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About Abbot engineer. (Camp Abbot, Or.) 1943-1944 | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1944)
Page Twelve A BBO T ENGINEER Camp Abbot, Ore., May 27, 1944 Pioneers’ Triumph Over Adversity Revealed in Camp’s Early History This week. Camp A bbot’s first annivers ary is being observed. But the story of this military station begins almost two years ago— August 14, 1942. F or on that day Col. Richard I'ark, district engineer from the Partland area, arrived in Bend in search of an appropriate site or a new engineer training camp. In his prelim inary routine work, the co'onel met Robert W . Sawyer, publisher of the Bend Bulletin, who suggested the site of the present camp, then known locally as the Shonquest ranch. The publisher also suggested the name in honor of Brig. Gen Henry Lareom Abbot, the distinguished engineer general of the last century. On Sep- tember 2, 1855, Abbot, then a Second Lieutenant in com- dust began to blow. The rough his present command as Post i land of a p a rty engaged in lanes, now s m o o t h l y paved Commander on May 12, 1943, oae of the projects of the Pa- streets, were thick with vehicles af,er havin^ 8erY.ed as. ERTC Commander at ____ Fort ________ Leonard c'fic Railway Survey, camped ___________ _ oa the spot we now occupy. scurrying here and there on ur- w ood( ¡yj0 Col. Besson’s orig- About eighteen months ago, gent mlssloas’ Dui|np trUPks inal staff included Major Paul aooui eignt en monins ago were everywhere, unloadtng ton L Diedekor> adjutant; L t. Col. ° her arm>' engineers arrived after ton of lava rock as a base M A p imental, chief, supply from the Portland district, and for what were to become streets. and servdce and £ol Russell saon afterward construction be- Wild creatures were reluctant D Turrin (then a major), direc- g in on what was soon to be- to abandon their habitat in favor tor personne] come a modern military installa- of man. Deer could be seen most _ . . . ,, . , . t on, fully equipped with tactical frequently, and chipmunks were " _ R f . a eas floating bridge and river all over the place. At night, when * ffic eP (now S lva g e ° o f f i ^ r ) ; crossing train ng sites, anti-tank all was quiet, strange sounds :>Iarvin p. cooper, intelU- demolition facilities, fixed bridge floated in on the nocturnal r ... ... __ A hit of Gotham in the Oregon woods north of Camp Abbot. Corps . . . * . i . gence officer; Mai. William H. of Engineers trainees of 31st battalion, utilizing local plant life, de locations, d e m o l i t i o n ranges, breeze. There were tales of cou * chanlain and CaDt signed garden spot and named it “ Central Park,” as sign at right of f .rtification obstacles, bayonet gar and timber wolves, of bob- * „ P° chaplain and Capt. man emerging from foxhole shows. Photo by Signal Corps Photo Lab. . ’ , . ,,u- ■ T. B. Fulkerson, supply officer, courts, weapon and grenade cats big as dogs. L t H L Hansen. now athletic ranges, obstacle courses, a largo One of the first units to as- ofiicer> was ^ director of per. Nice W o rk— and Do They i “View field, and many other sume active duty was the Mili- sonnel. c„ „ no| MORE ABOUT G et It training facilities. tary Police Section, under com- BY BF.KTON BRALEY Camp Abbot, originally desig It was on March G, 1943 that mand of Lt. T. E. Pennington, "The Engineers nated an Engineer Replacement General Order number 30, Head- who is still company command- Have hairy ears” Training Center, but now known n larters, Ninth Service Com- er. Seriously handicapped by an —and hairy, harried faces; (Continued from Page 5) officially as an Arm y Service r. and, directed that a Service acute manpower shortage, MPs Robust and tough Forces Training Center, \vas Command Unit be activated, nevertheless were faced with the They do their stuff religious service. As hundreds of formally dedicated at a colorful Original post headquarters was responsibility of guarding the In all the toughest places. men, still in field clothes, and , . . ceremony on September 2, 1943. located at 9 0 Wall street in new eamp Th.s resulted in long, Thp pvpnt J tended by Unit. with gun holsters well secured Bend the budding now occupied almostundeard-of tours of duty, e(J S(ates Senator Rufus c Hol. For they’re the babes who take about their waists, sang such ./ the U.S.O. While awaiting and other hardships. man. Maj ^ Alexander M time-honored favorites as “The the raps, t le arrival of office furniture Everyone worked hard in Patch Jr Maj Gen Thomas The boobs who probe for the Old Rugged Cross.” "Col. F. S. and equipment, local merchants those early days. The Quarter- M Robbins. Brig. Gen. Warren Beeson, commanding officer of booby-traps, loaned the army necessary office masters, in command of Maj. y Hannum, Robert W. Sawyer, The scouts ahead of the scout Camp Abbot, and Mrs. Beeson, fixtures. The first contingent of Emil L. Mosheim (then a cap- and a host other distinguished Col. Charles S. Baish, command ing lines e ilisted men a master sergeant tain) were faced with the tre- guests Cutting the wire and hunting er of the 11th Group, and Mrs. ui three privates arrived mendous task of u n l o a d i n g ___________________ Baish; Major and Mrs. Lil- mines. March 15. The camp opened and mountains of equipment and And they are the playboys, gay burn P. Stamon, and several New York (C N S )— Eleazor began operation May 1 last year, supplies from freight cars. other members of