Family History Writing Challenge Day 25

Camp Kilmer

The Army’s New York Port of Embarkation could process up to 250,000 troops per month. The returning soldiers were greeted with signs of welcome, bands, and refreshments. Upon docking, Roy’s group was ferried to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey. Camp Kilmer had a relatively new history, having been completed in just six months in 1942. The facility covered more than 1,500 acres and contained 1,120 buildings. During WWII the camp processed over 1.3 million service men and women for duties overseas. Following the end of the war, it became the main center for receiving soldiers returning home from Europe and the Pacific, with more than 5,000 coming through the camp each day.

Fort Knox

Roy spent only a couple of days at Camp Kilmer. He remarked that they had good food there, as they were served by Italian prisoners of war. When released, he traveled by train to Fort Knox, Kentucky. His separation was processed there and occurred on 13 November 1945.

Roy spent two years, three months, and seventeen days in continental service, and one year, four months, and eleven days in foreign service, for a total service of three years, seven months, and twenty-eight days of active duty. His decorations and citations included a World War II Victory Medal, the American Theater Ribbon, an Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with two Bronze Stars, a Good Conduct Medal, and a Distinguished Unit Badge. Roy was honorably discharged as a Buck Sergeant on 13 November 1945. He enlisted with the Reserve Corps on 14 November 1945 at Fort Knox.

Roy decided to immediately reenlist because it meant a four year commitment instead of a ten year commitment to the Army Air Forces. Also, it assured him that if hostilities broke out again, he would not be sent overseas. He was never required to do any reserve work, and he was again honorably discharged, this time as a tech sergeant on November 13, 1948. A tech sergeant is right underneath a master sergeant, and is the second highest rank that could be achieved as a noncommissioned officer.

Roy in front of house

Roy returned home to Cincinnati on a train, compliments of his employer, Railway Express Agency, in November of 1945. He came back to a new house, a now three-year-old son and a seventeen-month-old daughter he had yet to meet. But he never expressed regret over what he had missed, instead feeling grateful for what he had experienced and the fact that he was able to come home at all. The greatest generation, indeed!

Family History Writing Challenge Day 24

new Kubler house

At some point during his stay in Chabua Roy received a letter from Catherine telling him that the Koch's house, located next to her mom and dad’s home, was for sale. She asked if he thought she should buy it. Before he even had a chance to reply, he got another letter telling him that she had borrowed money from her brother Charlie and advising him, “I bought the Koch's house!”

The house at 1240 Rosemont Avenue in Cincinnati was right next door to the house Catherine grew up in, still owned by her parents Michael and Mayme Crusham. This was a godsend for Catherine with a toddler and a new baby to take care of on her own. Catherine had a family picture taken to send to Roy; he would not get to meet his daughter, Kathleen, until she was seventeen months old.

LeRoy, Catherine and Kathleen

After the surrender of the Japanese on 15 August 1945, troops in the CBI Theater began to demobilize. The order that released Roy from service was dated 1 October 1945. Soldiers were furloughed home according to the number of points they had accumulated under the Advanced Service Rating Points System. The points were awarded as follows: 1 point for each month served in the Army, 1 point for each month served overseas, 5 points for each campaign star worn on theater ribbons, 5 points for the first and each award received (such as Distinguished Service Cross), and 12 points for each child at home under 18 years of age (up to 3 children). Points were awarded for months served between 16 September 1940 and 12 May 1945.  

Originally a soldier was required to have 85 points in order to go home. The number was lowered as demobilization continued. On 1 November 1945 the military began to release soldiers who had 60 points. By the time Roy was released, he had 90 points. He was a little peeved about the change, considering what he had gone through to obtain his point total. The India-Burma-Theater Roundup Vol. IV No.7 issued 15 October 1945 indicated that according to the War Department there were still 5,000 soldiers in the India-Burma-China Theater with 85 or more points in October of 1945. 

According to the same issue of the Roundup, the allotment of planes from Chabua and Calcutta to Karachi in October of 1945 carried 700 men per day, and 10 trains transported troops that month from Assam to Karachi. With 500 troops being flown from Assam to Karachi and 200 from Calcutta to Karachi each day, only one troop train every third day was used in the evacuation of troops from Assam and Burma. 

