John Edward Binnion: 5: His First Promotion, Arrival at Camp Bowie

 

  

 

John Edward's sleeve insignia
Private First Class: One Chevron

"Oh yes -- J. Erstwhile is a Private 1st Class,"

John Edward wrote home in early December of 1940.
Signifying this rank, one stripe was sewn onto each upper sleeve.

His first promotion.

The journey toward
each successive promotion would be long and arduous. 

"Moving from private was the first hurdle.
Because dad stuttered.
Really stuttered.
So much so that people assumed he had all sorts of mental conditions
and would not even consider promoting him. 

 

But dad was dad.
He had tried every kind of therapy his parents had searched for and provided.
Eventually he went to the beach and put pebbles in his mouth
like he had read the ancient Greek orator Demosthenes had done.
Ginny Binnion Bettendorf, 2023

 

The stigma of stuttering presented constant threats to John Edward's ambitions.
We will read more about this in future posts and how it brought him to one of his lowest periods.
We will also read how he used creative tactics and humor
to disarm prejudice and diffuse the effect his stuttering had on others.

 

 

However, at this time, soon after his promotion to Private First Class,
John Edward and the Regiment received orders to
ready its equipment and personnel for a move from Camp Mabry to Camp Bowie. 

 

It was at Camp Bowie that the 111th Quartermaster Regiment
would begin their year-long training for the
wide range of military operations they supported.
In addition to munitions, personal equipment and clothing, food and special services,
the Quartermaster Corps was in charge of transportation
including petroleum, maintenance, and repair.
This was crucial, for the Army was now being mechanized and
motorized in ever expanding ways.

But first, John Edward and fifteen other men were sent to Dodd Field at Fort Sam Houston.
They would be trained to interview, test, and classify draftees, and they would then be appointed to a
temporary special detachment post at Camp Bowie.

John Edward letter home, Dec 10, 1940, pages 1-2, family scan

 

There is a great deal to learn from the first two pages of this letter. 
We first learn how John Edward felt about his own Company
in comparison with the special detachment.

 
We then hear more about the test on which he had an exceptionally high score.
Notice how John Edward wrote about and then returned to
the incident with this "Louie" (nickname for a Lieutenant)
after an entertaining description of his least favorite meal. 

  

John Edward wrote again about the "Louie" with his one-sentence-comment.
We then read about Ruth, "a new girl friend" in Austin who he "was falling for" (5 Dec).  From
comments in her later letters, we will garner valuable insights about John Edward.

 

 

 

John Edward letter home, page 1, family scan

 

On the 26th of December
the troops arrived at Camp Bowie. 
Within days he, and all the company,
were on k.p. (kitchen patrol) duty.
They scoured greasy pots and pans,
swabbed floors, took care of garbage,
and peeled endless piles
of onions and potatoes.

Infinitely more pleasurable
was listening to the radio
John Edward's parents had just sent. 

President Roosevelt
periodically broadcast informal
conversational talks
on topics related to
the depression and the war.
Virtually the entire country listened
to these Fireside Chats -- by 1940
over 90% of households owned
a radio -- and many found
hope and strength from them. 

 

Glimpses of Camp Life: Letters from home
must have included many questions about life in camp, for John Edward often
included in his letters a list "for the question-and-answer department."

 
“The only thing that happens here is the barking
of the Top Sgt. – and the barking is not pleasant.” (3 Jan 41)  

"We get up at 6:00, dress & eat at 6:45, fix up our tent and get to work at 7:30.
We have an hour off for lunch, work 'til 5:30, and are off. Those who go
into town must be back by 10:30 unless they have an overnight pass."  (28 Jan)

 
 "Camp life is very dull, nothing to do but go into town, and there is nothing in town." (28 Jan)

 

"We have a lot of Military courtesy and discipline
which we learn and do -- after awhile it is automatic." (28 Jan)

"My job right now is in the Classification Section of the Recruit Reception Center.
Every Selectee [one selected by draft] is interviewed by
one of the 20 interviewers who selects an Army occupation (there are 272 of them)
that fits the individual according to his past job or jobs." (28 Jan)

 

 

"The Lt. that is second in command of this section
told the Tech Sgt. in charge that J. Erstwhile was the number 1 interviewer in the center.
That didn't mean quantity, (although I am about 2nd or 3rd in total interviews), but in quality.
In other words, I am fast, accurate -- well, just plain good.

