14 August, 1943 (Route of the ?)

No letter today. The next letter was written on 16 August.

Route of the Question Mark

Here are pages 12 and 13, transcribed from The Route of the Question Mark, giving some of the memorable events in Greg's Army days in the year prior to meeting Wilma. Click on the tab above of the same name, to see the scanned originals.

pp. 12-13

"Here Are The Things We Remember:

     Inspections at Camp Edwards, with Lt Col Aldrich, wearing his white raincoat, dissatisfied with everything... Firing practice at Scorton's Neck, the searchlights on the target, and all the tents shining in the moonlight... The case of poison ivy... The 25 mile hike when we lost our way and ended up by marching 30 miles... The cadre rushing back to Paterson every weekend... Betty, who used to tend the soda fountain at the PX... Our succession of Battery Commanders: Bolick, Whiting, Power, Hall, etc. etc... The train-ride to Fort Jackson... The taxi-cabs that used to call at the barracks door to take us to Columbia and bring us back... The memorable formal dances at the Service Club with Grand Marches and everything... Our first problems... The day we marched out into the country to see an exhibition of dive bombing, along with the entire 77th Infantry Division... the Christmas Dinner and the impressive tree that we had, Bill Person's pride and joy... Callahan and Cook, entertainers extraordinary... The miraculous cold beer at the PX, and the way everyone used to gather around 1st Sgt Waters to sing the Woodpecker Song... The furloughs home, and the crowded trains to New York and all points north... Our New Year's celebration, when we had a snake-charmer to entertain us, and all the beer in the world to drink, and which ended up in the mess hall at five in the morning... The arrival of Lt Col Pereria to take over as CO... The Farewell Dinner for Lt Power, and the speech he made: Never be afraid of anyone!"... The first appearance of The Battalion Reporter, and its spectacular issue which was delivered on the train as we took off for Louisiana and the maneuvers there... The icy morning when we stepped off the train in Maney, Louisiana and wished that we were dead..."

13 August, 1943

No letter today. The next letter was written on 16 August.

Here's a time line for the 438th, from 6 June through 7 November, 1943, quoting from The Route of the Question Mark. (Click on "The Route of the Question Mark" tab above for more information.) The photographs from 1942 to sometime in 1943 are on the preceding "no letter" days.

1942
6 June              438th Coast Artillery Battalion, Antiaircraft Artillery (Mobile) is activated at
                        Camp Edwards, Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

22 June            A cadre arrives from the 67th Coast Artillery stationed at Paterson, NJ.
                        Headquarters Battery now consists of twenty-one men.

1 October         All the fillers have arrived and the training begins.

14 November    Departure for Fort Jackson, SC by train, arriving three days later.

1943
23 January       Another train ride: we leave to take part in the Louisiana maneuvers.

28 March         We leave Louisiana to take part in the Tennessee maneuvers.

14 May             We are redesignated the 438th Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons
                        Battalion (Mobile).

19 May             No rest. Maneuver happy, we take off for South Carolina to demonstrate how
                       well we can defend an airport against an attack by an air-borne division.

27 May             We leave South Carolina for Camp Edwards, where we spend the next five                        months.

12 August 1943

No letter today. The next letter was written on 16 August.

These photographs were taken while traveling through Alabama en route to "Maneuvers" in January of 1943. I wonder if this was taken from the last car, or if more boxcars of future soldiers followed behind.

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Somewhere in Ala - Jan 43 - Taken from train window


Baton Rouge, La - RR Station
en route to Maneuvers - Jan 24 - 43
Zoot Suit Boys


Street Scene - "Colored Section"of Baton Rouge Jan 43

11 August, 1943

No letter today. The next letter was written on 16 August.

Meanwhile, here are some photographs taken between September of 1942 and early 1943, including some from the train ride to Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE


Greg (left) at Camp Edwards


Greg (left) by his 1940 Dodge Coupe Convertible at Camp Edwards


Spencer, N Carolina en route to Fort Jackson, 11/42


N Carolina en route to Fort Jackson, 11/42


Trying out the new bugles, Fort Jackson 12/42


Greg with overcoat and pipe, Fort Jackson, 12/42


Greg in Tennessee on "maneuvers", 03/43


Digging a slit trench, Louisiana, 03/43

10 August, 1943

No letter today. The next letter was written on 16 August.

