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Charleston Port of Embarkation, South Carolina

March 8, 1944: Marv departed from the European Theater Operations on March 8, 1944, according to his Honorable Discharge Record.

  • Note: I have not been able to find any documentation that states where Marv went after being wounded on Dec. 8, 1943.  However, it was likely that he was transported from Italy to North Africa for treatment until he departed on a Hospital Transport Ship.  His family remembers his saying that was on board a hospital ship and the nurses were very nice.  NF

  • See images of Hospital Ships in PART 4 - ITALY 2.

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March 19, 1944: Marv arrived in the U.S. on March 19, 1944, according to his Honorable Discharge Record, at the  Charleston Port of Embarkation, according to his Patient’s Identification Tag.  

  • The Charleston Port of Embarkation had been selected as the "home port" for Atlantic hospital ships in 1943.

  • Note: Marv was transported from the hospital ship to the Stark General Hospital, Charleston, South Carolina, which was the debarkation hospital for casualties and sick personnel arriving at the Port of Charleston, South Carolina

  • Note: Marv stayed at Stark General Hospital for about ten days.  (Sources: (1) There is a Western Union Telegram dated March 23, 1944, from Marv to his mother requested $25 be wired to Stark General Hospital.  (2) Newspaper article stating that Marv arrived by train at Percy General Hospital. Battle Creek, Michigan on March 29, 1944.)

Left: Marv's Patient ID Tag 

Charleston Port of Embarkation

(Source: pasted in the scrapbook)

 

Name: CORGIAT, Domenic, M.

Serial No. 16083986

Rank ORG: Pvt

Diagnosis: SFW pen rt knee lt thigh*

Type of Care: Ambulatory X

Quarters: Ward (?) No. E-1**

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*Note: From my research, "SFW pen rt knee lt thigh" is probably an abbreviation for "shell fragment wound penetrating right knee left thigh."  NF

​

Right: Back of Marv's Patient ID Tag

Above: Omages from a video of wounded soldiers disembarking from the U.S. Army Hospital Ship "Acadia" at the Charleston Port of Embarkation, South Carolina.

  • Note:  I presume that the tags on the front of each soldier's uniforma are Patient Identification Tags like the one pasted in Marv's scrapbook.  NF

Hospital Ships, North Africa to Charleston Port of Embarkation.   The general shortage of ships meant that only three Army hospital ships -- the United States Army Hospital Ship (USAHS) “Acadia,” USAHS “Seminole,” and USAHS “Shamrock”-- were available in theater by the end of 1943.  While the Shamrock evacuated the majority of its patients to Oran (Algeria), the Acadia and Seminole were on site to return the most serious cases to the Zone of Interior [United States].

  • Note: Given that the Shamrock operated in the Mediterranean between September 1943 and February 1944 (described in the previous page), there’s a strong possibility that Marv traveled on the Shamrock from Italy to North Africa..  NF

 

During the Italian Campaign, though the Acadia did get to Italy, the Acadia and Seminole were mainly used to transport patients from North African rear area hospitals to the United States. 

  • Note: Given above, there’s a strong possibility that Marv traveled on either the Acadia or Seminole from North Africa to the Charleston Port of Embarkation, South Carolina, where he arrived on March 19, 1944.  NF

Above: U.S. Army Hospital Ships "Arcadia," "Seminole," and "Shamrock." (Click photo for enlarged version and caption.

Transport from Hospital Ship to Hospital Facility.  For disembarking patients from ships and transporting them to general hospitals, port commanders normally used personnel and vehicles belong to installations under their control.  For example, the Charleston Port of Embarkation trained as litter bearers enlisted men belonging to its own medical detachment and to port and service battalions in training or on duty in the area.  It also used its own ambulances, trucks, and passenger cars to carry patients to STARK GENERAL HOSPITAL, which was located near by.  This procedure sufficed when the number of patients was small.  When large-scale operations were expected, other arrangements had to be made with regards to transfer procedures and responsibilities.  For example, after April 11, 1944, the transfer was normally at shipside rather than in trains or in hospitals.  The Fourth Service Command used motor vehicles almost exclusively to transport patients from the Charleston Port of Embarkation to Stark General Hospital.  (Source: The Medical Department: Hospitalization and Evacuation, Zone of Interior, by Clarence McKittrick Smith, Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1956, pages 342-343.

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Port and Debarkation Hospitals.

  • Early February 1944, the existing practice whereby General Hospitals located near Ports of Embarkation / Debarkation were used as Receiving and Evacuation Hospitals was being reviewed by the Office of The Surgeon General. Throughout the later war years, the following Hospitals such as Halloran (Willowbrook, Staten Island) – Stark (Charleston, South Carolina) – and Letterman (San Francisco, California) General Hospitals continued to serve as Debarkation Hospitals, as the evacuation load grew heavier.

  • By end February 1944, The Surgeon General proposed the establishment of a new type of hospital – designated Receiving and Evacuation Hospital – to be manned and equipped to perform ONLY the processing of patients in “transit.” The proposal was, however, not accepted, and in April 1944, the existence of General and Station Hospitals for Debarkation purposes continued. Some units did however separate functions, with Stark – Letterman – and Halloran keeping apart their General Hospital functions from the specific debarkation work.

