Charles would register for the Draft on December 28th, 1942. At the time of registering, he had grown to 6' and 195 pounds, and had gray eyes, brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. Willing to go when he was drafted, Charles enlisted into the Army on July 9th, 1943, going to Camp Shelby, Forrest County, for Basic Training. After that, he would meet up with his assigned unit: 35th Division, 137th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Battalion, Company I.
The 137th Infantry Regiment initially admitted servicemen from Kansas as it entered into federal service on December 23rd, 1940. Company I itself was inducted in Wichita. Thus, Charles would possibly have been filling a personnel gap in his company upon entering the military. |
As he joined the 137th, they were at Camp Rucker, Alabama, experiencing advanced training since April 1943. From November 1943 to January 1944, the 137th moved north to the Tennessee Maneuver Area to train during the arduous conditions of winter. After this, the regiment moved east to Camp Butner, North Carolina, undergoing final training. This included a period of rough mountain training in West Virginia.
Following these trainings, the 137th performed a Combat Team Exercise for Secretary of War Robert Patterson and Senator Harry Truman. The regiment then moved to Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, on May 4th, 1944. Interestingly enough, Charles would have had a chance to visit New York City between then and his deployment. On that day, May 11th, 1944, his regiment left New York Harbor for England on the S.S. Thomas H. Barry. |
The regiment landed in Avonmouth, England, on May 24th, 1944, heading southwest by train through the city of Exeter. The 3rd Battalion ended up in Bodmin, Cornwall, its barracks being those of the historical Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry Brigade. The regiment would continue to train in the nearby moors. During this time, the 137th was inspected by Generals Eisenhower and Patton themselves, Eisenhower even giving a rousing speech.
Eventually, the 137th was transferred to the port cities of Plymouth and Falmouth, Cornwall, on July 4th, 1944. The regiment shipped out of those ports on the 6th and 7th, destination: France. Charles would never again stand on peaceful soil. |