Here's how gas was rationed in 1943. Naturally, this booklet had no remaining coupons!

Gas Ration Booklet Cover

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Front cover of Booklet
(Edited because it identified "Greg")


Back Cover of Booklet


Left Inside Cover of Booklet


Right Inside Cover of Booklet

09 August, 1943

438^th AAA AW BN

Camp Edwards, Mass

August 9, 1943       4:45pm

Dear Wilma –

I’ll only get started today, writing this, and will probably finish tomorrow. In about 15 minutes I must join the Colonel’s staff in review of our battalion parade. We have them every other week or so, and it’s just more of the Army’s pomp and circumstance which Army men love so much. But there’ll be a band, banners etc. and that will compensate somewhat.

Following that comes the evening meal, officer’s school and you guessed it – bed-rest! Incidentally, Col. Pereira remembered your Dad immediately upon mention of his name and recounted a few episodes relative to the “old school days”.

I got over to Jamaica Plain about 10:15 and we took off at 10:25, arriving here at mid-night – not without incident, however. Wilma – I hate to tell you this, but we’ll have to knock the price down to – say $575! About 5 miles from Camp, the windshield suddenly got covered with a watery substance which my keen diagnostic powers quickly told me was radiator water. We got back here all right, but this a.m. a leak in the radiator was very evident. So – I took care of it immediately and it’s now thoroughly all right. I’ll have to stop now. The Colonel’s car awaits without –

Still Monday – 7:40 p.m.

Hello – the parade is over and I started working on next week-end. Well I couldn’t start any earlier, could I? Our program calls for a short field problem this week – early Thursday a.m. to Friday evening, & then the infiltration course on Saturday. I hinted about how late we might be on Saturday and the Colonel obligingly informed me that if he had anything to do with it, we wouldn’t get off too late. So everything looks fine so far. I hope you’re pleased.

You know, if I keep writing, I’ll soon have enough material for a letter – But not before a little retrospect over this past week-end which remains so vividly clear in my mind’s eye. I don’t have to conjure up the Goddess of Memory at all. Really, though, Wilma, it’s been very pleasant – these past week-ends with you, pleasant to the point of exhilaration – whatever in the world that is. I believe it’s good, though. I hope, only, that some measure of the good company you have afforded me was returned through me. The fact that I look forward immediately after a week-end in your company to the next one means a great deal to me when I analyze the feeling. I hope you know what I mean –

This week I shall be a good boy, I believe, and get some sleep. I’ve got to store my energies for Saturday & Sunday. Get some studying done, if you can, and here’s to seeing you soon –

Love and Kisses

Greg.

03 August, 1943

438^th AAA AW BN

Camp Edwards, Mass

August 3, 1943       9:40am

Dear Wilma,

Among other things, my ambulance has a front compartment which contains a box filled with sundry articles, including writing paper. This allows me to communicate with people wherever I happen to be. Today it is the firing range again, about 7 miles from camp. I’m still acting in the role of one waiting for a tragedy to happen. I sometimes wonder what the boys think when they see me preying upon them.

It’s really dull out here this morning, and already the past week-end seems to have slipped into the hazy past. My return trip Sunday was uneventful. Although I did manage to pick up three soldiers, they were little help in keeping me alert, for they fell asleep themselves.

Monday was a long day because after regular hours I had to sit on a Court Martial Board, of which I am a member. By the time we had finished doling out our brand of mountain justice, it was time for bed.

In the line of news, it looks as if we don’t go on this field problem after all, at least not this week. I plan to call you this evening and tell you most of this anyway. Right now, despite the fact that you no doubt are looking forward to a week-end or longer in the Adirondacks, I am hoping that you don’t go.

Further in the line of news is the fact that our readiness date (a term used in the Army to indicate when an outfit may ship out) has been postponed. This is not exactly a military secret, but my continual references to overseas was due to the knowledge that our previous readiness date was actually September first. Yesterday we were informed by Army Ground Forces in Washington that this has been changed to a later date. I think I’m pleased.

So much then for the chronicle. I’ll call you tonite, Wilma, and I look forward to seeing you again this week-end if you’re going to be in Boston.

Solong for now.

Sincerely,
Greg