But the right people don't know about it ....

Lord knows, I'm not going anywhere now."
--John Edward letter home, February 12, 1941

 

While stuttering was not specifically named in this letter,
it is already clear to John Edward that it was seen as an obstacle to any promotion,
regardless of his outstanding abilities and first-rate performance.

"The meals here at the Center aren't all they
are supposed to be -- in fact, I have lost weight rather than gained it."  (28 Jan) 

 

During the Depression a great many people lost inordinate amounts of weight.
In the first months of the draft, one-third of the men called up for service failed their physical
due to malnourishment. Soon the Army determined
to serve draftees highly nutritious and more palatable meals. In some camps,
part of k.p. duty in the Reception Center was to stand by those mess hall trash cans
to ensure the draftees ate all they had been served.

 

 

Friend of John Edward in front of Barracks
at Camp Bowie, 1941, family scan

 

"The wind
blows and blows
and blows here.
More sand,
grit, everything,
in the food,
bedding, clothing.
Ach!
It's a mess."
(12 Feb)

 

 

Cracks in the barrack walls are clearly seen in photographs
that John Edward took at Camp Bowie.

The wind "makes a fellow wish for a warm room that doesn't leak air on every side, a fireplace, etc." (26 Feb)

 

 

Sometimes John Edward was philosophical, as when he
wrote home about a verse from one of his lifelong favorite poets:

 

January 21, 1941 letter home, family scan

 After the interviews John Edward concluded his letter with the verse from the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, quatrain 51, translated by Edward Fitzgerald:

“’The Moving Finger writes, and, having writ,
Moves on: nor all your piety nor wit
    Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line,
        Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.’

                                 With that, we close

                                        Love

                                                          John Edward”

 

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.
Click here for the next post where we explore
more about John Edward at Camp Bowie.

John Edward Binnion: 4: The Quartermaster Corps

Quartermaster friends of John Edward
1941, family scan

What is the Quartermaster Corps and what did they do?

 

During World War II the Quartermaster Corps was in charge of munitions, personal equipment,
transportation, petroleum, repair and maintenance, general service,
food, clothing, and special services. 

  

 At the height of the war, the Quartermaster Corps provided over 70,000 different supply items and
more than 24 million meals each day. On Anzio Beach (where John Edward later served and which we
shall read about in another post) the bakery produced fourteen tons of bread every day.
 

Sicily Operations Map, 18 July 1943
Report of Operations,* family scan

 

"The operations in Sicily
were classic Quartermaster stuff.
Dad was really impressed with the operations
in Sicily [where he later served
at the request of General Patton,
which we shall read about in another post],
because they were so well organized and perfected.

1st Lt. John E. Binnion listed under
Transportation Section, Base Area
Report of Operations,* family scan

 

They calculate everything.
This number of people who are going to do the invasion.
Based upon experience, this number are going to be hospitalized,
be wounded and killed, and this is the kind of hospital support we need
and how much medication we’re going to need, how much food we’re
going to need, how many gallons of gasoline we’re going to need.
Everything was calculated to the nth degree.
A company like Price Waterhouse, a big accounting firm, did all this work. The army would bring them in on contract to do all the logistics, calculations. It surprised me that they were involved in the actual invasion planning to that degree. But you need to have people who are super number-crunchers to do all that analysis.
Dad never said this, but after reading this book* I think this is why he really liked working in Sicily.  Everything was planned.

"That was the job of the Quartermaster of course,
to do all that planning, to make sure that everything was in place
and everything that was needed would have been thought of."
--John Edward Binnion II, 7-21-16

 

Report of Operations* mailing page, family scan

 

*The Report of Operations
of The United States
Seventh Army
in the Sicilian Campaign,
10 July - 17 August 1943
was mailed to John Edward
upon his request.

But it is not yet 1943.
And in 1940, as we read in our last post, virtually all available weapons,
clothing, supplies, and vehicles were obsolete or non-existent. This was because little had yet been
done to improve and upgrade equipment from World War I: the bayonet and .30 caliber Springfield rifle
were accompanied by the doughboy hat and wrap-around leggings. With
vehicles in even shorter supply, training was conducted by reading vehicle manuals. Perhaps
most importantly, officers were sharply divided on the need for mechanized vehicles and equipment.

