Major Richard Green, who heads an organization called Signal Corps OCS Association, has sent out a newsletter advising that Fort Monmouth (NJ) "...has been turned over to commercial land developers and will soon cease to exist as anything resembling a militray base!"
This is probably the least earth-shaking news of the month to most of you, but to a graduate of this Officer Candidate School in September, 1942, it brings back some special memories.
Major Green reports that the average attrition rate at this OCS was 50%. I made it OK, but barely.
I was probably selected to attend OCS beause I had proved my technical ineptitude as a radio repairman, so the U.S. Army decided to to try to make me into an officer. It was apparently irrelevant that I was color-blind (rejected for that reason by the Navy and Air Force) and therefore didn't really belong in the Signal Corps at all.
I came close to getting kicked out of this OCS a few weeks before the end of the 3-months of training. Jean and I had been married in May, and our first home together was in Long Branch, New Jersey, within bicycle range of Fort Monmouth. One full-moon night I had visited my bride, and returned to the base a couple of hours after the midnight curfew. Suddenly I was surrounded by officers, told to stand at attention while they identified me.
I didn't get kicked out because I was both dumb and lucky. The "smart" ones who intended to violate the curfew paid enlisted men to occupy their beds. My violation was totally unplanned. the surprise bed-check that night examined all dog tags and the "smart" ones were exposed and reportedly kicked out of the OCS program. I was merely confined to the post for the remaining few weeks, and even that was waived a couple of times by a kind officer who granted me "laundry privileges" so I could visit Jean.
For the record, I eventually became Adjutant of the 583rd Signal Aircraft Warning Battalion, with service in New Guinea and on Leyte Island in the Phillipines.
Jean and I agree that if the closing of Fort Monmouth is a step toward preventing future wars, well and good. But we are not optimistic.
Thanks for the news, Major Green.
Wait....
I'm not real good with numbers, so...
May, 1942.... six minus two is 4, ten minus four is 6....
You've just had your 64th anniversary!?!?
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!
oh yea, just found your blog....
Posted by: scroff | May 27, 2006 at 02:56 AM