836th Engineering Aviation Battalion

Here are a few awards

Good Conduct Medal


Meritorious Unit Award






Asian-Pacific Award (should have 3 campaign stars)



Phillipine Liberation Award (should have 1 campaign star)

There are more items, but this is all I have time for.

 

Seth, your grandfather built many of the air fields my uncle used. Your Grandfather lead the way for the air groups !
(Welcome by the way) I pulled out one of the books I had recently purchased by William Wolf - 'The Fifth Fighter Command in World War II". In volume two he covers the campaign from New Guinea to the Philippines with some excellent descriptions of the Engineer Aviation Battalions.


Amazing stories; such as on page 595 of vol2 :

The 163rd RCT captured Wakde Island May 17, 1944 and the 836th EAB landed the same day and began bulldozing the aftermath of the pre-invasion bombing to clear their way to the existing airstrip. By the next day and under Japanese sniper fire they had begun work on repairing the airstrip and expanding it for the arrival of a fighter group.

 

Always willing to help when I can. Here are a couple of links that you might find interesting.

https://media.defense.gov/2015/Apr/02/2001329844/-1/-1/0/AFD-150402-022.pdf

It is a pdf from government sources detailing the working of the Engineering Battalions in the SWPA. The following paragraph starts on page 68.

The landing on Luzon began on January 9 at Lingayen Gulf. The 836th and 1879th Engineer Aviation Battalions had seven days to build a 5,000-foot steel mat runway before Navy aircraft carrier support was withdrawn. With the help of 400 Filipino civilians, they met the goal and began work on a second runway two miles south near the town of Dagupan. They were assisted by the 828th and 864th Engineer Aviation Battalions. The 1876th Engineer Aviation Battalion built another strip near the town of Mangaldan.

This one is more specific to the EAB's and would give you a very good idea of the conditions they endured.

https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a439239.pdf

Engineer work at Lae and Finschhafen continued under USASOS. The scope of work at Lae increased significantly with the major effort turning to a road to Nadzab,especially when the heavy rains made the road unserviceable. The 836th and 857th EABs did most of the road improvements, completing the road by mid-December. Additionally,these engineers completed a steel mat runway and provided semi-permanent housing for 900 soldiers.

 

Came across this image of his sailing

 

His draft card

 

I'm glad you found it useful. I enjoy doing this kind of research and to know you appreciate it makes it doubly enjoyable.