But all that changed when France fell to the superior mechanized German forces in only ten days.
It was now clear to all the world that we were in a new era of warfare. And so new research began, deficiencies were addressed, and development stepped up. With this war, tanks, submarines, and airplanes all became standard. Improvements were made to weapons, ammunition, supplies, food dispersal, and uniforms. The government was now in a race to develop and produce weapons and supplies that could be used to train these soldiers and support them in the field.

 

Friend of John Edward, 1941-1942
training camp family scan

  

When John Edward and
his Company began training,
the flat tin doughboy helmet
from World War I was still issued.
We see one in this photograph
that he took of a friend at one of
the training camps they attended.

 
Replacement of the tin helmet
was a priority, and in 1941
the metal M1 helmet went into
production. The outer shell was
composed of steel-carbon-manganese, and the
inner liner of a strong light fiber
with adjustable straps.

 

John Edward would later be sent to "draw supplies, clothing,
and equipment for the company . . . . By the way, can't tell you where because Uncle Sam
doesn't want people to know where the supply bases are."
(October 19, 1942 letter home)

2 1/2 ton US Army cargo truck
Wikipedia, Public Domain

 

We learned in the last post that, due to
the scarce availability of vehicles,
John Edward and men in his Company
were trained for transportation, repair,
and maintenance by manuals.

 
He and others were nevertheless
soon classified as truck drivers
for 2 1/2 ton army trucks. And they
would eventually be further trained. 

 

Later, stationed in North Africa, during a potentially perilous situation
as he led two Light Tank Battalion convoys from Casablanca, Morocco
to Tunis, Tunisia, John Edward's leadership in a potentially perilous situation
will be noticed by and commended by Gen. Patton.

  

In mid-December of 1940 the Quartermaster Regiment would be sent
from Camp Mabry to Camp Bowie. It was there that the men
would begin their year-long training to serve in the war -- which the United States
had not yet entered, but were preparing for what many saw as inevitable.
And with recent Congressional appropriations Camp Bowie had just been
refitted; it would soon provide all-encompassing training and
become one of the largest training camps for World War II.

 

 

 

Thanks for reading.
Click here for the next post, in which John Edward
receives his first promotion and arrives at Camp Bowie.

 

John Edward Binnion: 3: Camp Mabry, Austin parade

 

John Edward Binnion, 1940/41

John Edward Binnion
Military Enlistment Date:
25 November 1940
Branch:
Quartermaster Corps National Guard
Height: 6'1"    Weight:141
Education: 4 yrs college
Occupation: Accountant

U.S. World War II
Army Enlistment Records

 

 

 

 

"We were called into Federal Service on November 25, 1940.

Our ‘base’ at that time was Camp Mabry in Austin, the Texas National Guard Headquarters.
There were no barracks at the camp, so we continued to live in town and
reported for duty at the Camp each morning."   
--John Edward, ca 1998

 

 

1940 Quartermaster Manual
US Military

During September and October of 1940, John Edward
and other members of the 111th Quartermaster Regiment 36th Division
of the Texas National Guard went to drill two nights a month.

"There were no trucks around
so all our drill consisted of
the reading of Army Manuals
of various sorts,
memorizing volumes of General Orders
(standard for all soldiers),
and the Special Orders
for our Regiment and/or Company."
John Edward, ca 1998

Then, true to the rumors, newspaper stories, radio broadcasts, and other
sources of information, we were called into Federal Service [on the 25th] of November of 1940."

John Edward, ca 1998

With mobilization came a number of examinations for all inductees.
Each were put through a physical examination known as PULHES:
P-general physical stamina and strength; U-upper extremities;
L-lower extremities; H-hearing; E-eyes; and S-psychiatric evaluation.

John Edward wrote home "the physical exam was tough
but I passed it—4 of the Company busted it." 

