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U.S. Army Service Clubs
Fort Francis E. Warren
Wyoming
April 15, 1943Hello,
This camp is a quartermaster training post; I don’t like the idea of being a quartermaster. They don’t ask you whether you want to go, they just put you where they want to. Letter soon to follow.
Harry
I always thought it was odd that Harry ended up being stationed in the south pacific – why would you send a native German speaker to Asia? When I did an oral interview with Harry, he spoke of how he was a fatalist like his parents and how fortunate he had been throughout his life. One instance of good fortune was that indeed his company was supposed to be sent to Europe. He and a fellow soldier were on a train to get back to base when they were about to get shipped out, but the train was delayed and the company left without them. Harry was then posted to the South Pacific. According to Harry, almost the entire unit that was sent to Europe perished.
When last we heard from Harry, he was in Monterey, CA, beginning his army service. In 10 days he found himself in Wyoming for training. According to the F.E. Warren Air Force Base website, “During World War II, Fort Warren was the training center for up to 20,000 of the Quartermaster Corps. More than 280 wooden buildings were constructed without insulation and interior walls to temporarily house the increased number of troops. In the harsh Wyoming winter, waking up in these barracks often meant shaking snow from one's blanket before heading for the just-as-cold communal showers.” Hopefully Harry was long gone by the time winter set in.
Harry waiting for a Greyhound bus. Date unknown.