James Sands

Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Branch of Service: Army

Unit: 3118th Signal Service Group

Theater of Operation: European

Enlisted / Commissioned: Mar 20, 1941

Discharged: Apr 30, 1946

Highest Rank: Major

Honored By: Daughter Sara White and the 3118th Signal Service Group

Jim was called up from the Reserves in March of 1941, and was serving in Washington, D.C. on Pearl Harbor Day. He established the General Headquarters Signal Center in Washington, D.C. From 1942 through 1943, he served in the Greenland Base Command as Company Commander, 23rd Signal Service Co. and Base Signal Officer. On return to the states he attended Command and General Staff School at Leavenworth, KS. He served with Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), European Theater as S-3 and Group Executive Officer in 1944-45. Following the war, he worked in Administration for Carnegie Tech and Westminster College. He was the guiding figure arranging reunions of the 3118th for 25 years. He recorded his war experiences I ‘World War II: A Love Story’ consisting of his WWII journal and letters to and from his wife Jane.