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Camp Rucker, Little Rock, Tennessee Maneuvers, Camp Raliegh (Butner), West Virginia Mountain Maneuvers
p>While still in California, Simon was next transferred from Belmont back to San Luis Obispo and stayed there a short while. It had almost been a year in California when he was transferred to Alabama, so once again he boarded a troop train and took the southern route through El Paso and New Orleans to Alabama. This train was much better than the first trip. Some of the soldiers even had Pullman coaches. But at that time, Simon was a “dog robber”. A dog robber is a derogatory term for the soldier assigned to an officer and who shines the officers' shoes, and makes his bed for him--obviously a soldier the other soldiers didn’t like. At the time, Simon was driving the battalion commander and, as a result, also got the job of being his dog robber. Despite the pejorative term “dog robber”, the position had a lot of advantages. Simon didn't have to stand reveille, march, stand for inspections, or do a lot of things the regular GI had to do. It made the reaction from the other soldiers bearable. Besides that, Simon got to drive. He didn’t have to walk everywhere.
At Camp Rucker Alabama, the troops were stationed in barracks. All the soldiers were doing the usual training regimen that included going on marches. Whenever the rest of the soldiers went on a march, Simon would drive the battalion commander. Even if the battalion commander walked with the rest of the soldiers, Simon’s job was to follow along in a jeep. From that point forward, Simon never had to go on any more marches.
While in Alabama, a number of soldiers along with an officer went to Tallahassee, Florida to pick up some vehicles (trucks probably). At the end of the trip, they arrived at this little southern town and the Lieutenant said, "Well, you can have a break. We'll go get something to drink." A number of the soldiers along with Simon went into a place somewhat like a small café or a drug store--at that time, that's the only place available to get something to drink--sat down and waited to be served. They were talking among themselves, waiting and waiting to be served. Eventually it dawned on them, they wouldn't get waited on because the soldiers talked "northern." So, they gave up trying to get a drink, left the café, and were late getting back. The Lieutenant was furious because they didn't get back in time and wouldn’t accept the excuse that they couldn’t get waited on. They finally got the vehicles in this small unfriendly coastal town near Tallahassee and delivered them back to base.
Still in Camp Rucker Alabama, Simon happened to be out on a small maneuver when he called back into camp and the battalion commander said, "I want you to take my car"--he had a 1941 Ford--" back to Little Rock, Arkansas." He had all his belongings in his car. The commander was convinced he was going to go overseas. He anticipated what the battalion was going to do. It turned out later that he was right, but he never actually went because he had a heart attack and died before he could go.
Simon drove the commanders Ford the 800 miles from Camp Rucker to Little Rock, Arkansas in about 12 hours on roads that were just little 2-lane roads that were twisting winding throughout the hills. He drove across the southern part of Alabama toward the east side--just north of Tallahassee and across the whole state of Arkansas to Pat Robertson on the west side of Arkansas.. He didn’t take many breaks and he didn’t spare the accelerator. After he delivered the car, he spent the night. The family gave him a train ticket to go back to Camp Rucker but Simon thought he could reduce the cost of the trip and pocket a little money at the same time. (He was only making about $30 a month.) So, he went down to the bus station, found out that the bus trip was cheaper, traded in the train ticket, bought a bus ticket and went home on the bus, keeping the $5 or $10 dollars that he saved.
From Alabama, the battalion was ordered to Tennessee to go on maneuvers. When that was finished, the officers in charge said that anyone who wanted to go on a two-week furlough could go. Almost everyone went on furlough; this was Simon’s third furlough. (He had gone home once on a bus while in Arkansas and once on a train from California). The bus that he took on his second furlough was the type with the motor sticking out in front of a big old tub. It died coming up one of the mountains, and all the passengers had to wait for another bus. The train ride from California was so slow that a lot of the soldiers who hitch hiked home beat the soldiers traveling by train.
Simon’s next transfer was to Camp Raliegh (which must have been Camp Butner - see link) North Carolina and stayed there a short time until it was decided to go to West Virginia on mountain maneuvers. West Virginia is quite mountainous so the maneuvers were very difficult. It was in the wintertime and the entire battalion participated in mountain maneuvers, which included climbing them. Everyone slept in mountain tents. However, Simon, thanks to his driving ability and the fact that he was driving the battalion commander, didn't have to climb any mountains or march anywhere. 004_small.jpg "Camp Rucker")