  • Source: WW2 Military Hospitals, General Introduction.

  • Note: Given the above description and given that Marv arrived at the Charleston Port of Embarkation on March 19, 1944, but didn't arrive at Percy Jones Army Hospital (Battle Creek, Michigan) until March 29, 1944, he must have been transported to Stark General Hospital after disembarking at the Charleston Port of Embarkation.  NF

Above: The U.S. Army Hospital “Acadia” at the CHARLESTON PORT OF EMBARKATION ready to unload patients evacuated from overseas Theaters for nearby STARK GENERAL HOSPITAL. ​

  • Note: As Marv was ambulatory, perhaps he was transported to Stark General Hospital in a troop transport truck such as the one in the lower left photo next to the water.  NF

Videos of Disembarktion at the Charleston Port of Embarkation.  Below are videos of wounded soldiers disembarking from the U.S. Army Hospital "Acadia" at the Charleston Port of Embarkation.  While both videos show almost the same scenes, the one on the left shows a few more clips.

Above: "Part 3, the hospital ship SS Acadia docks and wounded are unloaded" (begin at 03:17).

To view video, click here.

Above: YouTube video of wounded soldiers disembarking from the SS Acadia at the Charleston Port of Embarkation.

Stark General Hospital.  Stark was located on Dorchester Road, Rural Delivery 2 and was officially named in honor of Colonel Alexander N. Stark on February 11, 1941. It accommodated 2,400 beds and was ready for patients on May 18, 1941, specializing in general and orthopedic surgery. As the war progressed it became a fully-functional debarkation hospital for casualties and sick personnel arriving at the Port of Charleston.  

  • Note: Because Marv disembarked at the Charleston Port of Embarkation, he was likely sent to Stark General Hospital for a few days before traveling to Percy Jones Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan.  After all, he arrived at the Charleston Port of Embarkation on March 19, 1944, but didn't arrive at the Army's Percy Jones General Hospital (Battle Creek, Michigan) until March 29, 1944.  NF

 

Stark General Hospital transferred its last patients on 23 October 23, 1945 and was turned over to the Charleston County Board of Control for local use. ( Source: Charleston Museum)

Above: U.S. Army, Stark General Hospital, South Carolina

  • Note: Given accounts of wounded soldiers being transported from the Charleston Port of Embarkation to Stark General Hospital, it's very likely that's where Marv was sent and from Stark he would have traveled to the Army's Percy Jones General Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan.  NF

Above: Left - Telegram from Marv to his mother requesting she wire $25 to him at Stark General Hospital, date stamped March 23 (1944).  Right - Three unidentified soldiers posing for the photographer as they stand in front of a Red Cross train car at STARK GENERAL HOSPITAL. The Army Captain on the right is handing the soldier in the middle an oversized manila envelope as the Army Captain on the left looks on.  (Source: The Charleston Museum)

  • Note: Given above description, it's likely that Marv traveled on a Red Cross train from Stark General Hospital (Charleston, South Carolina) to Percy Jones Hospital (Battle Creek, Michigan) where he arrived on March 29, 1944.  NF

Percy Jones Hospital, Battle Creek, Michigan

March 29, 1944: Marv arrived at the Army's Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Michigan, on March 29, 1944.

  • Given that (1) on March 19, 1944, Marv arrived in the U.S, (2) on March 23, 1944, Marv sent a Western Union Telegram to his mother requesting $25 be wired to him at Stark General Hospital, and (3) on March 29, 1944, Marv arrived by at Percy Jones General Hospital, Marv was a patient at Stark General Hospital for around 10 days.

Anzio Wounded

At Percy Jones

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Battle Creek, March 29 [1944]

 

The first trainload of casualties from the Cassino and Anzio beachead fronts arrived at Percy Jones Hospital today.  Thirty-one of the 65 wounded on the train were litter cases.

 

Two Detroits were included.  They are Pvt. Domen W. [sic] Corgiat, 19775 Washtenaw, and ....

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Card From Percy Jones 

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I have just come to Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Mich. as a patient.  Do not worry as I am not in a serious condition and if I should become so, the hospital will let you know at once so you do not need to write them about me.

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Please write me in care of this hospital.  I will write you again soon.

Above: Items pasted in scrapbook kept by Marv's mother.

Above Article.  Although the headline "Anzio Wounded At Percy Jones" and the accompanying article spoke of casualties from Cassino and Anzio arriving at Percy Jones hospital on March 29, 1944, Marv was not a casualty from either of the battles because he was wounded on December 8, 1943, before either of these battles started.  As described before, all of the 34th Division attacks on December 8, 1943, point to Marv being wounded on Mount Pantano, very likely as part of the 135th Infantry Regiment, 34th Division.

  • The Battle of Monte Cassino started on January 17, 1944.  It was a costly series of four assaults by the Allies against the Winter Line in Italy held by Axis forces during the Italian Campaign of World War II. The intention was a break through to Rome.

  • The Battle of Anzio started on January 22, 1944, with Allied amphibious landing known at Operaton Shingle against the German forces in the area ofAnzio and Nettuno.  

