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Fort Devens for Reassignment:-
I would ask that you grant me some literary license with this posting because I really do consider the 1st Lt. involved and his Cpl. assistant as garbage in the broad sense of being soldiers.
As I said previously, we were were taken to Fort Dix for processing and then were to be sent to the Reception Ctr. nearest our homes for a leave and reassignment. For the sake of convenience, the Officer in Charge at Dix decided to form a "Company" of men going to Fort Devens,Mass and since I was senior "Top"--I was put in charge.
After I got the Service Records and read over them quickly "Oh my God - I have tiger by the tail here". Each man was above the rank of Staff Sgt. and the Decorations were plentiful to say the least. This surprised me because up to this point nobody was wearing anything on their uniform other than their unit's patch-no chevrons-no Hersey Bars,CIBs etc. Everybody, myself included was called by the last name only.
When we arrived,via train,at Devens, we were met by a 1st. Lt. and his Cpl. assistant and we were told that the Lt. was an ASTP graduate and had had his Commission over six(6) months and the Cpl. had been with him all that time so they were qualified to be in charge and they would control the "Company" as we were in the U.S.Army. I never recall being in any other.
The "Company" was assigned to one of the old two floor barracks and a Duty Roster had been posted on the bulletin board near the room the Cpl. occupied according to the men-with me by name only as the one in charge of the whole barracks. I got up and saw that I was in charge of the Barracks and soldier "X" the first floor and soldier "Y" the second. Just about this minute the Cpl. came in and asked for me by my name and said he would tell me what he required me to do.
Fortunately,I had requested the other men not to give any thing other than their name-i.e. no rank and not to tell him who I was and in what bunk. He went looking for me but I was in one of the top bunks - DUH!!! He checked all the lower bunks. Maybe he thought I was a mannequin or something
That afternoon the Lt. and Cpl. told me that we had to take the men to the Tailor's Shop to have their uniforms completed with all the necessary chevrons,ribbons etc. I told him I had been at or in Devens(my cousin was a "Ring Knocker" stationed there) and I knew where the Tailor Shop was so I would be glad to take over the detail for them and he immediately agreed. Off we went!!!
As the men went through the line,I was reading from the service records, the chevrons,Hersey Bars etc. for each. I asked each man to go along with something I wanted to do to these two ^%$#$#^%%^ and all agreed with me. When all was finished,we lined up outside the Tailor Shop in three ranks,according to height and marched at attention back to our barrack counting "Jodie". When we left,naturally,it had been Route Step,and we must have looked like Cox's Army or POWs. Now we looked like Soldiers in Class "As"
When we got back to the barracks, I entered, knocked on the Lt's. and the Cpl's. doors and asked them to come out and review the men. The men had performed the "Open Ranks" maneuver as I had asked for the the LT. & Cpl. to "Review the Company" for correctness in Military Courtesy and Discipline as far as their uniforms would be correct.
Bug-eyed they rushed through the ranks and took off for their quarters. No comments!!!
We were there another several days being processed but we never saw either the Lt. or the Cpl. again.
The Major who was checking for the re-ups asked "How come you have no Officer with you?"(WE SMILED).
Sgtleo
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