The 3125th, Is Disbanded (Part 1)

May 13, 2019, 5:40 PM

After the war ended in Europe, our company was scheduled to go to the South Pacific. We were packing our gear and equipment and making ready for a long ride on a "luxury liner" to some unknown Pacific Paradise. The dropping of a couple of atomic bombs hastened the surrender of the Japanese and our cruise to the South Pacific was cancelled. I can assure you no one in our company was disappointed re the cancellation. We were now in limbo status. With several million troops scattered all over the world, the main problem were logistics. Some troops would have to remain and be assigned to the occupation forces but the vast majority would be returned home.

A point system was developed which would provide a guide in determining the order of our returning home. Points were assigned for length of service, serving in a combat zone and serving overseas. There were a couple of other factors but they did not apply to everyone.

It became apparent our company was going to be dismantled. About one-half of our company members with the fewest points were sent to Bremen, Germany. The other one-half with the most points, including me, were sent down to Marseille, France. After arriving at Marseille, some of the men in our group were assigned to various units. One of my buddies, Steve "Pollock" Kozak, and I were still together. We were now a group of about 20 - 25 men and we were assigned to a Port Company. We knew nothing about a Port Company and assumed we were joining this company for administrative purposes of returning home because we had the highest number of points in the group that went to Marseille.

But such was not the case. The men in the Port Company were going home and we were their replacements. To further add to our miseries, we were declared essential, which meant, in essence, the number of points we had meant nothing in the scheme of things. I can't find words to describe our feelings and they were definitely not happy thoughts. Furthermore, we had no idea what our responsibilities and duties would be in a Port Company. But we would soon learn our destination and our responsibilities because we received an order we had heard on many occasions, "pack your bags, we're going on a trip"

(Part 2 will follow sometime between now and then. Didn't want to bore you with a lengthy epistle, I can do that with a short epistle. Just wanted to set the stage with this post. I will attempt in Part 2 to tell you where we went and what we did. I can laugh about it now but it was no laughing matter 73 years ago,)

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My Pop joined the Pennsylvania National Guard right out of high school in 1939. When we were sucked into the war, Pop, with a couple of years of Guard experience, looked like a vet and that served him well. When the war in Europe ended, Pop was a Major, had earned the SS, BS/V, PH, and quite a few hash marks on his sleeve. Pop spoke fluent German and was offered a job he could not refuse serving in the Army of Occupation in Germany until he finally came home in 1949. He later served in Korea where he got an Oak Leaf for the PH and another BS. Pop finally retired from the Army in 1963 as a Colonel. Pop loved military life. He like the order and discipline on Post, appreciated the fact that merit and performance counted more than anything else, and he admired the men with whom he served in war and in peace.

Pop is buried in the Beaufort National Cemetery in a beautiful place of order and discipline, surrounded by other soldiers, sailors,and marines who also served their country. I'm sure Pop likes his grave site because it looks and feels like a bit like an Army base.

I visit my Pop and Mom's gravesite in Beaufort regularly. Being there, seeing the names, ranks, birthplaces and dates makes me proud and thankful for the sacrifices so many people made to give us the world we have today. It also makes me a little sad.

Thanks again for your service. I really appreciate it.

Harley

The 3125th, Is Disbanded (Part 1)

Re: The 3125th, Is Disbanded (Part 1)

CRUMP......Make The Joe Board.....Joe Stories All The Time***

Re: The 3125th, Is Disbanded (Part 1)

Joe, Thanks for your service.

TigerBoard POTD