My "Desert War Training" in World War II.

My combat engineer outfit finished basic training in 1943. We were loaded into trucks and shipped to San Bernardino. Close to the southern California desert. We were to get training in desert war.

I can remember being involved in a large cement job for a warehouse. First time for me to work with cement. I also remember pulling a days duty as the latrine fly swatter. Stinky job.

During my time (about a month) at the Desert Training Center there was a celebrity golf tournament at the Lake Arrowhead Country Club. I answered the call to volunteer as a caddy. First time for me as a caddy. The celebrity in my foursome was the movie song and dance man, George Murphy. George tended to be serious and the foursome was not much fun. He later was elected to the US Senate. He showed Ronald Reagan the way to politics. George is the only Senator to have a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

I remember two stars in other foursomes. Tarzan and Mickey Rooney. Their foursomes would have been more fun.

After the Golf Tournament a crowd if soldiers sat around the swimming pool and were entertained by Bob Hope. He was funny.

One night while on desert training a crowd of us dogfaces sat at an open air stage in the camp and watched Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in a comedy.

The Army decided that we needed landing craft training more than desert training so we loaded back into the trucks. We headed to Camp San Luis Obispo. We were scheduled to get amphibious training at Morro Bay. From San Berdoo to SLO could be a comfortable days ride. But I guess the officers thought that it would fun to stop overnight in Santa Barbara.

Along Highway 101 in Santa Barbara is a lovely grass covered park. It is a block to the downtown bars and restaurants. So we parked our trucks and pitched our pup tents in the park. Very careful straight rows. It was a lovely sight. We were all excited about a night in lovely Santa Barbara. Guess who was picked to be a MP and patrol the bars?

Yours truly, the old prunepicker! I did feel like an important person with my 45 and the MP symbol. There was only one riot, that evening, between our troops and the locally stationed Marines.

So this was the extent of my training in desert warfare. I guess it is a good thing that I was sent to the jungles of the South Pacific.