April 9, 1944.  Marv was one of the guests of honor at a Detroit radio roundtable program held at Percy Jones General Hospital (Battle Creek, Michigan) on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1944.  I found three online articles about the event that were published in the Detroit Free Press on April 7, 9, and 10, 1944.  Each of the online articles appears below the following images of articles that were pasted in the scrapbook kept by Marv's mother.

  • The April 7 online article is very similar to the scrapbook article that appears below (left).  

  • The April 9 online article does not appear in the scrapbook.

  • The April 10 online article includes exact text from the scapbook article excerpts that appear below (right).  

Above: Articles pasted in scrapbook kept by Marv's mother.

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Radio Roundtable Article, Friday, April 7, 1944.  I found an online article about the radio roundtable event that is similar to the above left scrapbook article.  The online article was originally published in the Detroit Free Press on April 7, 1944, page 13.  I cannot find an online article that is identical to the scrapbook article.  Perhaps there was a local Detroit Free Press edition and another edition.  The online article appears below.

 

Wounded Vets Will Be on Air The Free Press-WJR "In Our Opinion" program at 12:30 p. m. Easter Sunday will originate in the Percy Jones Hospital at Battle Creek. Wounded men will gather around the radio roundtable to relate their experiences, particularly religious, and to comment on home front activities.

 

Most of the guests will be men whose homes are in Michigan. Also at the roundtable will be William J. Coughlin, Free Press staff writer, and George Cushing, WJR news editor and program moderator.

 

[Source: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98281295/]

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Radio Roundtable Article, Sunday, April 9, 1944.  I found an online article about the radio roundtable event that was originally published in the Detroit Free Press on April 9, 1944, page 1.  The article appears below.  (No such article was pasted in the scrapbook.)

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Men Forum Guests Wounded veterans of World War II who have served on all of the major battlefronts will be guests of honor at a special Easter program of the Free Press-WJR "In Our Opinion"' presentation at 12:30 p. m. Sunday.

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[Source: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98281433/]

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Radio Roundtable Article Published on Monday, April 10, 1944.  I found an online article about the radio roundtable event that includes the same exact text that is in the above right scrapbook article.  The online article was originally published in the Detroit Free Press on April 10, 1944, page 13.  The online article appears below (paragraph breaks and bold font added for ease of reading).  

 

OUR OPINION Yank Fliers Pray Often, Gunner Says

By WILLIAM J. COUGHLIN Free Press Staff Writer

BATTLE CREEK, April 9

 

Men going into battle pray, they don't wisecrack as in the Hollywood version of war, five wounded servicemen in Percy Jones General Hospital said Sunday in a special Easter presentation of the Free Press-WJR "In Our Opinion" program.

 

Sgt. John Jostock, of Brown City, Mich., fortress waist gunner wounded while bombing the Messerschmidt factories in Germany told about the experiences of the men who fly. "The fellows who fly never talk about it very much, at least not in our bomber crew," said Sgt. Jostock. "Only when we get back from a mission did we admit to one another that we'd said a few prayers all the way over and all the way back. "Every man in our fortress crew had a Bible or prayer book. I'm not particularly religious, but it made me feel better to have one along. "We never made an issue of it. If a fellow wanted to carry one why O. K. If he didn't want to, that was O.K. too. "When we'd take off on an offensive mission all the men would be quiet and calm and you knew what was going on. They were all praying. In the movies they make you think that the guys wisecrack back and forth on the interphones. But it isn't that "way at all. They keep up their prayers right up to the minute that they start the bomb-run.

 

Jostock's account was seconded by other guests at the radio round table Lt. Edgar M. Foster of Grand Rapids, a veteran of the march over the Owen Stanley Mountains in New Guinea; Pvt. Dominick [sic] Corgait [sic], a Detroiter, who fought in Italy, and Pvt. Lawrence Kadwell of Pontiac, Mich., a veteran of the Aleutian Campaign.

 

Lt. Foster, in telling of Michigan Red Arrow (Thirty-second Division) operations, said the men could never have gotten through without the help of natives. "I can't say too much in praise of those black angels of mercy fuzzy-wuzzies," Foster said. "They were wonderful the most gentle and kindest people in the world." world." He told how, after he was wounded, they gently carried him for eight hours "with never a jolt except once." That came when they sighted a plane and "dropped everything to disappear in the bush. After what they went through I can't say I blame them."

 

Corgait [sic] bragged about Army efficiency; how even in the front lines the Army had succeeded on occasion in sending up meals containing fresh meat, but he admitted that this didn't come to pass often. He said Arabs are the world's shrewdest traders, saying that American patience just couldn't hold out against a man willing to take a full day to get the highest price possible for one egg.

 

Pvt. Kadwell told about walking post in weather 44 degrees below zero, which, he said, wasn't bad if the men could get warm water to add to C-ration powdered coffee occasionally.

 

Lt. Col. Richard O. McCrea, post chaplain at the Army Hospital, said: "When the men come to us here they have strong faith."'

 

The panel was completed by William J. Coughlin, Free Press staff writer, and George Cushing, WJR news editor and program moderator.

