An AAA-Gunning 778th AW Bn T/5 Identified Uniform!

The 778th AAA Auto Wpns Bn (SP) came into being on the 10th of March 1943. The unit sailed ahead of the 76th leaving for the ETO in October of 44. They saw action in the Ardennes Offensive in December and were then attached to the 76th Division for the entirety of the rest of the war beginning in January of '45. Each of the 3 Batteries were attached to a different Infantry Regiment, A Btry going to the 304th Inf Regt, B Btry going to the 385th, and C Btry going to the 417th.

T/5 S-T-R-U-B-E-L was born in Pennsylvania in 1924 and enlisted in March of 1943. He attended basic training and was then sent to Camp Haan for training with the 778th, finally ending up in A-Btry. He served his entire time in combat with this unit. He had a knack for being able to tell what type of aircraft was approaching earlier than any other member of his Btry which led to several victories resulting in the downing of a German A/C. He was discharged in 1946.

He was formerly employed at Armstrong World Industries, retiring after 44 years. In his post-retirement, he was a volunteer at Moravian Manor Nursing Home for 17 years

He was very proud of his military service, and regularly attended the reunion of  the 778th, His hobbies included WWII history and doing family tree research with his son. He also enjoyed playing cards on Saturday nights with his son and daughter-in-law.

He passed away on April 30, 2006, at the Lancaster General Hospital, after a brief illness.