December 28, 1943 – February 21, 1944
Tuesday-Friday, December 28-31
There were about six inches of snow and ice on the ground. It was warm in the barracks, but it was cold outside. After breakfast we were called out to march without our packs but with our cartridge belts and rifles. The walking was difficult as we slipped back some with every step. As usual, when we go for a hike, I put some candy in the cargo pockets of my dungarees, but we were back in our area at lunch, so we ate in the mess hall.
After lunch, we had to fall out for exercise drills in the snow. I had on warm underwear, so I made it fine.
After supper, Wimp, Leon Boatwright, Chambliss, and I went into the camp and stopped at the rec room where a comedian was imitating Bob Hope. He was very good. We also stopped at the PX and got milkshakes. After that, we went back to our barracks and had a bull session with some of the others. The main topic was where were we going. We were sure we would go into combat, but where?
We continued to train with classes and hikes in the snow. The weather was cold, but it didn’t seem to hurt as much as the cold in Alabama. Crider, Boatwright, Chambliss, and I went to a movie most nights.
Saturday, January 1, 1944
We didn’t train much today and had a very delicious New Year’s dinner in the mess hall. We spent most of the day in our barracks. We talked a lot, and the main topic was about when would we move out and where would we go. We were sure we would be going into combat somewhere.
We have been turning in our equipment the last two days. I turned in my black suitcase. It is full of dirty clothes and will be mailed home. I also turned in my rifle, field pack, and my footlocker. All my clothes and personal items will be carried in a barracks bag.
Sunday, January 2
I got a letter from Nettie today, the first letter from her in about four days. It is rainy, cold, windy, and there is snow and ice on the ground here. I did not get up for breakfast but slept in. There are several boys in the barracks, and some are playing “blackjack.” I went to dinner and we had roast duck. Usually, we have chicken on Sundays. The roast duck was very good.
I stayed in my barracks and wrote letters most of the day. I wrote a letter to Alton today. He is in Montana. I understand that the first order of soldiers will leave in the morning. I am in the second order and will ship out very soon.
Monday-Friday, January 3-7
Just when I thought that our training here was over, we are constantly ordered to hike in the snow. And on Tuesday, we had to crawl through the infiltration course under live machine gun fire. There is snow on the ground, but we had to keep low as the machine gun bullets were flying overhead about four feet high.
The good thing was that we were told Tuesday that we could get passes this weekend for Friday morning to Monday morning. I immediately called Nettie to see if she could come up here for the weekend. There was no phone in the Moody household, so I called our neighbor Cullie Davis’s phone, and they passed the message down to Nettie.
I called Nettie again Wednesday night and she said she could come up. She would catch the mail truck in Ramseur to the Greensboro train station and take the train to Baltimore. I met her at the Baltimore train station Friday morning, and we caught a bus to Washington, and took a taxi from the bus station to the Ritz Hotel in Washington.1 The Ritz was the only hotel I could remember. Sam Gatlin, his wife Janet, Nettie, and I had stayed there once before I was in the army.2 I had reserved a room there as soon as I learned she was coming up. The Baltimore train station is near Fort Meade.
Saturday-Sunday, January 8-9
The weekend passed all too quickly, and late Sunday afternoon we left the Ritz hotel and caught a bus to the Baltimore train station. From there Nettie caught a train that would get to Greensboro early Monday morning. She was met there by Frank and Edith Kivett, and they brought her to Ramseur. As for me, I went back to my barracks.
Monday-Saturday, January 10-15
I have been moved to the AGF Replacement Depot # One. I am still at Fort Meade. My address now is Co. A, 12th Bn., 3 Replacement Regiment, Infantry.
It appears that I will be shipped out soon. About 15 of the boys from Fort McClellan are here, including Cramer (Wimp) Crider, Boatwright, and Chambliss. We are in steam-heated two-story barracks that is very warm.
I got a haircut, a real G.I. haircut, and so did the others. Wimp Crider,3 who is not married, says that he fell in love with a 16 year-old girl on his last furlough. He talks about her a lot. Wimp is in the bunk next to me.
It is cold and snowy here. This week we saw G.I. movies about “Why We Fight.” I had seen some of them before. We also had to test our gas masks in the tear gas chamber. They exploded gas bombs of several other types of gas, and we had to walk through the cloud of vapors without our masks on. This was so we would be able to identify each kind of gas if we were ever gassed. We also had to climb off a high tower on a rope ladder. We were given lectures about censorship, and what we could and could not write home about. I was issued some new clothes and a new barracks bag.
I talked to an officer about Nettie’s allotment. He said she would get $60 for herself, $20 for Terry, and if I go overseas, she will get $10 more making a total of $90 each month for Nettie and Terry. I will get $17.75 each month.
Sunday, January 16
We have cleaned up our floor for inspection and are just laying around writing letters. There are several fellows from my old training company at Fort McClellan here. Besides, Wimp, Boatwright and Chambliss, I have seen C. C. Creeson4 (we call him Combat Creeson), Bigham, Johnson, Blizzard, Hatley, Haigler, Martin, Yow, Kivett (Jack Kivett from Ramseur), Whitley, Cook, Evans, and Dennison. We are most all called by our last names. At mail call they usually call the last name only.
I have two sets of clothes now but must keep one ready for when we ship out. The snow is about 6 inches deep, but Cramer L, Crider and Leon Boatwright (two of my best friends) and Johnson, Bigham, and I rode a camp bus over much of the camp today and went to a movie. Tonight we went to see some Joe Louis fight movies at the Recreation Hall.
Monday-Saturday, January 17-22
I receive letters most days from Nettie and other members of my family. They are very welcome. Nettie writes every day, but I get them three or four at a time.
