Julian Vincent Sollohub

LT COL in 603rd Engineer Camouflage Bn : Staff

ASN#20584

Born 1916 in NY, Died 2007

Other residence(s): Springfield Center, NY; Tallahassee, FL; and numerous military postings in Europe, Japan, the Philippines, and seven US states

United States Army, did not accompany the unit to Europe

Occupation before the war: military officer

College education before the war: Cornell, West Point

College education after the war: Caltech

Notes: Served in the Pacific during WW2; awarded Silver Star and Legion of Merit for his war service; later awarded the Distinguished Service Medal

Source: Roster provided by W. Anderson; 603rd reunion mailing list; photo from Find a Grave, likely from 1937 West Point yearbook

Julian Sollohub was born on April 6, 1916 in Scotia, NY, the oldest of three sons. His father, who had been born in Lithuania, was an auto mechanic; his mother died when he was only 11 years old. He grew up in Springfield Center, NY, a hamlet in central New York state. In fourth grade he met Katie McShane, the woman he would eventually marry.

Julian attended Cornell University, and then transferred to West Point where he graduated in 1937 with a commission as a 2LT. On January 2, 1938 he married Katie in Springfield Center, and they left on January 7 for a sea voyage to Fort McKinley in the Philippines where he was stationed. Katie's obituary says of those early years: "With no quarters for the young Lieutenant and his wife, they spent the first months of marriage in a tent in the Philippine jungle. Katie loved it."

In 1939 the Sollohubs returned stateside to Fort Belvoir, VA where Captain Sollohub was given command of the 84th Engineer Camouflage Battalion. He was then posted at Fort Totten, NY, and by 1942 Major Sollohub had become the commander of the 603rd Engineer Camouflage Battalion (which would eventually form a part of the Ghost Army) at Fort Meade, MD. In November, at the age of 26, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, one of the youngest officers of that rank in the entire Army. A 1942 newspaper article says of him that: "Colonel Sollohub's work in camouflage has been widely praised and his commands have won frequent citation for their expert operations in that field. He has done considerable training of officers and men in the technique of camouflage."

Julian and Katie had also become the parents of two by this time: Charles and Elaine. (They would have two more children after the war: Julian and Kathleen.)

Julian did not stay with the 603rd, however. In January 1943 he was slated to take an executive position at Fort Belvoir, and he eventually became Division Engineer for the 32nd Division in the Pacific. From January to May in 1945 his combat engineers forged a 22-mile supply road through the Philippine jungle in what became known as the Battle of Villa Verde Trail. Julian was awarded a Silver Star and the Legion of Merit for his service.

He also earned a master's degree in Civil Engineering at Caltech in 1948.

Courtesy of Cornell Alumni News, 1956

After that he was involved in reconstruction efforts in Japan, France, and across Europe. He served as Chief of the Joint Planning Commission, Joint Construction Agency in Europe. He also spent time at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA, served as group commander for the 151st Engineers at Fort Benning, GA and as chief of the Engineer Supply Control Office in St. Louis, MO, and in 1960 was appointed to the post of chief district engineer for the US Army Engineers' Florida district. In this latter role he was involved in the creation of the Cape Canaveral District which was the base for America's Space Program.

In 1962 he was assigned to Vietnam (with a base in Thailand) as commanding officer of the 9th Logistical Command. His final assignment was with NASA, and he retired in 1967. That summer he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal; the citation reads: "for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished services to the Government of the United States, in a duty of great responsibility, during the period from August 1960 to May 1967."

The citation for the medal goes on to say: "Colonel Sollohub consistently demonstrated a marked degree of sound judgment, initiative, and that unique ability to get to the heart of a problem and produce commendable results." It also called out his "profound technical competence" and "personal qualities of leadership and resourcefulness" in accomplishing "objectives of national and international significance."

After he retired from the Army he and Katie moved to Tallahassee, FL. There he worked as Director of the Division of Water Resources for the State of Florida's Board of Conservation and later with the State's Department of Transportation as a research engineer. Katie went back to school, got a Master's degree, and taught in a middle school for 20 years.

They were both members of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Tallahassee and "Solly" was also a low handicap golfer and a volunteer at tax season, helping people to prepare tax forms.

Julian died on May 19, 2007, and is buried at Springfield Cemetery in Springfield Center, NY.