by Mehlo, Noel
8, 9.
Figure 10: 1950 aerial view of Fort Hayes: Ohio Historical Society A Reception Center existed to receive newly procured manpower into the armed forces. The activities to be completed at the center included filling out all necessary paperwork and records, issue of individual equipment, the classification of the recruit as to occupation, immunization for smallpox and typhoid, military occupation and unit assignment. Each man was interviewed at the reception center to help determine their best use for the military. There are some written accounts of the Fort Hayes Reception Center process to draw from to better understand the process from a soldier’s point of view. An account that was particularly useful came in the form of a book written by an airman from Youngstown, Ohio named A Teenager’s View of World War II; The Adventures of a Young Airman in the Army Air Force; 1942 to 1945; 2003, by Fred Kaiser. Shortly after reporting to a Reception Center, soldiers received their basic issue of clothing and equipment. Much of the early training revolved around ensuring that soldiers knew how to properly care for and use the equipment issued to them.
The military had a purpose for the process, although to many soldiers and other veterans, the Reception Centers might have appeared to be haphazard or have given the perception of doing nothing but standing in never-ending lines. The best source of information regarding the Reception Center and the purpose for which they served is found in War Department Technical Manual, TM 12 – 223, Reception Center Operations. This manual, together with TM 12-221, -Armed Forces Induction Station Operations, 30 November 1944, superseded Army Service Forcer Manual M-201, Induction Station and Reception Center Operation, August 1943.
“The mission of reception centers is to perform certain administrative processes in connection with newly enlisted men which must be accomplished before they may begin basic training”.10 To understand the process, the Receptions Center Operations manual is a must read. The procedures contained in the manual were designed to implement regulations affecting reception center operations, while at the same time, simplifying and standardizing the processing of personnel through such stations. The procedure charts used in the manual illustrate graphically the flow of the man and his records and the action taken throughout each step in the process. Figure 11, taken from a War Department Manual displays the reception Center Processing Plan. Reception centers were considered Class I installations of the Army Service Forces established and operated pursuant to Army Regulation (AR) 615-500. The essential administrative processes performed at reception centers were:
Initiation of records
Physical profile
Classification tests. (Army General Classification, Mechanical Aptitude and Army Radio Code Aptitude) Issuance of clothing and equipment
Classification (into arm of service or military occupational specialty - MOS)
Application for insurance, dependency benefits, allotments, and bonds
Blood typing
Immunization. (Initial injections)
Training films and lectures
Assignment
Transfer to training center
Figure 11: TM 12-223, Reception Center Processing Plan
The Army placed considerable emphasis on speedy and efficient processing. They understood that: “the psychological implications involved in the transition from civilian life to military life should not be overlooked. The reception center is the new soldier's first Army home and his first experience with Army procedures following enlistment or induction. In most cases, he will look upon reception center activities as indicative of what he may expect in the future. Accordingly, the impression made on the soldier during his stay at the reception center may have a significant influence in shaping his attitude toward the Army. The processing should be so conducted as to impress the soldier with the fact that, in traditional Army manner, it has been meticulously planned and is being executed according to that plan. He should be given fair and considerate treatment. Unnecessary haste or unwarranted delays should be avoided. Care should be exercised in the initial assignment of quarters so that changes will be held to a minimum. The mess should be so coordinated that all soldiers do not arrive at a mess hall at the same time. All reception center personnel who conduct any phase of processing should be thoroughly trained in their jobs. Military personnel of the reception center should be exemplary in appearance and conduct. The reception center should take full advantage of the opportunity it has to instill in the soldier confidence in Army leadership”.10
The Army dictated that the physical profile examination and the Army General Classification Test must be accomplished at the earliest practicable time after the arrival of the enlisted men so that statistical reporting could occur on a daily basis. Not unlike the process used to this day, the Major Sections visited by the recruits during their reception were as follows:
Receiving Section
o Receiving Unit
o Forms Processing Unit
Physical Profile Section
Classification Testing Section
Clothing Shipment Section
Clothing and Equipment Issue Section Classification and Assignment Section Insurance, Bonds and Allotments Section War Department Theater
Blood Type and Immunization Section Transportation Section
Records Section
The United States Military has been and is known for its generation of paperwork. During these few days, each Soldier would have their official personnel records created. The basic components of the initial records included: Records Jacket (WD AGO Form 201)
Selective Service Letter
Processing Schedule
Company Quartering Report
Consolidated Quartering Report Notice
Soldier's Qualification Card (WD AGO Form 20)
Application For National Service Life Insurance (VET ADM Form 350)
Authorization For Allotment Of Pay (WD AGO Form 29)
Authorization of Class B Allotment For Purchase of War Savings Bonds (WD AG Form 29-6) Individual Clothing And Equipment Record (WD AGO Form 32)
Special Orders
"Report Of Physical Examination And Induction (DSS Form 221)
Service Record (WD AGO Form 24)
Army Life (WD Pamphlet 21-13)
