John Edward Binnion 16: Life at Camp Blanding Continued

 

 In April, there was a new responsibility added to
John Edward's work schedule.

 

John Edward letter home, April 18, 1942, family scan

 

A Motor Vehicle School
had been established,
and he was
now teaching.

 

Convoy of various vehicles in North Africa, 1942-1943  Army photo

The curriculum most likely included 2 1/2 ton trucks and jeeps.
These vehicles, along with the amphibious DUKW landing craft
(still in the final stages of research and testing) and the C-47
transport plane, helped lead the Allies to victory
General Dwight D. Eisenhower often said after the war. 

 

Chevrolet Maintenance Manual, Wikimedia photo

There were several versions of the 2 1/2 ton all-terrain trucks
in production, and more than half a million were built for
the Army by the end of the war.

  

Versatile and reliable, they transported supplies, troops,
and equipment through all sorts of weather and
off-road conditions from deserts in North Africa
to tropical conditions in the South Pacific.

These trucks had enhanced traction, improved stability,
increased load capacity, and the ability to navigate
challenging terrains. Their size, however, rendered them
less able to maneuver tight spaces.

 

Jeeps were another vehicle that proved invaluable on all fronts. They were a

 new vehicle, developed in a government-held competition described in this podcast.
Highly maneuverable, rugged, and reliable, they were easily modified to haul artillery, supply-trailers,
or even small aircraft. And they were light enough to be carried by gliders and dropped by parachute.

 

Jeep field-ambulance, 1942-1943, USMC photo

Pulitzer Prize-winning WWII war correspondent Ernie Pyle said the jeep was
“a divine instrument of military locomotion. It does everything. It goes
everywhere. It’s as faithful as a dog, strong as a mule and as agile as a goat.
It constantly carries twice what it was designed for, and keeps on going.”

WWII News Correspondent Ernie Pyle (seated on jeep), 1945, Navy photo

John Edward also wrote home about a frustrating dispute regarding
Officer Candidate School.

Letter home, April 18, 1942, family scan

Which left him all the more determined to proceed on his own:
"Erstwhile will get there without their help. He is mad now.
And determined."

 

 However, the accumulation of ordeals, "stuttering, politics, milk bottles,"
left him dejected. Three days later he wrote:

"Erstwhile needs to be sent to an Officer Candidate School.
He thinks -- he's prejudiced though -- that he is being kicked around."

He concluded:
"It seems as if I am in a place where I will be stagnant
for the duration of the war.
And I don't like it."

Letter home, April 21, 1942, family scan

 

His next letter responded to a list of questions from his family,
including one "about being a Sergeant."

 

Letter home, April 23, 1942, family scan

 

"Thought I told you. Maybe not. Have been one for several ... maybe three ... or four ... weeks.

 

"Six months ago, I would have been immensely proud.

 

"Not now.

 

"Naturally, I am glad to get any promotion, but when they
promote me just to keep it from smelling so bad because they
passed me up for something else ---- well, it ain't a good feeling. 

 

Letter home, April 23, 1942, family scan

 

The next week John Edward wrote: "Dad, I got your letter today
and was tickled pink. You know, you write so seldom -- the last
letter I got from you was when I was staying in Sweetwater the summer of 1940.
Almost two years ago" (29 April).

 

He added: "Congratulations on the new job ... I hear
airplane factories pay pretty well -- especially if you are on an
hourly wage."

Concern for his parents was ever on his mind, and he was
well aware of the continued challenges of the Depression.

And so he also wrote that he might soon be eligible for
a family allowance that would be of help to them.

Letter home, April 29, 1942, family scan

 

In early May there was another review of Camp Blanding.
This was for top leadership of both the American and the British Armies:
American Chief of Staff, General Marshall with Chief of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. McNair,
and the British Army Field Marshall, Sir John Dill. The British presence and the
large number of Generals at Camp Blanding raised eyebrows.

