Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana

I found a scrapbook that was kept by Aunt Geraldine in the bottom of a box that sheds some light on the beginning of Dad’s military journey. Glued in the scrapbook were a few post cards that are below. (It was a little hard to get them out of the scrapbook, scanned and returned to the scrapbook without ruining them, but mission accomplished). The first two are dated July 28 and 29, 1943, and addressed from Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indiana. The third post card is dated August 23, 1943 from Camp Haan, California. So, evidently his 4 day and night train trip was from Fort Benjamin Harrison and not Washington. Still not sure what the trip to Camp Howze, Texas was about. Maybe we will figure that out later.

Since we are so close to the actual dates that Dad’s letters were originally postmarked, I am going to try and make my posts on the same dates that he sent his letters. The first few posts have been off just a few days here and there, but starting after the Labor Day holiday, I will begin posting his letters on the same dates has he originally sent them…just 74 years later.

A Few Pictures

I thought it might be interesting to readers to actually see some of the people that Dad is communicating with and a few of the things that I have mentioned in the Blog:

Dad and a couple of friends before they leave for the Service. (Dad is on the right.) I believe this was taken on Main Street, Washington, Indiana.

Ella (Polen) Dodson, Geraldine Dodson (Godwin) and Ben Dodson

Dad is in the Army Now!

Mess Hall, Camp Haan, California

Dad in his Military Uniform. Note the Anti-Aircraft Ensignia

Dad (on left) and some buddies having some fun in the Hollywood Palladium with a weekend pass.

Take Care of Mom and Dad While I’m Away

Sounds like Dad is having some problems with his teeth in this letter. It also appears that Geraldine and Jake are living in Washington, Indiana with my Grandpa and Grandma Dodson. Dad mentions some others from Washington have “left home for their exam.” I wonder if that is why Dad went to Camp Howze Texas?

Didn’t Go Out this week, Because I only have $1.00

Interestingly, this letter was written on August 21, 1943, exactly 74 years ago yesterday. While the envelope was addressed to Geraldine, it was sent to 226 Ogden Street, Washington, Indiana. I think that was the address where my Grandma and Grandpa Dodson lived. 

A Bit of a Mystery

Today’s letter was postmarked August 17, 1943 from Camp Haan, California. 

This letter leaves me with one of those mysteries that I may never solve. In the letter Dad says that he had been in 7 States during his trip to Camp Haan. He names them: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. He said in the previous letter that he had been on the train for 4 days and 4 nights.

However, the very first postcard, he listed his return address as Bruce Dodson, Co. E 140^th Infantry Regiment Camp Howze, Texas. He had written his return address over the post mark and date on the postcard, however. So, did he go to Texas for induction and then back to Indiana before taking the train to California? Also, his return address on today’s letter is Battery A, 823^rd A.A.A., Camp Haan, California.

Also, interestingly Geraldine lived in Princeton, Indiana when Dad sent the first postcard and for the next 3 letters she lived in Smithville, Indiana. It is funny that there is no street address in Smithville on the envelope...it just say's Geraldine Godwin, Smithville. Geraldine married Harold (Jake) Godwin and they always lived in very small Indiana towns over the years. Jake was a school teacher and basketball coach.

Dad also mentions that he "saw Jack Bowman in a beer joint..." So, I assume that the "Jack B." that he mentioned in the previous letter was Jack Bowman.

Might Go to Hollywood on Pay Day!

The letter below is dated August 9, 1943. Dad mentions Bob Neidige (possibly not spelled correctly). I do remember Dad mentioning him over the years. He also mentions a “Jack B” in the letter but I don’t know who that might be.

Camp Howze, Texas and Camp Haan, California

While Dad enlisted on July 5, 1943 he didn’t begin his active duty until July 26, 1943. His Discharge papers indicate “Inactive Service” between July 5 and July 25, 1943 and his training began on July 26, 1943. So, he had about 3 weeks to get ready to leave Washington to become an official United States G.I. From what I have read, it appears that several of his buddies enlisted around the same time as Dad, and apparently, a couple of them were sent to the same locations for their initial training.

With his training, he starts writing letters to his sister Geraldine. I wish I had copies of the letters that she sent to him, but I don’t.

The first “letter” that I have is actually a post card that indicates Dad arrived at Camp Howze, Texas at 2am and the picture on the card seems to indicate his first G.I. haircut.

What I have discovered about Camp Howze is that the Camp was located northwest of Gainesville, Texas, being established by the United States War Department in 1942 as a United States Army infantry-training camp. It was located on a 59,000-acre tract purchased from local landowners beginning in December 1941 and named for Maj. Robert E. Lee Howze. With a troop capacity of 39,963 men, the camp served as the training ground for several hundred thousand men between 1942 and 1946. In 1946 the camp was declared surplus, disbanded, and leveled. 

However, according to the second letter sent by Dad, which was postmarked August 5, 1943, he had spent 4 days and nights on a train and was now located at Camp Haan, Riverside, California. So, he must have not stayed at Camp Howze very long.

One Among Many

The following Blog posts are about one person who I know shares a similar story with thousands and thousands of others. But, this one person happens to be my Dad, Bruce Dodson. Dad would never talk very much about his time in the military, as I have heard many others say about their own Dads. But, I have always been interested in history, particularly family history. Now that both my Dad and Mom have passed and being their only child, I have had the opportunity to read through many papers and scrap books. Most importantly, my Aunt Geraldine passed along a box full of letters and

mementos that my Dad wrote and sent to her during his time in the Service. These letters and several papers have led me to discover where my Dad was during World War II, what unit he served in and to some extent what he did during the War. I have read and copied reams of official U.S. Army documents concerning the War and specifically his unit. Recently I discovered a paperback book that is a written history of his Military Unit. Coupled all together, I am piecing together a story about my Dad. I am not sure what Dad would think about my writing all of this and making it public. If he were alive today, I’m not sure if he would have even helped me fill in the blanks, so to speak. I think his time during World War II was a chapter in his life that he tried to simply forget about and move on with the next chapters. And, I think I understand that desire. But although Dad was simply “one among many” he WAS my Dad and I’m telling this story anyway!

My Dad, Bruce Dodson was born on March 3, 1925 in Washington, Indiana. I don’t know much about his early childhood, but I know that the Great Depression officially started in 1929 and lasted until 1941. That means from the time that Dad was 4 years old, until he was 16, nearly everyone in

the United States was living in rough times. I remember Dad telling me that his Dad and Mom (Ben and Ella Dodson) had built a new home for the family, but like many others during the Depression they had lost their home and were forced to move to some “shack” of a place to live for many years. I also learned that my Grandpa and Grandma had several children that had died at birth, prior to a

daughter (Geraldine) being born on December 31, 1920 followed by my Dad’s birth in 1925. So, it was a family of 4 who had moved to a shack to live. Clearly Geraldine and Dad were very close during their entire lives.

I also know when Dad was 16 years old, on December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, and with that the United States became fully engaged in World War II. As the United States war efforts ramped up for the coming engagement in Europe and the South Pacific, nearly every young man either enlisted or was drafted into the military. Whether Dad’s number came up, or he voluntarily enlisted, I do not know. But I do know that On July 5, 1943 Dad officially enlisted in the United States Army.