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February 1941 at Camp Blanding, Florida more than a year before where the entire camp was mostly underdeveloped for human occupancy.
While at Camp Bowie, Texas, we went through another intensive training period. During our free time, we were permitted to visit nearby towns, such as Fort Worth and San Antonio. The civilians at both places were very friendly to military personnel.
During the summer of 1942, our "Dixie" Division was ordered to again participate in field maneuvers in Louisiana. We didn't relish living in "pup tents" and being attacked by mosquitos and other insects common to the Louisiana area. However, during the Louisiana maneuvers, we did find time to visit local towns a couple of times. We also paid local farm wives to cook chicken for us. Such treats were rare and we enjoyed the country meals tremendously.
Upon conclusion of its second Federal service in Louisiana, in September 1942, our Division moved to Camp Shelby, Mississippi .
Throughout the fall, winter, and spring of 1942-43, our Division underwent its third period of garrison and field training. Our Division remained in a troop training status until the end of 1943. During this period, we again participated in a third and final Louisiana maneuver during the summer of 1943 in the general area bordering the Sabine River.
Then, after three summers of fighting back and forth across the Sabine River, three years of being trained and, in turn, training others, our Division was ordered to Camp Pickett, Virginia. This order we all knew was the prelude to overseas shipment.
Meanwhile, we underwent mountain training in the hills of West Virginia. During the mountain training, we had to descend sharp cliffs by rope and to gain confidence in mountain training in general. We came through it okay and did acquire much knowledge in that particular type of training.
I was then sent to a base on the east coast of Florida for very specialized training in what they defined as "Scouts and Raiders School." During this type training, we learned how to use shore-to-boat radio communications equipment, crawl through barricades erected on the beaches, infiltrate the enemy lines, and survive on our own. We were also taught jujitsu, a deadly art of killing an enemy with knives or with
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