​

[Source: https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/98281744/]

 

Background.  I found the following information about the radio program.

George William Cushing, a former Detroit News reporter, joined WJR in 1941 as news editor and vice president. In 1942, he became moderator of "In Our Opinion" a weekly radio news program. He was assisted on many of the programs by regular panelists Detroit Free Press staff writers and columnists Adrian Fuller, Royce Howes, and William Coughlin. The program aired from 1942 to 1955 when Cushing retired. All together, he moderated 641 broadcasts, interviewing such guests as Senators Arthur Vandenberg and Homer Ferguson, Detroit Mayor Edward Jeffries.

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Note: The Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan, holds a collection of George William Cushing papers and sound recordings.  On July 3, 2016, I sent the following email inquiry to the Bentley Historical Library to see if there exists a transcript and/or sound recording of Cushing's April 9, 1944,  "In Our Opinion" radio broadcast.   Unfortunately, such a recording does not exist. My guess is that it's because the broadcast was not conducted in the radio studio.  Below is the correspondence.  NF

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August 4, 1944: Thank you letter received from American Searing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, thanking Marv for his help during their War Bond Campaign.  

 

Enclosed with the letter were pictures taken during Marv's stay in Grand Rapids. It's likely this photo of a heavily-made-up Marv playing his accordion on a stage was one of the enclosed photos because both the letter and photo were next to each other in the scrapbook.

 

[ Note: The company was founded in 1886.  During WWII, its production converted to 100% wartime production, including airplane and tank seats, mortar shell boxes, and bomber and glider parts.)

October 3, 1944.  The Honor Pass and Hospital Mess Card were pasted in the scrapbook kept by Marv's mother. 

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HONOR PASS

PERCY JONES GENERAL HOSPITAL

Advanced Reconditioning Section

Fort Custer, Michigan

"The bearer is a trainee at this installation, and is entitled to leave the Post when off duty. Unsoldierly conduct will result in the withdrawal of this privilege.  A lost care won't be replaced for 30 days.

LIMITATIONS.  1. The bearer is not authorized to visit more distant that 60 miles from this organization.  2.  This pass expires on 3 October 1944 unless revoked sooner.  

ISSUED TO Pvt Domenic M. Corgiat 16083986.

Signed James M. Strauss, 2nd Lt., M.A.O.

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HOSPITAL MESS CARD

TABLE SERVICE

To Leave Ward For Mess

6:45 A.M. -- 11:45 A.M. -- 4:45 PM

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War Bond Loan.  This war bond loan bond was pasted in the scrapbook kept by Marv's mother.  The purchaser was Miss Catherine A. Hill.

  • Note: I did not know who the purchaser was though I vaguely remembered hearing her name (or was it Dot Hill) in my childhood.  But thanks to the daughter of my cousin, Dedra, I found out that Catherine Hill is the daughter of Dorothea "Dot" Quinet and Marv's second cousin.  Dedra sent me the family tree image.  NF

Images of Percy Jones Hospital, Battle Creek Michigan.  The following postcards of Percy Jones Hospital provide an overview of what the hospital was like while Marvin was a patient there.

Left: Online postcard of Percy Jones Hospital from the hospital era.

 

History: In 1942, the U.S. Army bought the Battle Creek Sanitarium and converted the buildings into the Percy Jones Army Hospital, a 1,500-bed military hospital for treating soldiers wounded in World War II and named it the Percy Jones Army.  

 

The Army continued to operate the hospital through the Korean War. After treating nearly 95,000 patients, the hospital closed in 1953. 

 

Today, the buildings house the Hart-Dole Federal Center

Left: Reconditioning at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Mich.  

 

A. Calisthenics in wards at Reconditioning Unit, Fort Custer, Mich. 

 

B. Mass calisthenics outdoors for patients at Reconditioning Unit, Fort Custer, Mich.

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Source: U.S. Medical Department, Office of Medical History.

Left: Reconditioning at Percy Jones General Hospital, Battle Creek, Mich.

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C: Water Therapy in pool

 

D. Carefully supervised activities in gymnasium.

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Source: U.S. Army Medical Department, Office of Medical History.

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Left:  This is NOT Marv.  It’s a photo that I found online of a convalescing patient after a successful bone graft performed in 1947 in Percy Jones Hospital.  The bone graft allowed him to keep his arm but it remained paralyzed.  

 

Source: http://www.stonephillipsreports.com/2012/04/my-personal-interest-in-telemental-health/ easy.

Camp Atterbury Indiana

November 1944: Marv sent the following postcard from Camp Atterbury, Indiana, to his family.  Camp Atterbury was a Separation Center located near Edinburgh, Indiana, about 40 miles south of Indianapolis.   According to Marv’s Army Separation Qualification Record, he held the following Military Occupations, which were likely at Camp Atterbury.

  • Orientation Specialist: “Worked at the Separation Center, Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  Men were brought to orientation building were they were given a lecture on the process to be gone through.  Collected Data for the lecture and helped to prepare for it.”

  • Instructor for Arts and Craft: “Worked in a hospital rehabilitation program as an instructor for arts and crafts for about 1 year.” Based on his date of discharge (Feb. 6, 1946), Marv probably became an instructor around March/April 1945.