Barracks Bag Tag
Civilian Clothes Bag Tag
Civilian Clothes Bag Slip
Physical Profile Form
Application for Dependency Benefits (WD AGO Form 425)
Immunization Register and Other Medical Data (Wd MD 81 / Old WD MD 81) Identification Tags
Postal Locator Card
Locator Card (WD AGO Form 401)
Enlistment Record Jacket (WD AGO Form 490)
Dispatch Notice
Shipping Schedule
Telephone Call
Troop Movement
Routing
Equipment List
Transportation Notice
For any family member looking for information regarding their loved-ones service, the single most important piece of documentation to try to find a copy of is the Soldier’s Qualification Card (WD AGO Form 20). These were largely burned in the 1973 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records fire; however, they contain the most pertinent information regarding a veteran’s service. However, any of the listed documents above can provide valuable clues as to military service. The Army determined that proper layout of the various offices used for processing new recruits would contribute a great deal toward to expeditious processing of the men as shown in Figures 12 through 14. The manual established that equipment and facilities should be so arranged that the enlisted men and the forms being processed move forward on an assembly line basis. The use of the assembly line process invented by Henry Ford found its way into many of the wartime activities from this to the manufacture of bombers. This greatly enhanced America’s ability to out produce our enemies in the war. The Army provided guidance as simple as that “backtracking or crisscrossing should be avoided wherever possible. The n
ames of the various processing stations should be clearly and conspicuously designated by signs.” This activity lent to an efficient militarization of the individual citizen. Even providing meals (mess) to the new recruits was discussed in the process in order to provide for good timing that avoids long lines and waiting for the men to eat.
Figure 12: TM 12-223, Layout for Soldier In-processing The process of testing the aptitude of the men was accomplished in a similar manner, with great emphasis placed on the care needed to develop the proper atmosphere when administering the tests. The Army stated that “Every attempt should be made to permit the soldier to take the tests under as nearly perfect conditions as is possible. The importance of the various tests (presently consisting of the Army General Classification Test, the Mechanical Aptitude Test, and the Army Radio Code Aptitude Test) should be clearly stressed, and the fact that they are conducted on a time basis should be fully explained”. Once a man had taken the tests, they were to be properly scored, tabulated, and entered on the Soldier's Qualification Card, (WDAGO Form 20).
Figure 13: TM 12-223, Layout for Soldier In-processing
Figure 14: TM 12-223, Layout for Soldier In-processing The men were given a prescribed set of clothing and equipment that would go with them for the early part of their service until replaced at later units. Clothing and Individual Equipment were issued to Enlisted Personnel in accordance with “Table of Equipment No. 21” (AR 615-40) current Tables of Allowances, Tables of Organization, and Army Regulations. The items of Clothing and Individual Equipment were issued to newly Inducted Enlisted Men (or Enlisted Women) at “Reception Centers” without regard to season.11 The men at Fort Hayes were issued most of the items on the list above or some modified version of it based on Army guidance during January 1943.
After completing the Reception Center process, the men might await transportation to their next duty station at a training center or unit for basic training. These men were put to work doing certain tasks to assist in the performance of processing operations such as fingerprinting, records keeping or equipment issuance. “All men who have completed processing and who are not assigned to necessary reception center details or sick in quarters, in the hospital, or in confinement will receive the prescribed training. Training given to these men will be conducted in accordance with approved instructional procedures”.
PVT Hull was classified as an Infantryman while at Fort Hayes. This classification and training that came next, gave him the needed skills to become a Ranger later on. In order to better understand the personal stories and experiences of men in this setting, I set out to find stories of others who had processed at Fort Hayes. The many stories I found shared common themes. Many men reportedly arrived at Fort Hayes by way of Greyhound bus or by train. They were reportedly again sworn in to uphold the Constitution of the United States. The men were taught the basics, such as when to salute an officer when one was encountered. Their uniforms were issued and were often ill-fitting. They received their blue barracks bags along with their issue. The new recruits were injected and inoculated in an assembly line fashion. The men were all given examinations to determine the job for which they would best be suited. They might be given a duty such as KP (Kitchen Police). Many men reported this time as an uncomfortable time, with much hustle and with the ever present Sergeant yelling at them with orders. One veteran wrote that Fort Hayes is where he fully understood the old Army adage of “Hurry up and wait.” It is reported that sleep would often be interrupted with announcements. Many of the men were first subjected to the concept of venereal diseases while noticing the separate latrine for men with such diseases. After completion of processing at the Reception Center, the men were packed aboard military troop trains for either unit assignments or training at a replacement center.
Another fascinating account comes from the Camp Upton Reception Center, New York from the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion Veterans Association. They wrote: They lined up in their civilian clothes, a single overnight bag at their feet like a faithful pup, and listened alternately to the jeering of other soldiers and the barking of sergeants. "You'll be sorry!" "Good luck, Jeep!" ("Jeep" was slang for a first-day recruit in 1941-42). "Get the lead out!."
