Photo Pages
In the following photos, I continue with what I believe to be a somewhat chronological portrait of my Dad's time in the Army.
His Discharge Form (WD AGO 53-55) for those entitled to Honorable Discharge, indicates he was "inducted" on 7 Sept 1943.
He, his friends Edward Bush and Charles McGinnis, and a few others from Summerville, Georgia and nearby communities, were picked up in front of the Chattooga County Court House, in Summerville, GA.
From the Chattooga County Courthouse (seen above) in Summerville, Georgia, they were taken by bus about 90 miles south to Atlanta, to Fort McPherson. This form also states he "entered into active service" on 28 Sept 1943 there at Ft. McPherson.
A postcard view Fort McPherson, Atlanta, GA
Postcard aerial view of Ft. Knox, KY
He told me they were only there a few days, before being transported to Fort Knox, Kentucky for basic training. According to the 841st History, "on October 3rd the first contingent of our future comrades and buddies arrived from Fort McPherson, Georgia - a great crew, all kinds of boys and men; some red cheeked, unacquainted with a razor, timid, awed and terrifically homesick - mere children; others, men with families - men with ability, background, stable, substantial citizens, not timid or awed, rather skeptical and filled with doubts. We had no more bedded these men down, so to speak, when the second and last group, from the same fort arrived, October 7th."
I'm guessing that my Dad was one of those "red-cheeked boys, unacquainted with a razor" since he was just turning 17 on Oct 18, 1943.
As I began to post these photos, if a person was unknown, I labeled him as U and a number. If he appeared in several photos, and I recognized him as the same face, I tried to use the same number. I now have a group photo (See Photos-11) of the 841st taken in France in Oct. 1944. I have posted one that has been tweaked a bit to clean it up, and a second one with numbers as reference for each face. I now use those numbers for the other photos. My Dad is #99.
I would enlarge and print them and show them to my Dad, to see if he remembered any names. I was surprised whenever he picked up a photo, and was able to put a name to a face. I will remember the day he called me after not being able to identify this one photo of him with a tall guy. His "re-started" memories told me "that's me there on the left, and Lee Roy Eller, from Chamblee, Georgia"! We were both excited. Those memories are now gone...with him.
Hill at Fort Knox. He turned 17 on Oct 18, 1943, just after arriving. He's holding a cigar in his hand, a later fixture in the corner of his mouth.
Hill and best friend, Charles McGinnis at Fort Knox
Charles and Hill, while on leave, at High Rock near Cloudland, Ga.
Hill in the center, left UNK, right- maybe Frank Allison)
Hill and Charles McGinnis
Hill on leave at home.