 

Note: I have not been able to determine why Marv was sent to Camp Atterbury.  However, a newspaper article announcing his wedding in June 1945 stated that Marv was convalescing at Camp Atterbury Hosptial.  Therefore, it's probable that Marv was stationed at Atterbury after Percy Jones Hospitial to undergo rehabilitation and that when he was well enough, he was assigned the military occupations bulleted above.  NF

Above and Below: Camp Atterbury postcard sent from Marv to his mother in November 1944.

Text: "Dear Mom, A new home and a new job.  Had choice of supply clerk or guide to the dischargee’s.  Took the guide job because a rating is supposed to go with it eventually.  Hope I didn’t make a mistake.  Better send my sweaters, because I’m afraid it gets mighty cold here.  Not a bad place.  30 miles from Indianapolis.  Marv"

Above: Camp Atterbury, Indiana -- Barracks under construction.  Online photo.

Above: Wakeman General Hospital, Camp Atterbury, Indiana -- Under construction.  Online photo.

Italian POWs march along the road of the internment camp at Camp Atterbury, June 1943.  (Associated Press).  Camp Crier - 06.25.1943.  The prisoners are walking towards the west and are just about to pass through the inner patrol road.

1945, Wakeman General Hospital, Camp Atterbury, Indiana, during WW II.  Online postcard that was sent by a serviceman.

Camp Atterbury, near Edinburgh, Indiana, USA, is a training base of the Indiana National Guard. It was planned just months before the U.S. entry into World War II.

 

Originally surveyed and researched by the Hurd Company, the present site was recommended to Congress in 1941. Construction commenced shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

More than 1,500 wood frame buildings were constructed, sized to hold more than one army infantry division.

 

It also contained the 47-building, (concrete block, 2-story) Wakeman General and Convalescent Hospital, the largest hospital of its kind in the US in the 1940s.

 

During World War II, the U.S. 39th Evacuation Hospital, the 101st Infantry Battalion (Separate) and four U.S. Army infantry divisions, the 30th, 83rd, 92nd, and 106th, trained here. 

 

On March 6, 1942, the camp was named in honor of WWI Hosier Brigadier General William Wallace Atterbury.  

 

The camp's hospital, WAKEMAN GENERAL HOSPITAL, was named in honor of Col. Frank Wakeman, a Hoosier educated Army physician. During the first two years of its service, the hospital was called ATTERBURY STATION HOSPITAL As the Atterbury Station Hospital approached the end of its second year, most the units that had used it for a training center had moved on for further training or to the battlefront.  The announcement was made on March 31, 1944, that the Atterbury Station Hospital was to be a general hospital for treatment of men injured in battle.  On April 4, 1944, the Atterbury Station Hospital was reopened as "ATTERBURY GENERAL HOSPITAL.  In addition to providing beds for 2,000 patients, Atterbury General Hospital had a reconditioning center capable of caring for 3,000 soldiers in the convalescent stage.

  • Note: Perhaps Marv was sent to Camp Atterbury to received continued care at the Atterbury General Hospital's conditioning center.  NF

​

During World War II, Camp Atterbury was also used as a prisoner of war camp, housing German and Italian soldiers.  A small Roman Catholic chapel was built by the Italian prisoners, which was restored and dedicated in 1989.

  • Note: After Marv married Ilse Matchull on June 14, 1945, she worked in the officer's club (or dining room) at Camp Atterbury.  Ilse told her daughters that there were POWs who worked in the kitchen at officers' club and she used to talk to them in German.  NF

  • Note: Click here to read about an Ex-Pow's memory of Camp Atterbury. His name is Peter C. von Seidlein.  He arrived at Atterbury in the middle of September 1944 and left in late June 1946.  While at Atterbury one of his jobs was working as an orderly in an officers' club.  Perhaps he and Irma once talked. NF

 

Shortly after Victory over Japan Day, Brigadier General Ernest Aaron Bixby (Army of the United States), commanding officer Camp Atterbury, announced that his huge receiving and separation centers (Army's second largest "World War II Separation Center") were turning out an average of 1,000 Army discharges per day.  Shortly after the end of World War II, operations were suspended. The first public announcement that the induction and separation center at Camp Atterbury were to be closed was made on 10 May 1946.  Finally it happened. On 5 August 1946, the induction and separation center officially "closed.

​

At the onset of the Korean War, it was once again activated with the arrival of the 28th Infantry Division in 1950.  In beginning of January 2013, the U.S. Government planned a budget cut called sequestration; the cut included Camp Atterbury.   The shutdown of the base started in February and ran until September, laying off over 750 civilian workers. All military personnel stationed at Camp Atterbury were moved out to other bases.

Above: Wakeman General Hospital, Camp Atterbury, Indiana -- Section of Telephone Center and Lounge.  Online photo.

Above: Wakeman General Hospital, Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  During World War II, it was the largest convalescent hospital in the U.S. Army.  (Source: www.indianamilitary.org)

Above: Camp Atterbury, Indiana -- Army Exchange Store Interior. Online postcard.

