After being inducted into the Army in March 1943, at Ft. Myer, Virginia,traveling to Camp Lee Virginia,finally sent to Camp Wolters Texas,an Infantry training center,I received basic

training,with future cooks, truck drivers, auto mechanics,cooks, and clerks. Because the Army discovered that I had worked as a clerk-typist ,for a short period, for the U.S. Engineers,

around 1942, who were constructing,the largest office building in the world-the PENTAGON,I was enrolled in a Army clerks class,that taught the many duties of maintaining records

of army personnel. We entered many records into a service record,and also ,documented the veterans previous civilian experience on a card called Form 20.We typed military letters,and

orders,prepared info for payment of troops, and made copies of documents on a stencil machine,(No copy machines were available)

After being discharged on April 4, 1946,I once sent a request to the St. Louis Personnel Records section, requesting a copy of any of my military personnel records.This request was sent

in the mid seventies. I was informed that a fire that occurred on July 12, 1973, destroyed the center,burning up millions of records,and my records were included in the burned

military records.

An historical research on the wire on the Wikipedia encyclopedia on the internet ,documented that the entire facility lacked heat or smoke detectors to automatically detect fire

or a ;fire sprinkler system to automatically extinguish fire.

Some veterans who served with me in the 542d Field Artillery Battalion, 42d Infantry Rainbow Divsion, who were injured while in the service, and filed for pensions, were notified

that since their records were burned, no evidence existed that their disabilities occurred while in the service.

After completing my clerical training in Texas, I was shipped to the 542d Field Artillery Battalion,personnel section, 42d Infantry Rainbow Division,and assigned as a Battery

Clerk,where I maintained all records, first for Battery B, and then Headquarters Battery.

Several years ago, while straightening out some of my old records, I discovered that I had made a duplicate copy of my service record.

Following are the most popular items that were recorded in my service record:

Place of Induction, records of immunization,chest x-rays,army specialty,date articles of war read,appointment of promotions -(Uwas first appointed to PFC, then Corporal, and finally

Tech Sergeant.furloughs, foreign service,(I departed from New York PE January 6, 1945,arrived Marseilles,France,January 18, 1945. Departed from Bremerhaven,for US March 21, 1946,

arrived New York, March 31, 1946, discharged April 4, 1946.Also records kept of Class E saving allotments,dates paid,.Section on Remarks-administrative kept records like Reported

for active duty Camp Lee, Virginia March 23, 1943-Fired carbine,completed infiltration course (crawling on ground with rifle wile live bullets from machine gun fired over our heads),

completed firing M1 rifle,completed going through gas chamber,completed live grenade course,gas mask glasses issued,satisfacgtory character and efficiency ratings entered by

commanding officer.person to be notified in case of emergency,other miscellaneous remarks.

A list of french, german, and austrian cities ,in which our personnel section served is recordeded on another Post.