This week we have been stenciling our names and serial numbers on our new clothes and equipment to be ready when the word comes to ship out to the P.O.E. (Port of Embarkation). The fellows constantly talk and speculate as to the direction we will be going. I only have heavy OD (olive drab) uniforms, so that suggests that I will be going to a cold area.
During the days we have exercise classes, hikes in the snow, lectures, and preparation for the constant inspections. Friday we trained all day, and Friday night we had to scrub the barracks floor until 9 pm. Then we had to fall out and run the infiltration course in the snow. We got back to our barrack about 11:30 pm. Friday and Saturday morning we had to fall out at 5:30 am for a hike.
Sunday-Saturday, January 23-29
This week was much like last week. They constantly kept us training or hiking, but we could get weekend passes and we were free in the evenings. I wanted to try to come to Greensboro and meet with Nettie on one of the weekend passes, but I decided not to as I might become AWOL and I didn’t want that.
Sunday, January 30
Today we spent much of the time in our barracks writing letters. Wimp, Boatwright, Chambliss, and I went to the PX for a milkshake.
Monday, January 31
We fired the carbine all day on the range today. The carbine is lighter than the M1 rifle. I had fired it before down at Fort McClellan. The weather is cold.
I was put on a shipping order tonight, and I am restricted to the company area. I have to sign out to go to the PX. Most of my old training company is on the shipping order. We were told to get our things in order because we would be moving out tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 1
We got up early this morning, and after breakfast, we got our barracks bags and other equipment and were marched to the train station and were loaded on the train. Most of my old Fort McClellan training friends are with us. None of us knew where we were going, but I noticed that we appeared to be headed south. We were each given a paper bag of sandwiches for our lunch, and the train moved out. There was much guessing as to where we were going.
Late in the evening, we arrived at the train station at Blackstone, VA where we were unloaded and marched to Camp Pickett about two or three miles. It was dark, and the camp seemed to be in a swamp, but there were boarded walkways. We were assigned to our barracks and told that there was food at the mess hall. Crider, Boatwright, and I, along with several others, went to eat. Most of us were very hungry, but there was plenty of food.
Wednesday-Sunday, February 2-6
During these days we were not allowed to leave the camp, but we could go to the PX and movies in the evenings. During the days we had exercise classes, several hikes, were given several talks, and were shown two movies about the enemy and why we fight. But we had quite a bit of time in our barracks that we used making scuttlebutt.
We had been issued summer clothes earlier, and we thought we may be going to the Pacific, but our summer uniforms were exchanged for heavy OD uniforms This change of uniforms probably was to keep us from knowing where we were going and talking about it to the wrong people, and the enemy might find out. We still had our cargo work pants and jacket.
Monday, February 7
We had exercise classes out at the parade grounds this morning, but this afternoon we went to the firing range and fired the 30 caliber water-cooled machine gun. No one told us when we would leave this camp, but some of the fellows thought we may be waiting for an available troop ship.
Tuesday, February 8
After breakfast this morning we had a speed hike. We marched 3 1/2 miles in 50 minutes. One has to be in good shape to do that, but I made it OK. I got into a touch football game this afternoon. Had a good time.
Wednesday, February 9
This morning we had hand grenade practice. The hand grenade is sort of heavy, so we have to sling them with the arm straight. These were dummy grenades. We were shown when to throw the grenades at the enemy. They are used a lot to silence a machine gun nest. Then we had a practice parade at the parade ground. After the parade, I changed into my work pants and got into another touch football game.
Thursday, February 10
After breakfast this morning we were told that our shipping orders had been delayed for about 10 days. We were not told, but most of us believe they are waiting for a troop ship. The CO said that there would be passes for those who deserved them. We all felt that we deserved passes, and many went to the post telephone to call home. I went to the post telephone area, but it was so crowded that I gave up on calling Nettie today. Several of the others got weekend passes.
Friday-Thursday, February 11-17
I was able to get to the post telephone this morning, and I called the Davises and had them to ask Nettie to call me. I found out later that she tried to call, but she never got through to me. I sent her a telegram telling her that I would probably ship out soon.
During these days it appears that the CO thought that we needed more training, at least they gave us training on most of the weapons that we had already trained on. And there were the hikes and the constant exercise drills. I am sure that this extra training and exercise will be needed if we get in combat.
Friday, February 18
We had a barracks inspection this morning. Our barrack was OK. We had a four-hour hike this morning, and this afternoon we changed into our dress OD uniforms we marched in a parade at the parade ground with the camp officers observing us. I was on the first row in the march. I thought we did good, and our officers said we looked good, no one out of step.
We were informed today that there would be no passes this weekend. This probably means that we will ship out soon. Perhaps they have found an available troop ship.
Saturday-Sunday, February 19-20
We did not do much this weekend, so I tried to catch up on my letter writing. I have been getting letters from Nettie on a regular basis. She keeps me up to date on things at home.
Wimp Crider, Leon Boatwright, and I spent some time at the Service Men’s Club. We also visited the PX and bought some small toilet items that we might need. I bought a small sewing kit and a carton of 24 candy bars.
Monday, February 21
We are not allowed to leave the camp today. We have been told to get things ready to ship out tomorrow. We have to put everything in our barracks bag. We will have to carry our barrack bag. Most of the boys seemed to be ready to leave this camp.
Next: Newport News to Naples >>
Footnotes:
- Not to be confused with the Ritz-Carlton, the Ritz was a small hotel located at 920 F. St. NW. It appears an “escape room” business occupies the site in 2023. ↩︎
- Sam Gatlin was a teammate of Dad’s on several baseball teams when they were teenagers. ↩︎
- In revisiting his war experiences, Dad said Crider “looked a lot like the actor Jim Nabors. ↩︎
- Claude Clifton Creson, Jr. was from Tennessee and survived the war. ↩︎
Diary of an Infantryman 