Above: Camp Atterbury, Indiana -- Army Exchange Showing U.S. Post Office.  Online postcard.

Marvin and Irma

Sometime after Marv arrived at Camp Atterbury around November 1944, he met his future wife, Ilse Irmgard "(Irma") Matchull.  Given that they were married on June 14, 1945 and given that Irma used to tell her daughters that she knew Marv 6 months before they were married, Marv and Irma likely met sometime around January 1945.  According to Irma, they met at the U.S.O. in Indianapolis where she had been volunteering.  Marv used to ride the bus up from Camp Atterbury, which is about 30 miles south of Indianapolis, to Indianapolis to visit Irma.  

 

At that time, Irma was living with Mr. and Mrs. Woltmann in Indianapolis and was working as a teletype operator at the Indianapolis Western Union.  The Woltmanns were a German couple who lived down the street from the Matchulls.  They did not have any children and took in Irma after her mother died on July 31, 1942, when Irma was 18 years of age.  Irma's two younger brothers, Mat and Wally, were sent to live with other families.  Their father, Gustave Matchull, had died earlier at the age of 45 in 1937, when Irma was 14 years of age.

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Above: "Washington, D.C. Jean Smith sending a Western Union telegram on the teleprinter to New York." June 1943.

"Washington, D.C. Miss Genie Lee Neal reading a perforated tape at the Western Union telegraph office."June 1943.

Note: It's likely that the above photos show what it like where Irma worked as a teletyper at Western Uniton.  Irma used to tell her daughters that she spent all of her paycheck on nice clothes.  She also said that the job was very stressful because of the speed at which they had to work.  NF

Marv and Irma, Indianapolis

Above: According to Irma, this photo of Marv (right) was taken in Garfield Park, Indianapolis.  Date is unknown, but it would likely be in late winter or early spring 1945.  Marv is wearing a splint on is left hand (clearer in next photo).

Above: Irma sitting with a friend of Marv in Garfield Park, Indianapolis.

Above: According to Irma, this photo of Marv was taken in Garfield Park, Indianapolis.  The close up clearly shows the splint on his left hand.​  Also, notice that Marv is no longer wearing the "Red Bull" insignia patch on his left shoulder, which he wore before he went overseas.  I have not been able to determine the name of the left shoulder patch.  (For more about this, see Part 5 - US, under medals.) 

Above: Irma (left) and Marv's younger sister, Lilyanlea.  The photo is not dated.  It might have been right after Marv and Irma were married (June 14, 1945) and visited Detroit because Lilyanlea lived with her parents in Detroit until she was married, at which time she moved to Georgia.  Marv and Irma did not move to Detroit until after Marv was discharged from the Army, Feb. 6, 1946.

April 9, 1945:  Marv was one of the guests of honor at a Detroit Free Press, WJR, Radio Program, "In Our Opinion," which featured five wounded veterans of World War II who talked about their experiences, according to articles pasted into the scrapbook kept by his mother and Detroit Free Press online articles about the event.  Unfortunately, a radio recording of the interviews does not exist.  My guess is that it is because the broadcast took place out of the studio.  (Radio recordings that were done in the studio by the same broadcaster during this time period are available at the University of Michigan.)

May 1945 Washington and Lee University.  At one point, Marv went to Washington and Lee University at Lexington, Virginia. As I recall from love letter that he sent to his bridge-to-be, Irma, I think this might have been in May 1945, the month before they were married.  (I need to confirm this by checking letters that he sent to Mom during that time.  NF)

  • Military Education: According to his Separation Qualification Record, he received the following Military Education: “SCHOOL FOR PERSONNEL SERVICES, LEXINGTON, VA FOR A 4 WEEK COURSE FOR EDUCATIONAL RECONDITIONING.”   The record also states he was a Military “INSTRUCTOR ARTS & CRAFTS” FOR 12 mores at the corporal letter; this would have been during his last 12 months of service, which ended on February 6, 1946.

 

Below is an excerpt from the following online article, which describes Camp Atterbury Wakeman Hospital patients being trained at Washington and Lee University: “Indiana in Work War II: The Hoosier Training Ground, Wakeman Hospital.”

Marriage of Domenic Marvin Corgiat and Ilse Irmgard Matchull
June 14, 1945

Click on photo to view full image and caption.

According to his wife, Irma, before they were married Marv used to take the bus from Camp Atterbury to visit her.  The couple honeymooned in Chicago for about a week.  According to a newspaper article pasted in a scrapbook that was kept by Marv's mother, after the honeymoon, the Marv and Irma visited Detroit where his mother hosted a party for the newly weds, and afterwards, they returned to Camp Atterbury.  Irma told her daughters that after she was married and while Marv was at Camp Atterbury, she worked in the officer's club dining area and used to speak in German with the German prisoners who worked in the kitchen area.

September 6-7, 1945: The following information is from a Medical Request and Consultation Report:

 

Printed on top of form: Name: Corgiat, Domenic; Grade Pfc [private first class]; Ward: DMD.  Date: 7 Sept. 1945.  Consultation requested because of “old injury L. upper forearms & nerve palsy – now has some extensor tendon dysfunction of L. thumb.” Provisional diagnosis: “Exam requested by Profile board.”  Signed by an M.S. 

