October 8, 1945

Left Hockenheim for Bad Orb to join 2nd Armored Division. About 50 of our boys came here.

xxxxx

Thomas Caferneo (aka Tommy Tate)

209^th Signal Pigeon - European-African-Middle Eastern

In December 2018, Anne Steiner, wife of NHRA drag racer Ron Steiner, contacted me to relate that she found her father’s Army discharge papers and other documents which detailed her father’s involvement with the 209^th Signal Pigeon Company. Her dad, Thomas Caferneo (aka Tommy Tate) was born in Brooklyn, NY and lived at 197 Roebling Street, Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY. As a little girl she would accompany him to the Pigeon store to buy feed and birds and would visit his friends’ coops in Brooklyn. As she noted, “In the 1950's you saw many coops on the roofs of Brooklyn buildings. Today you will see a few. My two cousins still have their own pigeon coops in Queens - Maspeth, NY. Following in their dad and Uncle Tom's footsteps for the love of their birds”. 

Tommy was part of the 209th Signal Pigeon Company, serving from January 22, 1942 to his honorable discharge on September 15, 1945. His tour of duty took him to Naples-Foggio, North Apennines, Po Valley, Rome-Arno and Tunisia, He received a European-African-Middle Eastern Service Medal.

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“I am so happy I found these documents,” Anne wrote. “He passed away in 1991 and had his pigeons for many years. After he died his best friend took care of his pigeons. He was a true pigeon mumbler (lover).” 

                                                          xxxx

                                                         xxxx

40th Anniversary of the Victory in Europe

Frank Hauck passed away before the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II in 1985. One the seven soldiers who shared a room with Frank in a house in Rimburg in the winter of 1944-45 wrote his daughter, Roseanne, to extend his condolences and provide details of his recent visit to Rimburg. The signature and outer envelope are missing, but I believe this card was sent by Graham Naylor.