John Schaffner 589/592

[connie]

Schaffner, John Robert 589/ A, B, A; 592
This thread was established in 2014
Today (in April 2020) I add a sad note:

John passed away on March 3, 2020 at the age of 95 www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/timonium-md/john-schaffner-9072808


In his YouTube interview John mentions that he started in 589 A, was briefly in B, and back to A again.
I believe those switches were stateside & that by the time he headed to the ETO he was in 589/A.
The unit was severely depleted during the early days of the Bulge and on January 1, the men remaining from the 589th and the Service Battery of the 590th were all sent to replenish the 2 other field artillery units.
John was sent to the 592nd. Both the 590th and the 589th ceased to exist until they were reconstituted in April of 1945.

John served for many years as the Historian for the 106th Infantry Division.


ELSEWHERE ON THE WEB

Veterans History Project: 66-minute video interview: memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.92048/

YouTube Interview at 2004 reunion: www.youtube.com/watch?v=77AZNYUNFCw
There's a lot of crowd noise in the background, but John's 25-minute interview has a lot of substance. His history covers the history of the division from its inception at Fort Jackson in South Carolina

Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge Site: battleofthebulge.org/2012/03/12/john-r-schaffner-106th-infantry-division/

Thumbnail sketch of military history (confirming that the B Battery assignment was stateside) www.normandytothebulge.be/JohnSchaffner.html


Schaffner's history of 589/ A in the Bulge: www.battleofthebulgememories.be/en/stories/us-army/93-589th-field-artillery-battalion-battery-qaq.html

Voices of the Battle of the Bulge- Schaffner quote in this book: books.google.com/books?id=HbAcABMAxK4C&pg=PA171&lpg=PA171&dq=John+Schaffner+106th+Infantry+Division&source=bl&ots=FvSZR7azuS&sig=0qFtRdfwV-8-TH_pAL-K2kSsWUY&hl=en&sa=X&ei=yqteVMeMFM6wyASj6YCgDQ&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=John%20Schaffner%20106th%20Infantry%20Division&f=false

Battle of the Bulge Memories Site: www.battleofthebulgememories.be/fr/stories/us-army/93-589th-field-artillery-battalion-battery-qaq.html

WWII Veterans Memories facebook post: www.facebook.com/1378613069065523/posts/on-march-7-1943-john-schaffner-was-18-years-old-when-he-was-called-to-serve-his-/1752785971648229/

Local DVM Veterans Voices posted Nov. 12, 2019 www.localdvm.com/news/veterans-voices/battle-of-the-bulge/


Four Veterans Perspectives On the Battle of the Bulge 34-minute video interview with four veterans including Schaffner: www.blogs.va.gov/VAntage/24675/four_perspectives_of_the_battle_of_the_bulge/

Veterans of the Battle of the Bulge Site- posting of John's history: www.veteransofthebattleofthebulge.org/vbob/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/schaffner-john.pdf



POSTS ON THIS BOARD by John

about the "Great Escape" Tunnels: 106thdivision.proboards.com/user/120/recent

Unit Specific Discussions include link to Schaffner quotes on 7th Armored Division Site & mention as contributing to On The Job Training (written on Parker's Crossroad action): 106thdivision.proboards.com/post/2517/thread


Historian's Message (from John Schaffner) in the Cub April 2012, page 8: www.106thinfdivassn.org/index/html/v68n2.htm

John was informed when this thread was first posted. It has since been refreshed and links updated.

[connie]

John Schaffner WWII

Today, in the midst of the Corona Virus pandemic, I am feeling a personal sense of loss that has nothing to do with the pandemic.

I know that time is passing. Our time with any from the generation who fought WWII is limited and to be treasured.

But in March we lost another person who mattered. John Schaffner mattered to many people. Maybe that's due a great deal to the fact that other people mattered to him.

When I first became interested in my own father's story, John was there to help and to encourage me, as he was for so many others. If I had a question he always replied quickly and with deep interest. Recently I wrote again, and when there was no response within a day, I knew... I hit the web and confirmed that he was no longer with us.

I will miss his informed and understanding presence as well as his smile and quick wit. No, I had not spent a great deal of time with him in person. After getting acquainted long distance, I did meet him at the one Division Reunion that I was able to attend. But that warm smile was hard to forget. I also noted that family came with him to the reunion. It was obvious that the ties to his family went deep.

I hope they are throwing one heck of a 106th Infantry Division Reunion for him up above.

John cared. He mattered. And he will be missed. That is, in my opinion, the best tribute that any of us can aspire to.