 

Printed on bottom of form: 7 Sept., 1945 [Friday].   Opinion of consultant [Note: handwriting is difficult to decipher.]:  “This man has a healed wound upper third dorsum [back] left forearm with recent ant? [is “ant” an abbreviation for anterior? or is the word “amt” for amount?] --- -- weaknesses of left thumb extensor tendon.  For practical purposes for ordinary tasks he has full function.  However he plays the accordion and said he finds that fine movements required in playing this instrument are impaired & the hand tires more easily than formally.  From the profile standpoint would give a rating of  ----- (2) under ---.”  [Note: Marv’s grade is still private first class.]

December 1945.  According to a family photo album, Marv had done some teaching at Fort Knox, Kentucky.  Since he and Irma were photographed in front of the Station Hospital, Fort Knox, in December 1945 (see next two photos), he was probably teaching an Instructor for Arts and Crafts at that hospital.  That would have been a temporary assignment because he was still based out of Camp Atterbury, Indiana. 

  • Note: V-J Day:  On August 14, 1945, it was announced that Japan had surrendered unconditionally to the Allies, effectively ending World War II. Since then, both August 14 and August 15 have been known as “Victory over Japan Day,” or simply “V-J Day.”

Above: Irma standing in front of the Station Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky.  

Above: Marv standing in front of the Station Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Above: Online postcard of the Brick Hospital (also called Station Hospital), Fort Knox, Kentucky, ca. 1930-1945

  • Note: It was from the postcards above and below that I was able to identify the building that Irma and Marv were standing in front of.  I had not known that Irma had gone to Fort Knox with Marv until I indentifed the buildlig.   NF

Above: Online postcard of the Station Hospital, Fort Knox, Kentucky

January 9, 1946:  The following information is from a Medical Consultation Request and Report: Name: Corgiat, Domenic.  Grade: Cpl. Ward: H-150.  To: Orthopedic.  Date: [left blank].  For consultation because of: "Pain in Left hip radiating to Left ankle."  Provision diagnosis: "Myositis?" [inflammation of the muscles that you use to move your body.]  Date: 9 Jan., 1945. 

 

Opinion of consultant: “Mechanical injury left leg 8 dec 1943 in Italy.  Hospitalized to Sept. 44. Starting about 1 yr ago off & on dull aching pain left hip to below knee, un aggravated by motion, pressure, etc.  Exam - full range of motion, left hips.  No sensory or reflex changes.  X-rays of hips and femur are negative except for the presence of a small m.f.g* in the soft tissue post medially [further towards the rear than the middle] to the prox. femoral shaft [proximal area of the femur (thigh bone) forms the hip joint with the pelvis].  No treatment indicated at present time.

*Note: I cannot determine what m.f.g stands for.

​

Note:The handwritten date on this form is January 9, 1945.  I believe the year is incorrect and should have been "1946" because (1) this form states that Marv's grade is now Corporal and (2) this form (Form No. 8-40, 21 June 1944) supersedes the form that was used to write up Marv's Sept. 6, 1944 Consultation and Request (Form No. E-1, 31 May 1939).  

Discharge From Army

​

Feb. 6, 1946: Marv received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Army on Feb. 6, 1946, at the Separation Center, Fort Sheridan, Illinois. At the time of his discharge, he was a Corporal.  He was elevated to the rank of Corporal sometime after his marriage on June 14, 1945.

  • By the end of the war, Fort Sheridan was transformed from the Recruit Reception Center into a Separation Center making it the busiest out-processing station in the country.

Above: Aerial View of Fort Sheridan, 1937  (Source: Chicago Historical Society)

Above: Separation Qualification Record

Above: Honorable Discharge

Domenic Marvin Corgiat's Medals, Badges, and Insignia

Above: Combat Infantry Badge

  • Source: Online image.  (There is no Combat Infantry Badge in Marv's medal box.)

  • Criteria: Awarded to Army enlisted infantry, infantry, or special forces officers in the grade of Colonel or below, as well as warrant officers with an infantry or special forces MOS. Subsequent to December 6, 1941, recipients must have satisfactorily performed duty while assigned as a member of an infantry, ranger or special forces unit of brigade during any period in which such unit was engaged in active ground combat.

​​

Above: Purple Heart Medal

  • Source: Above image is a scan of Marv's original medal

  • Criteria: Awarded to any member of the U.S. Armed Forces or to any civilian national of the U.S. who, while servingunder competent authority in any capacity with one of the U.S. Armed Forces, since April 5, 1917 has been wounded, killed, or who has died or may die of wounds received from an opposing enemy force while in armed combat or as a result of an act of international terrorism or being aPrisoner of War.

​

Above: Good Conduct Medal and Lapel Pin

  • Source: Above images are scans of Marv's original medal and pin.

  • Criteria: Exemplary conduct, efficiency, and fidelity during three years of active enlisted services with the U.S. Arm (1 year during wartime).

Above: WWII Victory Medal

  • Source: Above image is a scan of Marv's replacement medal that his wife received during a Memorial Day Ceremony honoring WWII veterans.  The event was held at the Emeritus at Carlsbad Senior Living Facility, California, on May 28, 2010.

