The History of the 351 Engineer General Service Regiment (August 20
1942 to April 20 1945)
Doug Palumbo - November 2007
Doug Palumbo's Tribute To His Father-In-Law, Ray McCarthy.
The following is an excerpt from the full article. It is not yet complete
but I wanted to post something to go along with the pictures (of Ray and
his time in and around Paris) and the History of the 351st document. Please
stay tuned to this page for more on the great man that is my father-in-law.
Some time during the early summer months of 1991, I met Ray McCarthy.
Ray had just turned 70 and looked much like you would expect from a respectable
man of his age and western upbringing; slacks, shined cowboy boots, long-sleeved
snap down shirt, western style belt and buckle, and a bolo tie. His hair
was white, albeit sparse on top with just a little more on the sides and
back. He regularly wore a stiff straw rancher-style cowboy hat that finished
off the content, retired look quite nicely. Me, well that’s a different
story altogether.
I had long hair (down to my shoulders) that curled up a bit on the ends.
Alright, it was a mullet! (It wasn’t my fault…that was the style in the
early 90’s) I usually wore jeans and a tucked in t-shirt (regular white
undershirt). I had no use for a belt and typically wore construction style
boots with the thick lugged soles. Both my ears were pierced…twice. I had
gold hoops on the bottom and diamond studs on top. I looked like a cross
between an out of work gay pirate and MacGyver.
For some reason that is still unknown, Ray seemed to like me and never
gave me any guff about my appearance. Even if he thought I was a weirdo,
he always treated me well and we got along great (and still do!)
Perhaps he sees something in me I don’t fully see in myself. I would
like to think that maybe I remind him of an old buddy from back in his Army
days or maybe he sees a quality in me that harkens back to a time when men
took care of the business at hand yet were respectful and courteous; a quality
from his generation that is sorely lacking in today’s world. That’s how
I try to live my life and maybe he sees the effort and care I put into myself
and my family.
Childhood -
General France Pics 1 -
Pics 2 -
Ray in Paris -
Ray and his brother Laurence in Uniform -
351St -
Friends Serving In Europe