Happy New Year and welcome.

Yes, you are on the right course by contacting the Rhode Island VA. Please keep us informed. If you happen to hit a snag, I would advice your next contact to me his local county building.

I will see what I can find out about the unit, though and will post anything here.

All the best.

Ah, looks like we have several entries on this unit:

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=4881

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=7820&hl=2756th#entry36733

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=1292&hl=2756th

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=1113&hl=2756th

https://ww2combatengineers.comengforum/index.php?showtopic=1112&hl=2756th

Hi Marion,

My Mom is going to have to get his records from the VA. They won't release them to me because I am his granddaughter. Tough part is she is in Florida at the moment. So I am hoping to have her give them a call so they can forward the records to her. I have been speaking to a veteran in Georgia that was with the 2756th in Georgia and though he didn't know my Grandpa, he can shed some light on the European front. My Grandfather also received the Good Conduct Medal. Can anyone describe to me how someone would come to earn it? Thank you in advance!!

Sure thing.

Background
The Army Good Conduct Medal (pictured below) was authorized by Executive Order 8809, on June 28, 1941, and is awarded to enlisted members who have honorably completed three continuous years of active military service subsequent to Aug. 26, 1940, and who are recommended by their commanding officers for exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity. Persons awarded this medal must have had character and efficiency ratings of excellent or higher throughout the qualifying period, including time spent in attendance at service schools, and there must have been no convictions by court martial.

Criteria
During wartime, the Army Good Conduct Medal may be awarded on completion of one year of continuous service rather than three. Executive Order 9323, March 31, 1943, lowered this time limit for service during the Second World War, and it was amended by Executive Order 10444 on April 10, 1953, applying the one-year ruling to the Korean Conflict, (1950-1954) and to any future period in which the United States is at war, including the war in Vietnam, (1964-1973).

Medal Description
The medal, designed by Joseph Kiselewski, has on the obverse an eagle with wings displayed and inverted, standing on closed book and a Roman sword. Encircling it is the inscription Efficiency, Honor, Fidelity. The reverse has a five-pointed star, slightly above center, with a scroll beneath for the recipient's name. Above the star are the words For Good and below the scroll the word Conduct. A wreath, formed of a laurel branch on the left and an oak branch on the right, surrounds the whole design.

Ribbon Description
Only one Good Conduct Medal may be awarded to any individual. Additional awards of the medal are indicated by a bar, with loops or knots indicating additional awards. Clasps are in bronze (one to five awards), silver (five to nine awards), and gold for ten or more awards. An individual who is awarded a Good Conduct Medal while serving in another branch of service and is then awarded an Army Good Conduct Medal would wear both medals and ribbon bars.

Authorized Device
Clasp

Thank you!

Some would call it the "didn't get caught" medal.

There's an applicable Bill Mauldin cartoon, but I couldn't find it online.

That's pretty good Capt. O. In my case it helped to have a good 1st Sgt. In my corner after I did get caught.

Parker

"Th' yellow one is fer national defense, th' red one wit' white stripes is fer good conduct, and th' real purty one wit' all th' colors is fer bein' in this theater of operations."

Some would call it the "didn't get caught" medal.

 

There's an applicable Bill Mauldin cartoon, but I couldn't find it online.

Ya, but I found it for ya!

No, there's actually another one where two Brits are standing around looking at the US soldiers passing by and the captions reads something like:

Bloody immoral army. They get a medal for staying out of trouble!

Or something to that effect. I would scan it, but my Bill Mauldin book is in Okinawa and I am in Thailand until March!

Let me see if I can find that one.

Hello Allie1823,

According to Stanton's WWII Order of Battle the 2756th Engineer Combat Battalion was originally the 2nd Battalion of the 591st Engineer Boat Regiment. The reason for the new designation later on I do not know. The book provides us an outline of their movements.

591st Engineer Boat Regiment

15 JUNE 1942 Activated at Camp Edwards Mass

5 AUG 1942 Departed New York P/E

17 AUG 1942 Arrived in England

2 NOV 1942 Departed England

8 NOV 1942 Assaulted Oran (Operation Torch)

6 DEC 1943 Arrived in Italy

1 NOV 1944 Deactivated with assests to 1185th Engineer Group

Campaigns: Algeria-French Morocco, Tunisia, Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, North Appennies

2756th Engineer Combat Battalion

10 OCT 1944 Formed in Qualiano Italy from the 2nd Battalion, 591st Engineer Boat Regiment

20 DEC 1944 Arrived in France-ETO

AUG 1945 location; St. Martin Czechoslovakia

25 JUNE 1946 Deactivated in France

Hope this helps you a little, good luck with your search. I also found a thread on another forum that had been discussing the 2756th, and has many photos you probably will what to check out, click on the link below.

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/103593-591st-engineer-boat-regiment2756th-engineer-combat-battalion/

That's because in 44/45 the Army redesignated all the engineer regiments.

For instance, my dad's unit, the 540th Engineer Combat Regiment, consisting of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, were restructured and were then called the 540th Engineer Combat Group.

1st Bn became the 2832nd

2nd Bn (my dad's) became the 2833rd.