Two types of troopships were used in evacuating India-Burma: 3,000 and 5,000 capacity ships. Seventeen ships handled troop movements from Calcutta and Karachi during September and October.  Ships leaving Calcutta reached the East Coast of the United States in 26 days, while those leaving Karachi made the voyage in 21 days. Four troopships - the Taylor, Anderson, Eltinge and Patrick - sailed during the week ending October 24, which was the week Roy began his voyage home.  A total of 14,500 troops were evacuated on these ships, bringing the combined strength of the India-Burma and China Theaters down to 170,000.  

C-47

Roy remained at the Chabua Air Base until October 1945, when he flew on a C-47 to Agra, New Delhi, Jorhat, and finally Karachi. It is unknown how long Roy spent in Karachi before boarding his ship. According to the War Department, the men would remain in the staging area at the ports of embarkation anywhere from seven to twenty-one days. At this time they would receive medical checkups and processing.  
By strange coincidence, on 21 October 1945 Roy again boarded the USS General A.E. Anderson (AP-111) for the trip home. This was cruise number thirteen for the USS General A.E. Anderson, and the ship was captained by George Whitefield Mead, Jr. The ship arrived in New York City on 9 November 1945, sailing past the Statue of Liberty, much to the delight of all the servicemen.

Family History Writing Challenge Day 23

While Catherine was settling into her life with a two year old and newborn, Roy was adjusting to life in India. Beginning in 1942, India served as the base for all Army Air Forces operations against the enemy in Burma, providing aid to China. Following the ship’s arrival in Bombay on August 7, 1944, Roy was stationed at Camp Worli, a British Royal Air Force transit camp located just north of Bombay, for two to three weeks. The buildings were made of brick with no glass in the windows or doors in the door frames.  After the confines of the ship, the camp seemed like a motel to Roy. He had a whole bed to himself, even though it was made of wood and roping. The soldiers received mosquito nets and sundry clothing.

Indian train 1944

Following his stay at Camp Worli, Roy boarded a train across India to Camshupora, located just outside of Calcutta. This train ride would probably have taken about three days. From there they took another train to the Brahmaputra River. On this leg of the journey, Merrill’s Marauders were on the train with them and Roy was able to meet some of the men.

One of the things that amazed Roy about the trains was that the track was laid by different groups of people, so they weren’t built to the same gauge. Apparently the Army Transport Command had purchased the railroads from several small railroad companies, who had used different track gauges when they originally built the tracks. The track would simply end and they would have to change trains. Because of this, a trip that could have been accomplished in one day ended up taking several. However, Roy said the scenery was beautiful on the trip.

riverboat

Once they arrived at the Brahmaputra River they took a riverboat to Jorhat, India.  The western flank of the Brahmaputra River is big-game country with tigers, wild elephants, and herds of rhinoceros. Jorhat had one of the largest airstrips in northeastern Assam. It was at Jorhat that Roy was trained to become a loading supervisor, and he learned how to convert B-24s to C-109s. Loading operations were under the supervision of qualified enlisted air transportation technicians. Roy’s Military Occupation Specialty (MOS) was Air Transportation Technician.

Following six weeks of training, Roy flew to Chabua, India, which is located in the district of Dibrugarh in the state of Assam. Chabua is in the northeastern part of India. During WWII, the Chabua Airfield was constructed in the Assam Valley outside the small town of Chabua. The Himalayas rise to a height of 10,000 feet around the area. Planes taking off essentially had to fly circles around the immediate area in order to get the height needed to clear the mountains. The flight over and through the Himalayas was known as “flying the Hump.”

Chabua ATC

Roy served in the 1333rd Army Air Forces Base Unit, Army Transport Command. Air Transport Command (ATC) was established in 1942 as a unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces. Previously named the Air Ferrying Command, its mission was to meet the urgent demand for the speedy reinforcement of the U.S. military bases worldwide during WWII, using an air supply system to supplement surface transportation. ATC also operated a worldwide transportation system for military personnel.

actresses on base

One of diversions on the Chabua base was the Bamboo Music Hall. Roy had always enjoyed music and entertainment, so he likely passed quite a bit of his free time here. Stars of many USO shows appeared in this hall, such as Joe E. Brown, Noël Coward, and Paulette Goddard. From late October through early December 1944, Pat O’Brien, Jinx Falkenburg, Harry Brown, Betty Yeaton, Jimmie Dodd, and Ruth Carrell Dodd performed more than a hundred shows in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater.  Dixie Walker and his troupe, made up of major league baseball players, also entertained. What a thrill that must have been for the men on the base to be able to have a taste of home in India!

Bernie Downey, Bill Penney, Roy