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After arriving in Hampton Roads, Elmer remained there until 1 September 1945 when he received 30 days recuperation leave and then ordered to report to Fort Leonard Wood. On his way, he stopped to visit his mother in St. Louis. When his leave was over, he reported to the Commanding General at Fort Leonard Wood.
Elmer was surprised to find German prisoners of war there. When he had been in North Africa, they were never told they were sent to the United States. They were part of General Field Marshal Rommel's Afrika Corps during Operation Torch when General Patton defeated him. The German prisoners boarded an American transport ship in Morocco, and after 30 days of voyage landed in Norfolk, Virginia. They arrived at Fort Leonard Wood at midnight on June 1943 after a two-day trip by train in well secured railcars.
Elmer immediately started preparing his request to return to Europe. He submitted his request through channels to the Chief of Engineers in Washington, D.C. The commanding officer of the replacement center was very accommodating and helped help him prepare his request for reassignment to return to the European Theater of Operations.
Upon approval, he was directed to report to the Commanding General of Fort Hamilton, NY. On 30 November 1945 he boarded the USS Richardson and arrived in Naples on 14 December 1945. He received his new orders to report to the Commanding General of the 88 Infantry Division. After an orientation of the Division mission he received division orders to report to the 351 Infantry Regiment stationed in Tarvisio. He was assigned to a battalion as a Platoon Officer from 14 January - 17 April 1946 and was designated Company Commander of Company A on 18 April 1946.
At the same time Elmer was preparing his request to get married. He discovered that he had a big problem, as he was a Protestant planning to marry a Catholic girl in her cathedral. He called the Division chaplain who gave him instructions. He was baptized by Father Nerve Treboal, chaplain of the Regiment, on 5 June 1946 at the church of Saints Peter and Paul in Tarvisio, Italy.
He made his first request to get married in May 1946. The Division responded that he had to wait 90 days to marry a foreign civilian. Elmer requested a waiver, because he had known Odette and her family for about 2 years. The waiver was approved and the Division sent him the forms to be completed by Odette and himself. Odette had her forms completed in France and returned them to attach to the request he made for marriage. On 16 July 1946 he was reassigned to the 313 Engineer Combat Battalion. All the final papers for his marriage had not been completed.
As he became adjusted to his duties, he began finishing my request to get married. On 10 August 1946 he had all the necessary documents and sent his request through channels to the 88 Division Commanding General. The request was approved on 23 August 1946 and he received the theater permit. Elmer notified Odette and she made the preparations for the wedding. On 14 October 1946 Division orders were published authorizing him twenty-one days leave to visit Dijon, France. He traveled by train via Italy and Switzerland to Paris, France. He met Odette at Place de la Concorde in Paris and They returned to Dijon to her home. They had been on the same train in route to Paris and did not know it. Preparations were made for the wedding. Two separate weddings were required. A civil wedding at the Hotel de Ville of Dijon on 21 October 1946 and a church wedding the next day at Odette's St. Benigne Catheral of Dijon.
They went to the Italian Consulate in Dijon to get permission for Odette to accompany him to Italy. Even though she was his wife, the consul would not approve it. So, they went to the Italian Consulate in Paris and got her a visa to enter Italy. They went by train to the 313 Engineer Battalion in Cividale where they rented a small apartment. Odette ate meals at his officer mess hall. They spent our honeymoon in Trieste, Italy on the Adriatic Sea and would return there on the weekends. Odette was the first wife to arrive in the Battalion and the wives of other officers began to arrive from the States.
On 1 Dec 1946, Mediterranean Theater of Operations United States directed all military personnel married to foreigners were to leave the Theater. On 16 December 1946 Elmer was relieved from command of Company B 313 Engineers and the newlywed couple departed to a staging area to return to the United States on 20 December 1946 aboard an Army troop transport ship. They cruised down the Adriatic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, through the straits of Gibraltar, to the Atlantic Ocean to New York City. They were on the ship for 18 days. Due to severe storms, they could not take a direct route and frequently changed course. Many people on board were sick. The men and women had separate accommodations for sleeping and Odette and Elmer could only be together during the day. They were on board ship during Christmas and New Year’s. They met another couple and played bridge to pass the time.
