In recognition of Memorial Day, I going to devote this column to a story told by one of my elderwriters, the late Wesley Osborne of Whitesboro, a veteran of WWII and the Korean War.  Wesley was present at the creation of Fort Hood in 1942.  His story begins with him on a train to Temple, Texas.  In good military style, after completing basic training (in Arkansas), he was told where to go, but not why or what to expect.  

 Before they left for the depot, Wesley and a fellow soldier named Homer were each handed a brown-bag lunch from the mess hall, which contained a bologna sandwich and an apple. They were then given seven cents each, a nickel and two pennies, which was said to be "coffee money" for the train trip.

While getting acquainted during the long train trip, the two privates smoked a few hand-rolled cigarettes and joked about theories as to why they were being sent to Temple.  So far as they knew, it was a hundred miles from the nearest army camp or military base. 
They did discover one thing they had in common: the same military specialty number, which was based on having experience as motion picture projectionists.  This skill turned out to be the reason they were given the assignment.

Upon arrival at the Temple depot, they found no one to meet them and no knowledge of any military installation nearby.  After using the last of Homer’s Bull Durham tobacco to make two cigarettes, they became hungry and began searching in earnest for other soldiers.

Soon they located a farmhouse that had become a refuge for a handful of enlisted men like themselves, all dispatched to Temple with little or no information about their mission.  The farmer was providing free meals out of sympathy for hungry soldiers without money.

Eventually, they learned that a group of army officers were staying in a hotel downtown. Finally, the mystery was revealed: they had all been sent there to build from the ground up a new installation with a special mission: Camp Hood (later Fort Hood) became the site of the Army's first organized anti-tank training.

Early in WWII, the German army’s success with the tactic of Blitzkrieg (lightning war with concentrated force) showed the need for a crash program in anti-tank warfare.  Screening movies was an important part of the training. 

Before the war ended, Wesley went to Europe as part of a battalion that had completed anti-tank training. In 1949 he re-enlisted and served two years in Korea. Like many other veterans, he decided late in life to write stories about his experiences.  I’m very glad to hear any veteran’s stories.  We are all deeply indebted to them.

Jerry Lincecum is a retired English professor who now teaches classes for older adults who want to write their life stories.  He welcomes your reminiscences on any subject: jlincecum@me.com