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Dear Tracy
I was the platoon leader of the 4th
platoon [also called the mortar platoon] when John Leshinski lost his
life in the early morning of February 19, 1945 at Wheeler Point on
Corregidor.
 I joined
"D" Company in August 1945 after serving with E Company
503rd for ten months. I knew him quite well. I hadn't been with the
platoon as long as he, or most of the other men but I did get to know the
people in the platoon. There are three men who were in the platoon and
survived that terrible night and have addresses for:
[1] Joseph Gouvin, 35
Pequot Trail, Pawcatuck, CT 06379 - 1435. The ranking NCO he took over
from Staff Sergeant Robert Wenditz who was killed that night. I was
wounded that night and evacuated so he took over my job as well.
[2]
Nicholas D. Valvannis, 200 Spring St., ENRVA Building 2, Room 357,
Bedford, MA 01730. Nick was badly wounded the same night and is now in a
VA facility.
[3] Cletus A. Wesselman, 14060 Essex Court, Apple Valley MN
55124 [612] XXXX XXXX. his email address': [email protected]. Gus was
wounded that night.
All these people had been in
the platoon for well over a year and knew him much better than I
did. I don't know what documents you have but if you want to apply
for the medals you must send a copy of his discharge with the
request. Are you his closest relative? If you are you can request
the medals be issued you. If you don't have his discharge you must
request it and after you have it then you can request the medals.
All of this takes a long time and you must start as soon as you can.
You are right in saying that the medals and discharge papers should
have been sent to his mother.
The address you should write
to about these matters is National Personnel; Records Center, 9700
Page Avenue, St. Louis MO 63132 -5100. Telephone [314] 538 426 Fax
[314] 538 4175.
I have much much more to say to you and
other things to send to you. I have a picture of J.L. and one of our
platoon taken on the company street when I first got to the company. We
looked very smart, all dressed up in our khakis and polished jump boots
before going on parade to honor some D Company men who had won medals; all
of them had been killed earning them. One man, Sergeant Eubanks would get
the Medal of Honor. It was the first and last 503 parade I would ever be
in. I will get some copies made and get them to you. I want to send you
the company war diary that tells, among other things, the battle we had
the night he died.
I want to send a story of a night I spent at Wheeler
Point fifty years later. I have a roster of the men in D Company who
fought on Corregidor that may be of interest to you. I wish you luck in
your quest. Do not hesitate to ask me about anything you need and I will
do my best to help you. I think often of that night and of the young men
who died there.
ttfn,
John Lindgren
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