. . . . . . . . "You should have been on D series!" - - Oh yeah? Well, even D series, in its worst phase, could never compare to C. B. I. - - - "Well, who said anything about C. B. I. - - that's just rumor!" - - - - - - "Rumor is it? - - - - It was just rumor, too, when we heard - - - - - -

The sharp, snappy 'thud, thud, thud' of hammers driving nails; the rasp of saws biting into wood; the noise of many voices - - busy voices - - the sounds which filled the motor park of Headquarters Co. those days in late September and October of 1944. Men were working - - working with a sobriety and purposeful demeanor which spoke of the great importance of their work. This task they were performing with unusual seriousness - - they laughed little, they joked little; they were no longer carefree - - for they were packing and crating now - - packing and crating equipment that was going overseas with them shortly - - only a matter of days. Combat had seemed an age and a world away until now - - now it had, with almost terrible suddenness, become merely a boat ride away. It wouldn't be easy to leave the states. . . . . .

Our last two weeks in Camp Polk were feverish weeks of preparation for 'over there'. 'Put cosmoline on those 'Weapons!' (heavy weapons). 'Remove the cosmoline from those weapons!' (new rifles). 'Clothing checks!' 'Inspection of seven pounds!' 'Turn in suntans!' 'Draw new boots!'. Clothing check - inspection of seven pounds - mark clothing - fill out these forms - lectures - clothing check - - work, work, work! Finally on the 27th of Oct. at 10:30 PM, we were all on the troop train pulling away from Camp Polk - - fully clothed and fully equipped.

As the rails clicked beneath us, to a man we were all thinking the same thought. Where to - the Pacific or Europe? By noon the next day we knew almost certainly, for the train was travelling north . . northeast. We knew then that it was New York and the E. T. O. Almost all voiced the same opinion, '- - - - better than the Pacific'.

On October 30th, after approximately 70 hours en-route, we arrived at Camp Kilmer, N. J. - - the stepping stone to embarkation. Things moved rapidly at Kilmer; it was hurry, hurry, hurry! Last minute issue of equipment that was 'short'. The gas chamber for a final test of new gas masks. Life boat drill so that we would be fully prepared for an emergency at sea. Final clearing up of personal matters - - allotments, war bonds, insurance, wills and testaments, physical inspections, orientation films and lectures. All of these things, and more, we rushed through within the six short days we stayed at Kilmer. While we were there, the men whose homes were in New York or vicinity were fortunate enough to get one twelve hour pass in which to say farewell to their loved ones. Then on Nov. 6th, we crowded into another train with bag and baggage and with a mournful bleat of its whistle the train chugged off to the docks.