the command and bright, Skeleton units arrived first. Capt. John C. Burgeson, pres- Morrison, V e n e z u e l a n Con- Who crack pillboxes with dyna ing officer’s party arrived for a Buildings were still in the pro- ent salvage officer, was Camp su* General, at lived at a hotel visit and joined in the service. mite, cess of construction; there were Abbot's first postal officer. Post wbere be was scheduled to ad- And they are the fellers who fell At the same time Captain Elliot was receiving a message from no paved streets, no sidewalks, office personnel fashioned equip dress a dinner given by the Com- the trees, A j merce and Industry Association. There was no water, except that ment from scrap lumbe; While the bullets hum like a the Commanding General of the IV Corps that his troops were hauled in. When soldiers moved though facilities were not avail- * ,idd tbe bead " a' tel his name hive of bees. planning an attack on the en into barracks, sawdust and scrap, able immediately for handling was Morrison and was escorted emy and that the 51st Battalion The Engineers! lumber had to be cleared out to monp-v ° rdprs“ CaP‘ Burgerson Throat a n d '^ k ^ a t would assist in the preparations They grease the gears make room for bunks. There and pOS,al employees ob,ainpd . - ™ and f ' (‘ked at. stamps from personal funds and his nofps' But nobody asked That Arm y transport runs on, by constructing floating bridges at certain sites along the river. v ere no mattresses, no pillows. made thom available to soldiers. him to sPeak Influiry disclospd And foot by foot Mess sergeants and cooks The captain also made arrange- that he was attendlnK the wrong Following the church service Build roads they put ' ere hard pressed to prepare ments to receive and send regis- dinnel • He finally arrived at the the men invited the command The trucks and tanks and r lea Is. In addition to the water tered mail. Enlisted men as- rigbt one in time for a second ing officer and his party to com guns on. shortage, there was a lack of signed to the post office were dessert and his speech- munity singing in the bivouac equipment. There was no PX; Sgt. Ed Purcell, Cpl. R. What They are the bucks who buck area. The church organ again was set up and men identified ro theater; no Service Club; no ford and Pfc. Sidney Resnich. New Haven, Conn. (CNS) — away • nest House. There were no In the midst of this prepara- Two roistering fellows paid a Through stubborn granite and by names printed on their hel mets as Privates Behmer, Gill, I it lines. Most of them had been tory period, the W AC company social call to a friend in the New sticky clay. ( unpleted but their pipes con- arrived, and operated under Haven jug. Denied admission, With pick and shovel they break Hautala, and S l o e n e c k e r , brought forth musical instru ( lined only dust. similar pioneer conditions in the they battered down the pokey their backs It was colil in thoiie early area now occupied by Casual doors. Once inside, they stayed After (and under) the bomb at ments, and with Private Brayer at the organ, swung into such soring days. Snow covered the Company until the present quar- there -locked up on charges of tacks. ground almost constantly. And ters were completed. drunkeness, breach of the peace They drill for water through sentimental songs as “ Sweet heart of the Mountain,” and t hen the snow did disappear. Col. Frank S. Besson assumed and damaging public property. desert dunes And over the rivers they toss “ Road to Mandalay,” with a large group of soldiers and guests ontoons. They sla down runways in fields joining in. Monday morning the 51st Bat of mud (And some of the ooze is the talion broke camp for a ten-mile march south along the Des ooze of blood). chutes. Arriving at its destina tion at 2:30 in the afternoon, it The Engineers began c o n s t r u c t i o n of foot Are cavaliers bridge®, an infantry support Who joust with logs and raft, and a ponton bridge. These boulders operations were interrupted by A task that’s done enemy air activity. This opera With half a ton Of junk upon their shoulders. tion was abandoned, equipment was recovered, and the battalion For they are the lugs who lug withdrew to bivouac in the near by woods. the most The following day the battal Of loads that land on a hostile ion was successful in establish coast. And they are the guys, when ing a river crossing ten miles south of Camp Abbot, over equipment fails. Who scratch out a ditch with which supplies and troops then moved toward the front. Upon their finger nails. You find them up in the moun completion of this assignment, tain crags the battalion was ordered to . r- And down in the jungle clearing turn to the Post. snags Toledo. O. (CNS) — Arthur Where the moccasins coii and Fleesher put over a canny deal the snipers lurk • t -Engineers, doing the dirty the other day. He swapped his 1941 Ford station wagon even work! up for a 1924 Model T touring Pvt. Charles S. t nvnwn of ( iHnpuy C. 33nd battalion, points out a detail in N s design for a Service Pass The ENGINEER To An car. Reason for the trade: The Clnh mural. Pi Irate Freeman Pvt. W illard F. ¡shekel-. also of ( ' .1!. and Pvt. Frank A. lackner of Company A, 34Ui battalion, will execute Uw work depicting the history of the Camp Abbot site on other Abbotman—He’ll Appreci Model T has four good tires. The ate It. the wall over the eutrance to the lounge and adjacent to the stairway. station wagon has none. "Let Us Try"
