No letter today. Just this:
* TIDBIT *
about Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks
about Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks
Camp Shanks, named after Major General David Carey Shanks (1861-1940), was a US Army Point of Embarkation installation in the area of Orangeburg, New York, 18 miles north of New York City. It's location was chosen partly because it was near the junction of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River, linking it to the docks in New York City. On the evening of the 25th of September in 1942, over 300 Orangeburg residents met at the Orangeburg School (now the city library) to learn that their homes, lots, and farms were being seized for the immediate construction of a military camp. At the end of the war, they would be given the opportunity to buy everything back for the same price. One hundred thirty families were out of their homes within two weeks.
The camp, constructed by 17,000 workers over 6 months on 2,040 acres (8.3 km2) of land, contained 1,500 barracks in addition to mess halls, theaters, a hospital and other buildings. Opened in 1942, approximately 40,000 soldiers a month were issued combat equipment and underwent final inspections here. Most soldiers spent 8-12 days at this camp before shipping overseas, earning it the nickname “Last Stop, USA.” In all, 1.3 million G.I.s were processed through Camp Shanks, including three quarters of those who participated in the D-Day invasion.
Camp Shanks
Piermont Station, built in Orangeburg in 1839 as a terminus by the Erie Railroad, included the Piermont Pier, which jutted into the Hudson River. When the soldiers were notified that they were on "Alert" status, they knew they would be shipping out within twelve hours. The soldiers removed their division sleeve patches and their helmets were chalked with a letter and a number, indicating the proper marching order from the camp to the train and the railroad car to ride in. Some troops took a short train ride from the Piermont Station to the New Jersey docks, where a harbor boat ferried them to a waiting troopship. Other troops marched the four miles from the camp to the mile-long Piermont Pier where they boarded a troopship.
Troops equipped and boarding a train at Piermont
Today the pier is a tree-lined public walkway used by local fishermen. After later housing 1200 Italian and 800 German prisoners of war, as well as homebound US Army soldiers, Camp Shanks closed in July of 1946. Most of the original Orangeburg inhabitants who left when the camp was built never returned. When the veterans came back from the war, more than half a million of them came back up the Hudson and onto the Piermont Pier. To fill the need for temporary housing, Camp Shanks was converted into Shanks Village. Many of the personnel who had staffed the camp — doctors, cooks, teachers, and the like — and their families stayed in the area. Within the next 10 years, the construction of the Palisades Parkway and the Tappan Zee Bridge would obliterate any remains of the base and complete the transformation from farm community to bedroom community. Shanks Village was dismantled in 1956.
The camp, constructed by 17,000 workers over 6 months on 2,040 acres (8.3 km2) of land, contained 1,500 barracks in addition to mess halls, theaters, a hospital and other buildings. Opened in 1942, approximately 40,000 soldiers a month were issued combat equipment and underwent final inspections here. Most soldiers spent 8-12 days at this camp before shipping overseas, earning it the nickname “Last Stop, USA.” In all, 1.3 million G.I.s were processed through Camp Shanks, including three quarters of those who participated in the D-Day invasion.
Camp Shanks
Piermont Station, built in Orangeburg in 1839 as a terminus by the Erie Railroad, included the Piermont Pier, which jutted into the Hudson River. When the soldiers were notified that they were on "Alert" status, they knew they would be shipping out within twelve hours. The soldiers removed their division sleeve patches and their helmets were chalked with a letter and a number, indicating the proper marching order from the camp to the train and the railroad car to ride in. Some troops took a short train ride from the Piermont Station to the New Jersey docks, where a harbor boat ferried them to a waiting troopship. Other troops marched the four miles from the camp to the mile-long Piermont Pier where they boarded a troopship.
Troops equipped and boarding a train at Piermont
Today the pier is a tree-lined public walkway used by local fishermen. After later housing 1200 Italian and 800 German prisoners of war, as well as homebound US Army soldiers, Camp Shanks closed in July of 1946. Most of the original Orangeburg inhabitants who left when the camp was built never returned. When the veterans came back from the war, more than half a million of them came back up the Hudson and onto the Piermont Pier. To fill the need for temporary housing, Camp Shanks was converted into Shanks Village. Many of the personnel who had staffed the camp — doctors, cooks, teachers, and the like — and their families stayed in the area. Within the next 10 years, the construction of the Palisades Parkway and the Tappan Zee Bridge would obliterate any remains of the base and complete the transformation from farm community to bedroom community. Shanks Village was dismantled in 1956.
Wow! I have never seen this photograph of soldiers boarding the train on the Pier. We would like to have that photo for our museum at the Piermont Historical Society. Did your father leave from the Pier? We would be interested in any other stories or photographs that you have. Thank you for sharing your parents story.
ReplyDeleteI found that picture here: http://www.gottlockbooks.com/lost.htm
DeleteI found another picture here: https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/3d-general-hospital/