The 325th Combat Engineers

The Unit Forms

The unit formed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, October 1942. First, the officers showed up, then the enlisted men--many of them fresh from boot camp, a few from other units. They trained for two years before the Army decided to send them to France. "Honor Officium" reads the insignia. The image is from stationery issued in 1945.

Officers

First the officers were assigned. A number of the officers had been non-coms in infantry units, had some kind of civilian engineering background, had ROTC in their backgrounds, and were tall, strong guys. Morse and Jim Bagley always figured someone was handpicking them as they emerged from Fort Belvoir because it wasn't like the Army to get it right. Morse graduated from Fort Belvoir in October 13, 1942, and, after a short leave, returned, to his dismay, to Fort Jackson where he'd served in the infantry.

24 October 1942: The original officers were

Joseph Bejeck, asst. dir. engr.
Lawrence M. Levinson, personnel officer
Laurence L. Goldberg, asst. S-2
James W. O'Neal, Jr., asst. S-3
Walker B. Davis, Hq. Co.
Ivan W. Horne, Co. A
Harold P. Corney, Co. A
Norman F. Tietze, Co. A
Lawrence L. Salzberg, Co. A
Robert C. Holmes, Co. B
Carl B. Tenhagen, Co. B
Lewiston J. Bagley, Co. B
Floyd S. Ulrich, Co. B
Gordon H. Morse, Co. C
Carlos F. Yerby, Co. C
Robert G. Griffin, Co. C
Joseph J. Hrvol, Co. C.

List of Officers Ordered to Report to Fort Jackson

They scrambled to get things set up, but it was a case of hurry up and wait.

24 November 1942, "We are going to have a dry run tomorrow on the reception of men. Actually go through the procedure of going to the railroad yards and classifying and settling the men. All of course, make believe."

25 November 1942, "We didn't have our dry run today--tomorrow maybe. I have had my mess hall ready for operation for some time it is all locked up and ready to go." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs) [The issue of food was always a high priority.]

Men

Finally, the men started to show up. T. C. Moore remembers what it was like to get picked up by Lt. Morse.

"I never forget the good captain coming to get me. I got off with about 500 other fellas. They'd all got picked up, one by one, and I was all alone in that field wondering what to do. He was smoking a pipe, roaring up in the jeep. He sat up there like Ichabod Crane and said, "you Private Moore?" I said, "yes, sir." I didn't know what he was, but I knew enough to say "yes, sir" when I wasn't sure. When they stuck me up in that KP up there in boot camp, I learned everybody was boss." The lone sergeant was really glad to see T.C. It had been only him and the officers. "Never saw anyone so glad." Finally there was someone else to do all the work. "Because all they had was officers, you see."

2 December 1942, "The company commander left about three weeks ago on special orders from Washington and I have had the job ever since. They are going to send a captain in soon to replace me. It is some job but I am having good luck so far. I have been spending this evening interviewing the men I received today. They are coming in a steady stream now. " (Gordon Morse to Margaret Morse)

But the floodgates opened.

18 December 1942, "I don't know whether I can stand the gaff or not. These birds are coming in all hours of the day and nite and besides that have to drill them during the day. Have about 160 men in the company now, expect the rest by Wednesday. Certainly funny at times picking up these men at the same spot I came in about two years ago as a Private." (pictures from Souvenir of Fort Jackson booklet)

Carl Blanton recalled that he'd been in the unit all of two weeks when Lt. Morse pulled him aside and asked him whether he'd be interested in being corporal. When he found out that corporals didn't have to do KP, he said yes! (Carl Blanton, 2003 Florida reunion)

I asked John P. how many were in a platoon. He said, "I don't know, but it sure is more than enough when you're peeling potatoes." (John P. Wallis, 2003 Florida reunion)

"When the 100th Infantry Division of WWII had its beginning on November 15, 1942 at Ft. Jackson, S.C., Company C of the 325th Engineers was there. Its First Sergeant was Larry Masi. In early 1944, several thousand 18 and 19 year old ASTP soldiers were assigned to the 100th Division for training. First Sgt. Larry Masi at that time was really "old" to us youngsters. He was almost twice as old as we were. He and many others of the officer and cadre corps were responsible to care for and train us for a war of which we were about to become a part. Larry and his associate cadre did their job well. Many of us survived because of the training administered by First Sgt. Larry Masi and other cadremen." (Jack Pointer, memorial to Larry Masi, Florida Chapter of the 100th Infantry Division Association newsletter, June 1997)

"Sgt. Masi. A good guy if he is from New Jersy" (written on the back of the picture. T.C. Moore sent it home in 1942)

Equipment

They were scrambling for equipment too. T.C. remembers, "when I got to Jackson, they had one bulldozer. The first job I took that I tried to work myself into." They were scrambling to get people to run what they had. Morse was happy 2 December--"I have been looking for a man to run the power shovel finally found one tonite, and also an electrician."

They never knew what equipment would show up. 25 November 1942, Morse wrote to his fiancee: "You are in the background now. I have a new love--spent all afternoon with her. Really had some fun, went swimming. It is an amphibious jeep. It has the jeep chassis but a boat body. I never heard of one until we received it. Reminds me of a duck."

"We had a bulldozer, and trucks to pull equipment, and half tracks. Red Ogilvie and I went on those big trucks pulling those dozers. He'd been hauling equipment from the West Coast to the East Coast. Another fellow from Massachusetts or somewhere. They'd been on the highways. I'd handled trucks off road. All that sand up there in Carolina. The general came for the first big inspection. We got on those three big trucks for inspection. The colonel got on the truck. But Red and Massachusetts didn't know about the sand, but they knew about the trucks. I kept putting it in high gear. I got it within 100 yards of where we were supposed to park. The colonel thought I was the excellent driver but they were much better."