After arriving in New York City, they took a train for St. Louis. They stayed with his mom for a few days and became acquainted with civilian life again. Elmer requested an assignment in California, as he and Odette agreed that would be a nice place for their first assignment. He was told most engineer units were being deactivated but they would see what they could do. He was advised there was an Engineer Aviation Battalion at Riverside, California, with the Air Force at March Field. Orders were cut and he was assigned to the 817 Engineer Aviation Battalion. So, at the end of their visit they took a train to Los Angeles, CA and rented a car to drive to Riverside.
The 817 Engineer Aviation Battalion was an Army Corps of Engineers Organization assigned to the 12th US Air Force stationed at March Field Riverside California. The US Air Force was new and did not have its own engineer support. By direction of the Secretary of the Army, the Battalion was assigned to and under command of the Air Force.
Elmer reported in on 19 January 1947 and his first assignment was Platoon Commander. The primary mission of the battalion was to repair existing permanent runways and build temporary airfields. He then then became the Battalion Personnel Officer. He was always in a command position and this was new to me. He had a warrant officer as an assistant who was an expert in administration and showed him the ropes. Since the Battalion Adjutant was always absent, Elmer also had to learn the duties of the Adjutant.
On 26 June 1947 the Battalion departed for Greenland. Since Odette had been in the States for only 6 months and had not perfected her English he preferred not to leave her alone while he was in Greenland. It was agreed that she would stay with his mother in St. Louis, MO. While in Greenland, the Battalion's mission was to rehabilitate the buildings housing troops, weather stations and airports. The 20 Battalion had three shifts working, as there was 24 hours of daylight. The military had an agreement with Denmark to maintain these facilities, as the United States had used them during the war. All weather stations were operated by English speaking Danish citizens. The Danish station operators had dogs that would chase the polar bears from the camp.
The generators were in one building, one larger building for fuel storage and one for storage of their snow equipment. They were directed to paint the buildings white. Since the Battalion's food and medicine were air dropped in the winter, and the buildings could not be identified, Elmer recommended the top of the three-sided metal insulated buildings be painted bright fire-truck red. Higher headquarters agreed and sent him the paint and gave him 35 days to accomplish the mission. They finished in 25. Then the weather started to get bad and an early winter was predicted. The Battalion project was not completed but early departure was necessary since the fjord was freezing. All the equipment was loaded, and they departed Greenland on 6 November 1947.
On 3 January 1948 the Battalion Commander appointed Elmer the Battalion Adjutant. As part of his duty he had to read all incoming correspondence and messages. In April 1949 he read a message that the Corps of Engineers was accepting applications for pilot training.
On 29 April he submitted his application to the Chief of Engineers in Washington D.C. When it application was approved he reported to the USAF Liaison Pilot School, Connally Air Force Base in Waco, Texas on 1 September 1949. His son Robert was born at March Air Force Base, Riverside, CA, in January 1949.
Elmer completed his class with the Air Force and was granted his aeronautical rating of liaison pilot on 16 February 1950. The Army sent me to Fort Sill, OK to attend a class for the Army Field Forces pilot course which focused on Artillery operations and short field takeoff and landings from designated isolated fields some with obstacles. Once he completed those two courses, he was assigned to the Aviator Section at Fort Belvoir, VA. Their primary mission was two-fold: support the Engineer School and provide aircraft for pilots assigned to the Pentagon. There were three pilots, one major and two captains. Elmer was a 1st Lieutenant when he finished the Artillery class, and was promoted to Captain. There were five different aircrafts which he had to transition to before being qualified to fly them. They even got a helicopter.
He was then sent back to the Air Force at San Marcus, TX to attend a helicopter training course. After completing the course, he was obligated to return to Fort Sill, OK for Army Tactics Training. Elmer and Odette's daughter Michelle was born at Fort Sill, OK, in June 1950.
On 23 September 1951 the Engineer School sent him to the Lynchburg Air Transport and
Sales Corporation in Lynchburg, VA to train for his instrument rating to pilot aircraft in stormy weather conditions. The training included flight training in a single engine Piper Pacer aircraft and 25 hours in a Link trainer, a closed maneuverable box with aircraft navigation equipment to simulate flying in bad weather. After passing the course, he was eligible to apply for his instrument rating.
Elmer and Odette were anxious to return to Europe so he requested an assignment there. In February 1952, Elmer was assigned to the 555 Engineer Combat Group in Karlsruhe, Germany as Commander of the Aviation Section and Karlsruhe airfield.
Elmer's story continues next week.
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