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Meyerrose served in Far East basesBy ART MEYERROSEI was drafted into the Army in December, 1942. I took my basic training at Fort Barran cas, Fla. and was then assigned to the Military Police in Pensacola, Fla. From there I went to Birmingham, Ala., for a year of duty. I was then sent to Nash ville for four months. Later 1 was sent to Mobile, Ala., for duty at Brookley Field for four months, then moving to Camp Clairbornc for two months in preparation for going overseas.I was then separated from my fellow comrades and transferred to the Army Engineers and then on to California where I left for Calcutta and was 42 days en route. Some of that time was spent in sick bay with a good case of old-fashioned measles. We were not told were we were going or for what purpose.After a train ride and partly by Army convoy, we arrived in Burma. We found our task there was to repair road equipment and transport it near the front lines. Some of this equipment was to build the Lcdo road.My job was to transfer the equipment by truck, and I had to travel through the jungles and sometimes get out and cut the road through. I spent 14 months there as a member of the 1575th Engineering Corp. The weather was extremely hot, an average of 108 degrees. I was given K-rations to carry on these trips. It was not unusual to see stampedes of elephants and other wild animals.One of my most hurtful experiences was the fact that my mother died while I wasnotice for eight days because I was on a trip. My wife had tried in vain to get me home to sec my mother, but I was not permitted to leave.After the war ended I was sent back to Calcutta, India, where we waited six weeks for a boat to come home. Every day I would look at the list of those going home hoping to sec my name. I arrived home in March of 1946.For many years after coming home I tried to reach some of my buddies I had served with, but they all had scattered and I was never able to find even ONE! Then one day last November I received a letter from Portland, Ore., asking if I was the Arthur D. Meyerrose who had served in this engineering corp. It turned out this was one of the fellows who slept in my tent (we slept six to a tent). He was trying to find enough of the outfit to have a reunion. Through a disc computer, he had located 82 of the members. Within 15 minutes a postcard was written and taken to the post office and mailed. So far he found that 17 were deceased.In September of this year we had a reunion at Kansas City, Mo., and there were 25 of the men and a total of 53 in attendance including wives and widows who had traveled from California, Oregon, South Dakota, Michigan, Pcnnyslva-nia, Texas, Illinois and Indiana.It had been 48/4 years since we had seen each other. A lot of memories were exchanged and many pictures shown. Another reunion is planned next year in Indianapolis.I am proud that I served my country, and I am grateful that
Newspaper Details
Greensburg Daily News
Greensburg, Indiana, US
Thu, Oct 21, 1993
Page 20
Full Page
Clipped by
Loren G.
MD, USA 18 Mar 2025
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