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Talk about a "blast from the past," your letter about ASTP preceded by my wife's presentation to me,
a few days earlier, of an old file folder of all the letters I'd written to my folks in '43,'44 and 145. Heavy-duty
nostalgia I can tell you!
And what a great web site! I really enjoyed sharing it with Connie. Sorry to report that I do not recall a single
name so far though I do recall the 4th of July '43 parade quite vividly. I also have fond memories of Iowa City,
Cedar Rapids and the inter-urban trolley. As a kid from Brooklyn, New York - barely 19 years old - who had never
been more than a couple of hundred miles away from home, that beautiful Iowa farm country and the friendly people
made a big impression on me.
There's no question that ASTP was the high point of my military tour but I but I did have some interesting assignments
including a stint at army administration school at Sam Houston State Teachers college in Huntsville Texas. Then
on to the middle east - two years in Iran with the Persian Gulf Command.
After the war I resumed my education under the GI bill at New York U. but with a change in my major field from
engineering to marketing & economics. I have a BS degree in that field. After college I joined a major New
York City advertising agency. I was in the advertising business as a senior account manager with a number of ad
agencies and corporations until my retirement in 1988. It was a great business to be in.
Next year (2001) Connie and I will have been married for 50 years (Wow time sure does fly by doesn't it!). Connie
is an artist, a graduate of Parsons School of Design in NYC, who has her own greeting card business. Her water
color paintings are on exhibit at various art galleries in our area.
We have two great children, Barbara and Rob. Rob is married to Allison Gray and we have a 16 month old grandson,
Ian Wyatt. Rob is a Cornell grad - an architect with his own practice and business in Wilton, CT Barbara is a graduate
of Rhode Island School of Design and the Tische School of Business(NYU) who is a graphic arts designer In NYC.
And that's a brief rundown on the Sanders family. Connie and I love it here in Kent - a small, semi-rural town
of about 3,000 in the hills of northwest CT (Litchfield county). We are both active members of the Kent Library
board ... the Kent Congregational church where we've both served as deacons. I've also served on the Kent school
board and as Treasurer of the Kent library.
Per your request I've enclosed some recent photos of Connie and I along with a not so recent photo of me taken
in Iowa City in May of 1943.
And we want to extend a special "thank you" to both you and Steve Wright for taking on this demanding,
time-consuming assignment. Our children and grand children should know about this special moment in our life and
times.
PS1 My address in Iowa City was: ASTP Company B 729 No. Dubuque St. Bldg #7 this was the old Sigma Nu frat house
... and I remember well how we sang as we marched off to breakfast and classes.
PS2 Have you read "Citizen Soldiers" by Stephen Ambrose? He's a fine writer and his section here on ASTP
is first rate. (Starts on page 273.)
PS3 If you have a list of Co. B ASTP-ers names I'd appreciate a copy.
PS4 I forgot to mention that I'm also a Korean war vet - and it was all my fault! I was an inactive reservist ...
I never attended a meeting or drew a days pay. But they sure got interested in me after June of 1950. I did a year
and as I recall it was an exceedingly bad career move.
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