Hurry up and wait

April 10, 1944 had dawned clear and calm at Camp Edwards and the late afternoon sun shown brightly as we marched more or less smartly away from our barracks to the beat of a band playing "Dixie" and "There's No Place Like Home."

The streets were line with other GI's who expected to follow us someday and with the girls from the PX who were losing a good part of their customers until our replacements came in. Packs, rifles, gas masks and heavy overcoats weighted us down but we eventually made it to the railroad siding where our special train awaited.

In those days, the railroads on the East Coast were jammed with freight cars moving toward the ports so our progress was pretty slow. It wasn't until the following morning that our train arrived at our destination: a place called Camp Shanks.

The camp was located in a wooded area looking down on the west bank of the Hudson River near the village of Nyack, New York. The camp consisted mainly of many tar paper covered barracks that had been rather hastily assembled to shelter the troops while they awaited the call to board their ships in New York harbor about an hour's bus ride downstream.

Our first day was spent scrubbing the barracks, standing in endless chow lines, getting medical instructions and shots for various diseases. In our off time we eargerly read the walls of the latrines. In addition of the usual "Kilroy was here" signs, the walls were covered with the signatures of the troops who had preceded us overseas from Camp Shanks. Many had also noted the dates of their arrivals and departures so it was easy to figure out that their stay at Camp Shanks had ranged from three to ten days, with the average at about five.

For us, time plodded along as our processing continued with movies, lectures, boat drills, exercises and policing up the campgrounds. After five days we were eligible for twelve-hour passes from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. so practically everybody took off in the evening for New York or Nyack.

Nyack was pretty much unknown to most of us. It was a sleepy little town on the banks of the Hudson River and had been made famous by the lyrics of a popular song: Let's take a kayak to Quincy or Nyack -- let's get away from it all!

Although I admired the hills and valleys and pine forested scenery around Nyack, I could never have dreamed that 11 years later I would have a German wife and two children and we would be building our first house a few miles up the river from where Camp Shanks had stood. But for now, I preferred going into New York City.

The days went past and still there was no word as to when or where we were going or which ship was to take us. Rumor had it that we were headed for the First Army and would provide air defense for the invasion forces. But this was strictly rumor. Every day we welcomed new units arriving at Camp Shanks and waved goodbye to others departing for their ships. But nothing was happening to us.

We soon broke the ten day record for residence at the camp and then set the record for twenty days. It was getting embarrassing. Our main occupation now was moving piles of small rocks from one end of the parade ground area to the other during the day and going to New York or Nyack in the evening for "one last night" on the town.

Finally our orders came!

We read with disbelief that we were not to proceed to the harbor to board our ship. Instead, we were directed to gather our belongings and march to the railroad station for the train trip back to Camp Edwards ... of all places!

When we arrived back at Cape Cod there was no band to greet us; the PX girls were working; and a good many of the GI's who had lined the road for our original departure had themselves been shipped out to a port of embarkation. What now?