John Edward letter, May 4, 1942, family scan

 

The American and British armies worked closely together.
Part of the Allied coalition along with Russia and China, the Allies
fought against the Axis Powers of Germany, Italy, and Japan.
American forces were now in the South Pacific battling Japan under Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
Meanwhile, the war in Europe raged on as Germany, with Italy's support,
continued to invade other countries and expand its territory.

Shortly after the December attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had convened the 'Arcadia Conference.'
Military leaders from both countries met in Washington D.C. and spent
several weeks discussing and debating joint military strategies.
Gen. Marshall, Lt. Gen. McNair, and British Field Marshall Dill -- all of whom
were at the Camp Blanding review -- took part in the conference.

 

It was ultimately decided that the primary objective of the Allies must be
the defeat of Germany. A top-secret British-American invasion of North Africa,
code-named Operation Torch, was planned:
From North Africa the Allies would gain control of the
Mediterranean Sea, invade Italy, and enter Europe from the south.

 

Operation Torch, North Africa British-American Landings Planning Map, 1941, US Army

 

These plans were well underway by the 1st of May, when General Marshall
arrived at Camp Blanding with the wide array of leadership from both
the American and British armies. They were visiting training camps
around the country to review troops and determine which Divisions would
be sent to North Africa. The 36th would be amongst the first to ship out.

 

 

The new Motor School that John Edward wrote about at Camp Blanding,
as well as the increase in marches to further develop physical and
mental stamina, were all part of this preparation for Operation Torch.

 

And in the civilian world, manufacture and refashion of airplanes, ships, and vehicles,
as well as ammunition, equipment, food packaged in rations, and military clothing
were now underway. New factories were being built and new jobs
were available in towns and cities across the country.

John Edward letter, May 4, 1942, family scan

Competition to create the best airplanes and vehicles was also well underway.
In this letter, John Edward rooted for the company his father worked for.

John Edward letter, May 4, 1942, family scan

He also asked his mother, both with strong words and
with practical suggestions, to purchase the glasses she needed.
As soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Orders dated May 2nd, two days before this letter,
show that John Edward had once again been promoted.
To Staff Sergeant, S/Sgt.

Even though he had begun the last letter:
"there is not a heck of a lot to report."

 

John Edward Promotion to Staff Sergeant, May 2, 1942, family scan

 

 

He never did write home about this promotion to Staff Sergeant.
It followed just a few weeks after promotion to Sergeant.

 

John Edward, Staff Sergeant, May 2, 1942, family scan

 

For Staff Sergeant, epaulets on shirt sleeves have a 'rocker' beneath three chevrons. 

 

From enlistment as Private, John Edward has risen through the ranks.
He is now a senior ranking NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer).

 

But his eyes remained on Officer Candidate School
and an Officer Commission to 2nd Lieutenant.

 
 

 

Thanks for reading.
Join us here
for the next post.

 

 

John Edward Binnion: 15: Life at Camp Blanding

 

John Edward's Corporal Stripes, 1942

 

John Edward, now a Corporal,
wrote on the 22nd of March,
"Erstwhile has neglected to write.
Somehow or another, work piles up
and time flies. Horse flies, too."

Soldiers were busy most days and nights
with work, training, and classes held until 9 or 9:30.
Then there was personal care, polishing shoes,
and cleaning weapons and other equipment.

Friend of John Edward playing croquet, 1942, family scan

 

 

When
there was free time,
soldiers might
play croquet
outside their barracks,
go to one of the
post bowling alleys,
play basketball or baseball
on a post team,
swim in the lake,
or take a bus
to a nearby town
if they had a pass.

 

 

 

 

 

Dances were a favorite form of entertainment, and young women from
nearby towns were offerred bus transportation to the camp.