As a follow-up to what the recruit heard at the induction office (the AWOL and desertion articles from the Articles of War), he now had to listen to a reading of the complete articles, which covered military crimes with unfamiliar names like "fraudulent enlistment" and "false muster." Some instruction was given on military courtesy, especially how and when to salute, as well as some closeorder drill, but not to the degree that both would be covered in basic training.
During this same period, the Army General Classification Test (AGCT) was given. A soldier who may have indicated a particular skill, like radio, would be given a special aptitude test in addition, but, by and large, the AGCT was the most important and was given to everyone. The classic version consisted of 150 multiple-choice questions that had to be completed in 40 minutes. There were three types of questions, embracing block counting, synonym matching, and simple arithmetic. "Jim had 10 bottles of milk. He bought 2 more and drank 7. How many did he have left?" The tests were machine-graded and the scores were used to place or classify the new soldier, which was the main function of centers like Upton. A GI generally got his Army assignment on the basis of what he'd done as a civilian; thus, the 15-minute interview with the classification specialist (CS) was as important, sometimes, as an AGCT score. The CS recorded the inductee's work history, education, and training, as well as the sports he played, his hobbies, and his talents. These attributes were considered in the light of the Army's needs, and the assignment was made.
225th AAA Searchlight Battalion Veterans Association12
Figure 15: PVT Hull Report of Physical Examination & Induction - DSS Form 221 PVT Hull was channeled through the process at Fort Hayes. Appropriate paperwork such as the Report of Physical Examination and Induction was completed as shown in Figure 15, and he was given orders for the 35th Infantry Division, 320th Infantry Regiment on January 20, 1943. His next duty station, basic training, would take him to Camp San Luis Obispo, California. He departed from Columbus by train at the nearby Union Station. John Anderson Carnahan, a local Columbus historian, provided an excellent description of Columbus’s Union Station:
“The grand concourse of the new structure was located midway between east and west on the second floor of the building, which floor was at [the High Street] viaduct level. The ceiling was fortyfive feet above the floor, and the ceiling and upper walls were ornately finished in plaster paneling and figures, while marble wainscoting of six-foot height embellished the lower walls. The concourse contained the main waiting room, ticket offices, telegraph counter, and news stand, and off in the southwest corner was a smoking and rest room for men. A spacious corridor with a big arched ceiling led from the west middle of the concourse to the main entrance of the building at a canopied portico. The corridor was flanked by a comfortable waiting room for women, and by baggage and parcel counters. A pair of wide marble stairways led from either side of the north areas of the concourse to the ground floor, which was at track level. The ground floor contained rooms for handling mail, baggage and express and another large waiting room which was originally intended for excursions and immigrants. By the early forties, at the height of World War II, Union Station had lost some of the elegance that Mr. Steiner describes, and the number of daily trains arriving and departing Union Station had grown to 112. To put it mildly, the place, whether or not its earlier grandeur had dimmed, presented to my young eyes an exciting, sometimes chaotic, scene. Uniforms were everywhere - soldiers and sailors on their way to or from a boot camp or Naval station, some alone and disconsolate, others surrounded by teary families, still others kissed and embraced by their sweethearts. This was a place of constant motion – Americans on the move. But best of all, there were the trains.”
“CHANGING TRAINS IN COLUMBUS”, Paper by John Anderson Carnahan13
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br /> Figure 16: Union Station, Columbus Ohio Postcard: Public Domain Fort Hayes in Columbus, Ohio currently serves as a school. Union Station is long gone and the Columbus Convention Center now stands where it once was. The old train station is shown in Figure 16. He would have travelled via the Pennsylvania Railroad lines on board a military troop train from Columbus, Ohio to St. Louis, Missouri. From St. Louis, the troop train would have taken a short line rail for the trip to Kansas City’s Union Station. Upon leaving Kansas City, the troop train would have followed a Union Pacific line. From Los Angeles, he would have taken a short line to Camp San Louis Obispo to the north of Los Angeles.
One possible clue that I was presented with along with his uniform was a small change purse in the pocket of his uniform trousers. It contained several coins, including a few Missouri sales tax tokens. These tokens are shown in Figure 17. In years past many U.S. States had sales tax that for certain sales amounts resulted in tenths of cents being collected. This is where the tax term “mill” comes from meaning one-thousandth of a dollar. Many localities across the country still use the terminology millage when asking voters to approve one tax or another.
Figure 17: State of Missouri tax tokens During the early 20th century, the State of Missouri had a 2 percent sales tax and issued tokens to help properly collect the tax. They issued these tokens in 1-mill and 5-mill denominations. During World War II, the previous metal tokens were replaced in manufacture by red and green tokens.14 It is a few of the red plastic 1-mill tokens and metal 1-mil tokens that were in the change purse. This begged the question as to why he would have them. The logical deduction as to why he would have had these amongst his military paraphernalia was that he travelled through Missouri at some point. I would find out later that he was in the “Show Me” State for sure once, and likely twice during his military service. Once en route from Columbus to California on board the troop train, and a second time, I would later find as a patient in Springfield, Missouri in 1945. Albeit a small clue, these tokens helped to open new paths of investigation as to his service.