  • Criteria:  Awarded for service in US Armed Forces between 1941 and 1946. If a veteran served at least 1 day prior to 31 December 1946, he/she is eligible for this award.

​

Above: European Eastern African Middle Eastern Theater Ribbon

Source: Online image

Criteria: Awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces for at least 30 days of consecutive (60 days nonconsecutive) service within the European Theater of Operations between December 7, 1941 and November 8,1945 (lesser periods qualify if individual was in actual combat against the enemy during this period).

​

Above: Overseas Service Bar (One)

Source: Online image

Criteria: An accouterment on U.S. Army dress uniforms that indicates a soldier has served six months of services in combat zone.  They are displayed as an embroidered gold bar worn horizontally on the right sleeve of the Class A uniform and theArmy Service Uniform.  Overseas Service Bars are cumulative, in that each bar worn indicates another six-month period.

​

Above: Service Stripe (One)

  • Source: Online image.

  • Criteria: A service stripe, commonly called a hash mark, is a decoration of the U.S. military that is presented to enlisted members of the U.S. military to denote length of service.  The U.S. Army awards each stripe for three years service. U.S. Army soldiers wear their stripes on the bottom cuff of left sleeve.

Above: WWII Honorable Discharge Lapel Pin

  • Source: Above image is a scan of Marv's original pin.  (This is one of two Honorable Discharge Lapel Pins in Marv's medal box.)

  • Criteria: The Honorable Service Lapel Button, also known as the Honorable Service Lapel Pin, was awarded to United States military service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during World War II. The award was sometimes called the "Ruptured Duck.  The award served several purposes. It served as proof that the wearer was an honorably discharged veteran returning from duty.  Unofficially, it was also used as an identifier to railroad, bus, and other transportation companies who offered free or subsidized transportation to returning veterans.

​

Above: WWII Military Six-Pointed Star Lapel Pin

  • Source: Above image is a scan of Marv's original pin.

  • Criteria: I have not been able to find any criteria about this pin other that finding several similar stars online that are labeled "WWII Military Six-Pointed Star Lapel Pin.

Above: 34th Infantry Division Should Sleeve Insignia "Red Bull"

  • Source: Above left image is a scan of Marv's original patch.  In the photo on the right, which was taken before he went overseas, Marv is wearing the "Red Bull" patch on his left shoulder. 

  • History: The 34th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the U.S. Army, part of the National Guard, that participated in World War I, World War II, and multiple current conflicts. It was the first American division deployed to Europe in World War II, where it fought with great distinction in the Italian Campaign.

Above: U.S. Army enlisted Rank Sleeve Insignia: Corporal

Source: Above image is a scan of Marv's original insignia, which is pasted in his mother's scrapbook.

Unidentified Left Shoulder Patch 

Above: Unidentified insignia patch on left shoulder.  He is no longer wearing the "Red Bull" insignia.  Photos were taken after Marv returned from overseas and was stationed in Camp Atterbury. 

Above: Armed Service Forces Patch (This is not Marv's patch and this is not a photo of Marv's shoulder.  I found both images online). 

  • Question: Is the above red-white-blue patch the same one that Marv is wearing in the above four photos?

  • History:  The Army Service Forces were one of the three autonomous components of the Army of theUnited States during World War II, the others being the Army Ground Forces and Army Air Forces.  They were created on February 28, 1942 by Executive Order Number 9082 "Reorganizing the Army and the War Department" and War Department Circular No. 59, dated March 2, 1942.  The Army Services Forces involved logistical and support troops.  The Army Ground Forces included basic combat units.  The Army Air Forces included flying elements and their support troops.  Those units not subordinate to some other headquarters, having an approved shoulder sleeve insignia, would wear the patch of these parent elements. It is very common to see patches of Army Service Forces and Army Air Forces on period uniforms. That of Army Ground Forces and its subordinate General Headquarters Reserves are less commonly seen as most Army Ground Forces units were part of a subordinate element that had its own approved patch.  

  • According to the website of the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry, the insignia of the Army Service Forces consisted of "a blue five-pointed star, one point up, 1​3⁄8 inches in diameter on a white background within a red border, outside diameter 2​1⁄4 inches, inside invected of six." The patch was approved on July 30, 1941, and has had numerous designations.  It was re-designated as the "Army Service Forces" patch in March 1943; "Technical and Administrative Services" in June 1946; and "DA Staff Support" in 1969.

Above: WWII 5th Service Command Insignia (This is not Marv's patch.  I found the image online.) 

  • Question: Is the above blue and white patch the same one that Marv is wearing in the above four photos?

  • History: The Fifth Service Command was activated on August 20, 1920.  The should sleeve insignia is pictured above.  In 1942, after the start of WW II, the geographical corps areas were redesigned as numbered service commands under Service Supply and renamed in 1943 as "Army Service Forces" to carry out logistical functions within the continental U.S.  By this time, the corps area boundaries and departments were readjusted.  The 5th Corps Area now included INDIANA (Marv was stationed in Camp Atterbury, Indiana). Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. T

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