Hello from a new member. I am the son of a WW2 and Korea vet CSM Harold L. Gaskins who passed away in 2009. My Dad was a South Carolina boy who grew up in poverty and joined the army in 1939. He saw action in Europe in the 84th Infantry Division in the 325th Field Artillery Battalion. His first real action was in the Battle of the Bulge. In Korea he was with the 424th FAB and saw action in the Iron Triangle. He was and is my Hero. Because of him, I have a great interest in WW2 history, which is why I have joined this forum - to learn and share information and stories. Oh yes, my chosen tag for this forum "Hooch" was his nickname during those days. Anyway, I look forward to interesting things! Thanks for having me.
I think that might have been my nickname (possibly for a different reason though : ) Welcome aboard Hooch, your Dad sounds like quite a bloke.
And Greetings to y'all also! I like the looks of that Hooch lime brew. Never saw it before. I suspect I'll do a lot of lurking about initially just to get a feel for how this place works and to read some existing posts. And ACE: Yeah, my Dad was indeed quite a bloke! He got that nickname for the fact that he loved his whiskey. More stories on that later, I think
The 84th Infantry Division, The Railsplitters. They were to the right of the 30th ID on the north shoulder of the bulge. There is a great book about the 84th ID, one of my favorites, titled The Men of Company K. It concerns infantry, but is a informative book to read. I have another good book by an artilleryman (not the 84th ID), but I can't remember the name at present. Welcome, by the way.
Didnt twig the Railsplitters reference until Jeff mentioned it. Good book by Ken Ford about joint 43 Wessex Div & 84th Railsplitters battle , Assault on Germany: The Battle for Geilenkirchen http://www.amazon.co.uk/Assault-Germany-Geilenkirchen-Ken-Ford/dp/1848840985
Hi Hooch. Glad you found us. There's plenty to read, but feel free to chime in anytime. I'm guessing that you know a great deal about the 325th, but for those that don't, here is a brief history. http://www.military.com/HomePage/UnitPageFullText/1,13476,714346,00.html
