Introduction by Ed Arnold

Not all 70th men joined the Division at Camp Adair; a great percentage became Trailblazers at Fort Leonard Wood. So they were denied the pleasures of an all-expense trip, courtesy United States Army, from Oregon to Missouri.

But they can console themselves. Although it was longer, the Adair-Wood journey was no different from the Wood-POE journey that we all made.

Of course, the Army does nothing impromptu; there are always rehearsals, many rehearsals, for anything from loading a rifle to crossing the Rhine. The troop-train hegira was no exception.

Men of the Transportation Section and Special Troops got practice by running troop trains down to Forty Ord, California. In May and June, all privates and Pfcs in the Division were sent there as replacements for Pacific forces. The cars were new and comfortable, for round-the-clock sleeping, napping or just plain loafing. They had three-tiered bunks and the food was called exceptionally good. Car-at-a-time feeding kept men from standing in long lines.

It was distinctly different when the whole Division reversed the Oregon Trail movement and headed east. Some of the equipment was so old that soldiers swore they noted a message cut in to a wooden seat: "Rode this train to Little Big Horn," and signed "George Custer."

The trip to Leonard Wood by Company C of the 275th was made in what Tom Higley insists was the filthiest train that ever chugged down the tracks. Because there was no mail to or from the train which traveled in complete blackout conditions, he had time to compile a 50-page diary. Some excerpts:

The Excerpts

July 22, 1944, late afternoon. Our barracks bags are now on trucks for the train. The high brass has made their last inspection of the barracks and on the doors are signs, PROPERTY OF THE US GOVERNMENT. DO NOT DISTURB. . . . We had many experiences here, some good, some bad (poison oak). However our memories will always be of our hard training there and I know I will always have a very soft spot in my heart for Camp Adair.

We have been issued ham sandwiches which must last for two days; by then our mess is supposed to be operating on the train. I have a box of Hershey bars from the PX. We are all just a little bit "happy" as we had time off from noon until a little while ago and we tried to consume all the beer left in the 275th PX beer garden.

"We arrived at the Portland railroad yards by 9 p.m. My Hershey bars had all melted, it was so hot in the car. (Special Services sold between-meal snacks of peanuts and candy to augment regular rations. They took in $9,000 - a lot of money in that day when large candy bars sold for a nickel.) . . . I have made friends with the civilian conductor who, believe it or not, folds up the benches and actually makes up the bunks."

Higley, who later became a first sergeant himself, was assigned to the regular top-kick. He had brought along all the records from Adair and they had to be completely updated by the time they reached Wood. The "office" had once been a stateroom, hardly a spacious abode, with windows that couldn't be opened because the draft messed up the papers. By what he suspects was not a quirk of fate, he was assigned to guard duty every night in addition to his daytime chores.

We will wear one pair only of fatigue (uniforms) from the start of the trip to the end. I imagine we will be a mess ... We were.

July 23, Sunday: Baker, Oregon at 11:45 a.m. We are approaching Idaho, not very interesting country after our beautiful part of Oregon. Now, 3:30 p.m., in Payette, Idaho. Beautiful streams, looks like deer country. Our good conductor just told me that we will miss Boise, the capital, because our coal-burning engine can't pull this long train up the grade. We by-pass in the valley....

We have completed 27 hours on this filthy and dirty train. Still on guard duty ... and daytime! But as guards we can stand in the vestibule between cars and enjoy some fresh air. No other GI is allowed there. Nor, when the train stops, can anyone get off. Officers are exceptions, per usual. We are now black with soot.

July 24, 7 a.m. A beautiful Monday morning on the dirtiest train in the world. The cars had to be cleaned and wiped out each day. Within minutes all is sooty and black again. This damn car has flat wheels ... Around 10 a.m. we passed through Rock Springs, Wyoming. A very neat place. The boys are hanging out the windows giving the girls the old "Hubba-hubba". It is nice and cool here and the Medics have unloaded a man who had a severe appendicitis attack . . . Rawlings, Wyoming at 1 p.m. We had a wonderful meal today! Our mess is operating now and how they can feed us this well on a train is beyond me. . . .

At 5 p.m., Laramie. Thank goodness again! We unload, the whole company, and march around the town for quite some time, entertaining the civilians. Lots of girls cheering us. The boys are having a good time. The first sergeant and I are still pounding away on those damn records. Each GI has a very large training file, hard to handle in our cubbyhole "office". Every single thing a guy did is recorded, from the rifle range to the Jap-in-the-Jungle range. I enter from notes, sloppy little pieces of paper, that I then throw away. I don't know why they weren't kept up to date at Adair . . . and I better not ask . . . By now we all know our destination.

July 25, 4 a.m. We're pulling out of Denver where we have been parked since we came here at 10:50 last night. I get off guard duty at 5 a.m., try to clean up, shave and after a very early breakfast report for clerk duty. Last night was very dirty with the engine making plenty of cinders and smoke. . . .

Yesterday, during lunch break, I got into trouble again. I wanted to see something and went out on the vestibule. I could be there as a guard but not in the daytime. A child-lieutenant with a high-pitched voice just chewed me out. His method was disgusting. I felt a great urge to throw him off the train. An officer with brains knows how to give a GI hell the right way.

Thank god we arrive tomorrow at our new home. Home being a shower and a clean uniform. My fatigues, like all the others, are stiff and black. There is no way to keep your hands and face clean . . . 1: 30 p.m., Selkirk, Kansas. No trees, no nothing. We made our march off the train on one street; I believe it's the only one in the town.

July 26, 7 a.m. AT LAST, Fort Scott, Nebraska and about to enter Missouri. I tried to buy some good cigars at the depot. But all I could get - all he had - were White Owls!

. . .10:15 a.m. Springfield Missouri. Closer and closer to a shower! Now rolling through some beautiful hills. Truly pretty country . . . 11:30 a.m. Marshfield. We are now 100 miles from "home". We made great time for the last 400 miles. The engine we now have makes the other one look like a midget. This job has great wheels and we roll along like a race car.

4 p.m. FORT LEONARD WOOD! Here the civilians met us at Wood and gave us cheers and a hearty welcome. The colonel met the train, the Band played "Oh, Susanna" but the general's welcoming speech was overlong. It was hot as hell and no one appreciated him at all. . . . What great showers! The line formed and if the men took too long, the GI language was explosive. The barrack looked wonderful to us. . ..

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