At this time over 40% of draftees were rejected.
Since loss of teeth and poor eyesight were the top reasons for failing the physical exam,
the military soon began to provide dental work and glasses.
Poor diet and malnutrition due to the Depression also contributed to the high number of failures.
This led the government to add vitamins and minerals
to ingredients used in enriched bread and breakfast cereals.
 

 

All of the men were also given the Army General Classification Test (AGCT). 
It was designed to assess intelligence and to evaluate abilities related to job assignments.
John Edward wrote home about this test in several letters. 

December 4, 1940 letter home, family scan

John Edward added:
“The boys are ribbing me about my high score—I think that I was
high-man in the Detachment—(66 men—12 Officers.)”

Toward the end of this letter he wrote:
  “Oh yes—J. Erstwhile is a Private 1st Class.”

 

 

When the men began training, several parades were held in town 

"to try to get the civilian population aware of this mobilization
and get people accustomed to seeing military parades.
This was a 'new world' for the soldiers as well as for the
citizens of Austin—so many soldiers everywhere."
John Edward, ca 1998

Austin Armistice Parade of WW I Soldiers
Texas History, University of Texas

 
Many soldiers were issued WW I uniforms such as we see
in this photo of an earlier Armistice parade in Austin.
This early in the war effort, uniforms were still being designed and manufactured.

Close up of WW I leggings
Wikimedia Commons

 

 

"These parades, incidentally, were quite interesting as far as
our military uniforms were concerned. Yes, it is true that we
were issued some WW I type uniforms as well as up-to-date items."

 

"In our parades around Austin we wore those WW I
‘wrap-around’ leggings. It must have been quite a humorous site
to see soldiers marching in a parade when many of their
leggings had come loose and were flapping
around their feet as they tried to keep in step."
John Edward, ca 1998

 

Thanks for reading.
Click here for the next post in which we explore
the Quartermaster Corps.

 

 

John Edward Binnion: 2: His Military Career Begins

UT Longhorn Band Pass
1939 Photo

"After the 1938-39 and 1939-40 academic years at the
University of Texas, I was able to see the end of the trail for my
Bachelors Degree in Accounting during the 1940-41 years."
--John Edward, ca 1998

 

At the same time, by the beginning of the 1940 academic year
our nation watched the war overseas
and debated issues of isolationism and intervention.
Conversations held in the House, the Senate, and the White House
were likewise held around dinner tables, coffee shop counters,
and campus gatherings. These conversations
and debates were heated, with strong advocates for isolationism
and equally strong advocates for intervention.

 

 

"Sitting around the Campus Guild CO-OP 

with Bill Lanford and Matthew Tucker and others

 . . . we talked about the military problems in Spain, German, and Italy

as aggressors. And, in fact, also talked about 

the countries being oppressed.

Argued with the pacifists and the would-be-communists . . .

and talked about 'joining up' with other groups to help."

--John Edward, ca 1998

 

John Edward, University of Texas, Austin (UT)
Longhorn Band Drum Major, 1938 Photo

   Such conversations were held while
John Edward attended classes,
worked as Student Assistant in

the Business Administration School,

and served as Drum Major of
the Longhorn Marching Band
during UT football games.

During down time in the Campus Guild CO-Op
the young men explored their options.   

 

Several of their Longhorn Band friends
belonged to the 36th Division of the Texas National Guard
and answered questions about
opportunities and experiences found there. 

 

John Edward is on the left side of the front row

John Edward also asked for military enlistment advice from his cousin, Col. J. M. Caviness,

and from the Longhorn Band Director, Col. George E. Hurt.
Both wrote to Col. Ernest O. Thompson, who was Commander of the 111th Quartermaster Regiment of
the Texas National Guard in addition to his position as Commissioner with the Texas Railroad.
Col. Thompson readily responded with the letter below.

 Meanwhile, John Edward had gone
"down to the Capital and talked to
(then) Col. Ernest O. Thompson
about going into the Texas National Guard.

 

He raised his eyebrows about my stuttering
but was eventually talked into taking my enrollment application and before long I was a member of Headquarters Company,
111th Quartermaster Regiment, 36th Division." 

--John Edward, ca 1998

 

Severe stuttering would long continue to be a challenge.
It would also build resilience and perseverance
and it would foster the strong sense of humor
often seen in his letters, even after debilitating war injuries.

