounded shortly before that. I'd
like to hear from any and all 306th Vets from WWII. Lastly I'd like
my home phone #included on the locator it's 215-295-5616 or email me
at
Branson_Benjamin@yahoo.com. Thanks for
getting back to me. Hope the info is enough.
Benjamin Branson
To view historical videos, including originals shot by Army combat photographers go to: http://www.criticalpast.com. The Website contains many clips of the 77th Infantry Division, and may be useful in tracing family members