Camp Blanding dance, 1942-1943, Army photo

This was the Swing Era, and popular dance tunes that year included In the Mood,
Chatanooga Choo Choo, I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo, American Patrol,
and slower tunes such as Stardust and Moonlight Serenade.
(If you scroll your cursor along the bottom of this video you can
sample and select songs you'd like to hear.)

One Friday night in late March, about 150 young women came from
Gainesville and Jacksonville to dance with the troops.

"Looking back over my 16 months in the army, I think I can say
that it was the most enjoyable evening I've spent on an Army post (22 Mar)."

Letter home, March 22, 1942, family scan

The next day the troops were back training and
"Erstwhile was platoon leader"
for a five-mile hike with full gear.

Letter home, March 22, 1942, family scan

 

 We slowly begin to see recognition
of John Edward's leadership qualities.

 

 

Springtime in Florida also included Baseball Spring Training.
This was a boon for any baseball fan.
(In subsequent war years, teams trained near home to save fuel for military purposes.)
Training in Miami Beach was a five hour drive from Camp Blanding,
but Daytona Beach was just over two hours away.

However, John Edward lamented, "do you realize that will all
the big league teams playing around here,
I haven't been able to get off to see a single one play (3 Apr)."

 

And he had not yet been able to play on any of the post baseball teams.

Letter home, April 3, 1942, family scan

 

He also wrote in this letter that Ruth had received the record
and card his sister Helen had purchased and mailed for
him -- as well as birthday cards from all the family.
"There's nothing like having the family pitch in and help" (3 Apr).

A letter from Ruth thanked the family for the Christmas gifts
and the birthday cards they had all sent to her:
"I was so very thrilled you should remember me on Christmas .... furthermore,
my birthday was a great surprise for me because I had birthday cards
from 3 Binnions. Helen, you, and John" (4 Apr).

She also wrote about local support for Camp Blanding troops, and the
headaches John Edward continued to experience after he was hit in the head
back in December by a milk bottle that fractured his skull.

Letter from Ruth to John Edward's mother, April 4, 1942, family scan

In addition to such direct support for the troops in training, civilian war efforts
had accelerated and broadened once the country entered the war.  

 

WWII poster, 1942-1944.
Library of Congress

Rationing was underway, and communities held drives for
rubber, metal, aluminum, and other scare materials needed
in the defense industry. John Edward wrote to
his parents about a number of such enterprises in Sweetwater
(where he had stored his belongings with  Binnion relatives).
An airbase and a munitions plant were under construction,
and "Marilyn is saving tinfoil
(so Mary says) so that she can help
John (me) win the war ... boy,
do I slay 'em. Young and old (18 Apr)."

 

WWII aluminum foil ball, 1942-1944,
American Experience Museum photo

Six-year-old Marilyn
probably collected
wrappers from
chewing gum. All
around the country, children crumpled the small,
thin, bits of aluminum foil and rolled them
into balls an inch or two in diameter.
These balls contributed to the millions of tons of
rags, paper, rubber, and aluminum collected by children
from their toys and other household items.

 

 

Back at Camp Blanding, John Edward wrote about daily duties,

 as well as the extra work required before an Inspection:
"Friday night was free -- we could do anything that we wanted.
Of course, everyone enjoyed themselves immensely --
scrubbing, polishing, and mopping."

Letter home, April 12, 1942, family scan

 

His report of the "good account" they made continues to amuse:
"During the inspection -- at which the IG [Inspector General]
was late -- we made a good account of ourselves tho.
He would ask questions and we would give the wrong answers."

Camp Blanding soldiers stand at attention, 1942-1943, Army photo

The letter concluded with John Edward describing how he was chosen for
an Easter weekend stay in nearby Williston. The men danced all night,
and after they attended church the next morning, danced again.

Letter home continued, April 12, 1942, family scan

 

"Erstwhile wore a hole in each shoe -- that's right, so help me" (4 Apr).
 

 

 

 Thanks for reading.
Join us for the next post where we
continue with life at Camp Blanding.