AIR FORCE TRAINEES CAMP AT MIAMI HOTELS
April 1, 1942 The government has notified Miami hotel ownersthat theAir Force will be taking over many of the city's 300 resort hotels to house up to 30,000 trainees.
The men will be run through a training center--dubbed by the cadets "Camp Miami Beach"---that will graduate non-flying officer trainees at the rate of 1,000 a day.
Art
From 4deucer, a year ago
Sir,
Magnificent response! Thanks so much! My Dad wore the sleeve patch of the AAF for many months while here in the States. He got transferred to the Army infantry when the AAF became full, and went from Miami Beach to some proving grounds in Illinois. I still talk to his youngest brother (my Uncle John, who they called 'Peanut' only because he was the youngest of the 5 brothers). Uncle John is 82 this year.
Uncle John told me that my Dad's unit got pretty cold in Illinois because they moved them out from Florida in such a hurry that they didn't have time to issue cold climate clothing. From Illinois, Dad went for Chemical Warfare training at Ft. Meade, Maryland, then further infantry training at Fort Howze, Texas, where he earned his Expert Marksman Badge with Carbine and 50 ca. Machine Gun bars.
From there, as best I can tell, to maneuvers in Louisiana, then to San Francisco, CA where they shipped out for the Philippines in early 1945.
I follow 4 Deucer here Sir : keep your stories coming. The European youth is reading them.
Morgy
aducer, I know what your father went through. After flying AT-6 they asked me were I wanteded to go . All I thought of was what air base was closest to my home
It was chanute field ,had opening for teletype repair man. I jumped at the chance and went to chanute field. After a couple of days, I was woke up at mid-night and told to pack my barrack's bag. I packed and they were checking me out and a wcc asked me if I knew were I was going, I said NO and she said to the Infantry. I was too tired to know what was going on but a couple days later I was in a Gainsville Texas army camp. The first thing I seen was a army officer slouched in a chair with dirty clothes on.. BANG I thought whatt am I getting in to. In air cadets I never seen a officer in dirty cloths.But I thought this is better than reporting to German officer
Art long ago air man