John Edward wrote home on a
Sunday afternoon in August of 1940:

Dear Folks,

Hold your hats, for here we go with some very 

startling news--and I do mean startling. Yes, 

your son and brother--as the case may be--has 

joined the National Guard Unit here in Austin. 

Maybe I am right, and maybe I am wrong, 

but I am in now, and there is no way of getting out.

 

I hope.

So now you can call me Private Binnion. That is, 

you can until further notification.

I ain't gonna stay there all of my life.

Have you found a job yet, Dad? I sure hope 

that you have--but even if you haven't you are almost sure 

to find one soon. There will be a heck of a lot of us 

seeing our year in the Army, and that will make 

plenty of openings. Have you been down to see 

Mr. Jamison at the place where I used to work. 

They need good men down there.

I will be able to save enough of my Army salary 

to get me through my next school year.

I have enrolled in school, and am 

preparing for a big year--me and the Texas football team.

Bye now and write soon

Love

 John Edward

John explained many decades later: "To be drafted 

meant a person would not have a choice of where to be sent for

training or service. To be a member of the National Guard meant

that one would join up with his unit and his friends.

So . . . I joined the Texas National Guard. 

However, that in itself did not mean much 

to me--only that I would be with someone I knew."

--John Edward, ca 1998

John Edward looked back on his decision
with the perspective of hindsight and experiential wisdom. 

Nonetheless,

"Dad's decision was a significant commitment at a time when there
was limited commitment to support of Europe."
--John Edward II

  Col. Thompson, Col. Caviness, and Col. Hurt
were seasoned officers and understood much more that summer of 1940.
They knew full well all that was at stake.

Within less than one year Germany had advanced into Poland, Norway, Denmark,
the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France.
Germany had signed a pact with the Soviet Union,
and encouraged the Soviets to continue its invasion of countries such as the Baltic States.
Then Italy entered the war as an ally of Germany and more countries were invaded.
Their next goal was Great Britain. The Germans would soon drop
bombs day and night on London and other cities and towns.

 

Both Col. Caviness and Col. Hurt continued to write letters
on behalf of John Edward; they also corresponded with and encouraged him
throughout his military service and well beyond.

 

Meanwhile, the need for a peacetime draft bill was debated
throughout the nation, in the press and in Congress.
On the 16th of September President Roosevelt signed our nation's first peacetime draft.
It required all male citizens ages 21-35 to register with their local draft board;
draftees would be selected by lottery to serve a 12-month tour of duty.
President Roosevelt continued tireless work with his Cabinet and others
to support Great Britain and Europe and to help defeat Hitler without entering the war.

Over the radio Roosevelt told the country:

"America stands at the crossroads of its destiny. 

We cannot remain indifferent to the 

philosophy of force now rampant in the world. 

We must and will marshal our great potential strength 

to fend off war from our shores. 

We must and will prevent our land from becoming a victim of aggression."

Selective Service Registration, or "Draft Card"

 

 

October 16 was designated "R Day."
Registration Day.
Across the nation schools were closed
and men age 21 through 35 waited in line
at their designated centers.

 

The next day John Edward wrote home:

"R Day has come and gone.
I did not need to register, but I did."

He added:  "It provided me with a
darn good identification card."

 

 

The autumn of 1940
was busy for John Edward.

In addition to classes,
Drum Major for the band,
and grading papers for his Student Assistant job,

there were girls to meet, and intramural football and baseball.
And then writing home about it.

Underscored in this clipping:

In the eighth, John Binnion

walked, went to second

on Drew Verheyen's single,

and scored on Hammeck's blow.

There were also drills with the Texas National Guard.

 "We went to drill two nights a month (with pay, which helped my college budget)
and before long I was classified as a truck driver for 2-1/2 ton Army trucks."
--John Edward, ca 1998

Then word came that the 36th Division of the 111th Quartermaster Regiment
would be activated on November 25.

 

"Those of us in school dropped our courses,
got our affairs in order,
and planned for the Activation Orders."
--John Edward, ca 1998

 

Below is part of his November 16 letter home.

 

As John Edward wrote:

Some stuff, no? 

 

 

Thanks for reading.

Click here for the next post in which

John Edward begins training at Camp Mabry, Austin.