Re: The Little Brown Book (Ramirez/WWII/Philippines)

Carolyn, wow two years later and I remembered to check the forum and found your reply from 2002. Hope you still check the boards. Thank you for your reply. My father, Efrain Ramirez (one of the names you found in your dad's little brown book) is now 85 years old and suffering from Parkinsons. But, he gave me more information of his time in the service during WWII. He said he was in the 64th Regiment/ Coast Artillery/Radar (i initially thought he'd been part of the 94th Coast Artillery (antiaircraft), but my dad says no). He enlisted in Nov. 12, 1941 in New York as a private. I found his army serial number (which he still remembers!!). He was in boot camp at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Then he was deployed on the Queen Mary. I found the Queen Mary's voyage information and the only one that correlates with what he told me was a voyage on Feb. 16, 1942 (which sounds about right, would have been after boot camp ended). The voyage went from Boston via Key West/Rio (Brazil)/Cape Town/Freemantle and finally to Sydney (March 28, 1942). All American troops were under the command of Brig Gen. Robert H. Van Volkenburgh. My dad was also on the Antoine Saugrain when it was sunk by an aerial torpedo in 1944 in the Leyte Gulf near the Surigas Strait. My father was also an Army sergeant and I know he played poker alot (wonder if he is the "Ramirez" in your dad's book). If your father also served in the Pacific, in Luzon, Hollandia, New Guinea and also participated in the Liberation of the Philippines, or in the battle of Leyte Gulf then I believe he is eligible for the Philippine Liberation Ribbon.

My dad also remembers some names of the men with him on the ships, I'll find out where I wrote those down and post them.

Wouldn't it be amazing if they knew each other?