n the second of March 1943, a cadre, consisting of one officer and ten enlisted men arrived at camp Shelby, Mississippi to prepare an area on which a new Engineer Maintenance company would be activated and trained. This unit was to be designed as the 965th engineer maintenance company and was officially activated, the third of March nineteen forty three. The cadre, drawn from the 473rd engineer maintenance company, consisted of. 2nd Lt. Andrew Lundberg, 1st Sgt John Sheridan, Tec Sergeant Galden Dearoff, Tec Sergeant William fredenburg, Tec Sergeant William Moran, Tec Sergeant Joseph Remano, Staff Sergeant Casper Jasmin, Staff Sergeant Joseph Petranich, Corporal August Alberti, Private Oza Carroll, Private Abe Kornhaber. On the 15th of march 1943, a group of two hundred raw recruits, fresh from the reception area at fort Devans, Mass., arrived at the 965th engineers area and here at last was the back bone of the unit