"The next thing I wanted to drive was the half tracks. But they took them away for maneuvers. I run that dozer for awhile, but it makes too much noise and you got in combat, you crank that thing up and you could hear that thing, an awful loud noise. Then I got in the jeep and drove for Bell." (T.C. Moore, 2001)

Training

3 January 1943, "Working with my platoon now, have started Basic Training. Had a dandy last Saturday, gave them rifles for the first time, had one boy that wrapped it around his neck like a necktie. " (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

22 March 1943, "There are times when I regret ever going to Belvoir and this is one of them. The enlisted man at least has some time off. If it isn't teaching a class, it's going to be taught. Tonight went to a class on communications, codes and such. Corps starts their examination of Engineers tomorrow. I have a job starting tomorrow nite at 7:30 of constructing a bridge. Have done it before at nite in blackout conditions, can do it again I guess. Always amazes me this nite work. Civilians think it necessary to work in the day--we can work either day or nite and turn out a good job." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

4 April 1943, "Going to spend this coming week in the field. Just going out to camp and carry on training schedule. Get the men used to roughing it...The 325th received quite a bit of publicity in papers about the result of the Corps tests. They also mentioned my excellent job of road building in record time. The men build it. I get in the way." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

Not everyone was happy with the Army way and the training--

This fellow would take off AWOL, have to get him back. They gave him KP every weekend as punishment. He came into the barracks. The MPs delivered him to Sergeant Graham (?). The fellow asked the sergeant if he could go to the latrine. The sergeant said yes. The fellow took off around the corner, hailed a cab, and was AWOL again. (John P. Wallis, 2003 Florida reunion)

John P. Wallis said for the local boys, sometimes it just seemed good to go home for a bit. He said that his home was only two and a half hours from Fort Jackson, so sometimes he used to take off on a weekend and come back. Sometimes they put him on K.P. and sometimes everyone pretended not to notice that he'd been gone. (John P. Wallis, 2003 Florida reunion).

Friendships

One thing about the long training, they formed friendships that lasted throughout the war.

18 December 1942, "Went into town last Saturday and bought another diamond. That isn't quite right. I took one of the other Lts in town and we shopped around. He bought his at the same place after scouting around town as I did. His girl lives in Oregon and he wants to get married next month some time. Have a good notion to make a double job of it." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

	3 January 1943, "Pictures were taken several Sundays ago on a lake out in the Reservation. The Lieut shown is a very good friend from Oregon. The one who just got a ring." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)
	Lt. Lewiston "Jim" Bagley
	Gordon Morse (There seems to be more pipe smoking going on than fishing.--J.P. Wallis recalled that there was a time when the guys were so mad at Morse that they kept asking everyone how they could get back at him. Someone said, that's obvious, just take his pipe.)
	17 May 1943, "Didn't do much Sunday but sleep and go to movies. A week ago Sunday, Bagley and I went fishing. We caught a few fish." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

6 October 1943, "This is a beautiful day to be camping in the woods. Just a nice cool Fall day. Bagley is in the back seat of the command car reading a wild west classic, "Hill's Hip Pocket." Writing this from the front on the map board. Radio is buzzing but no reception. We are out for 12th Corps air-ground tests of the Division. Engineers don't have anything to do but camp. Some airplanes stray by but they're working on the infantry. When we get back in Corps is going to test us on identification of aircraft. Friday we watch a demonstration of aerial bombing and strafing. You had better be prepared to sleep on the ground afterthe war because a bed doesn't seem natural to me anymore. You don't have to worry about sweeping the floor for one thing. (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

"It Was a Good Unit"

One result of having a bunch of ex-non-coms as officers may have been a better understanding between men and officers.

22 March 1943, "I have quite a crew of men, when I was in the hospital [he was knocked out in a car accident] they sent me pipes and tobacco. Wonder how they knew I liked a pipe. [tongue in cheek--he was never without one] Most of my men are from the New England states and New York. My chauffeur is from New Berlin [near where he grew up--I think this is Chambers]. That's a laugh--a chauffeur for me especially in a jeep. I do most of the driving, he rides in the back. He isn't used to cross country work, makes his eyes pop some of the country you can put a jeep through. He was telling me last week all about his girl in the Scintilla [magneto factory in Sidney, N.Y., where Margaret was teaching school] and how much more she is making than he. Don't know what he will talk about the next nite problem. We got the question of his girl well settled." (Gordon Morse to Margaret Youngs)

"Lt. Bell--we were so close, so close. The 100th Division was a little different than the others. From the generals down to the private. That's one reason why I liked the 100th Division so well, you had people who knew other things and knew other ways than just the army way. I liked everybody. In the war, I was a pretty good soldier, but for drilling and inspecting and stuff that never did go much with me. Shooting and fighting, do it, get it over with, and go home.

See our unit was different from most of them. I know talking to my brothers. They were in with other men. There was a different feeling between officers and enlisted men in the 100th Division. We seemed to be more into know how. See as a corporal, I was asked questions by Bagley, by your dad, by the Colonel. I don't think they'd ask people so low in rank. They respected experience.

We were all civilian people, except General Burress and maybe General Patch. We had one old sergeant. He'd been in the Army since World War I. He was an old drunk. And he'd never been out. A good soldier. A good person to train troops, but he told us raw recruits that he's going down to Fort Benning from Fort Jackson to see his dad who was sick and it was a damn lie. He just wanted us to take up the collection and went out on his pass and had a drunk. He trained us but when we got ready to go overseas, he didn't go. He just wasn't fit for combat. He was a bad person. He told lots of lies to young people who would believe him. (T.C. Moore, 2001)

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