Mr. Greg Halling, Editor
Hutchinson News
300 West 2nd Avenue
Hutchinson, KS 67501
Mr. Greg Halling:
This letter has been delayed for more than 56 years. It could have been written in September of 1942. And it could also have been written in late January of 1943. It has troubled me for all these years that I have failed to write this note of appreciation to certain citizens of Hutchinson, Kansas. So please excuse my tardiness. I’ll try to do better in the future.
During World War II nearly all troop movements were by train. The train commanders did their best to hide the eventual destination from the troops under their direction. Pullman porters were strongly advised against disclosing where the trains were headed. Conductors and other railroad personnel said nothing.
Those of us in the Pullmans, mostly raw recruits, were left without a clue other than those we could piece together as we traveled. Did the sun rise behind the train or in front of it? Did you see the name of that town on the Railroad station? Was it Springfield, Missouri or Springfield, Illinois? And so the rumors became rampant and usually were wrong.
When we set out in September, 1942, from Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, our train carried recruits and a few newly Federalized National Guard troops, mostly from the general vicinity of St. Louis, eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois. Our only clue after about a day of travel came from someone who recognized the train station at Kansas City. But neither the conductor nor the Pullman porter would confirm that we were gazing at the Missouri’s western most city. Pretty soon, the train commanders made us put down the shades so our view of Kansas City was a brief one. And we were still in the dark.
Later that night we stopped somewhere west of Kansas City. Perhaps it was 11o’clock or midnight. Some of our fellows were still wandering around the Pullman car in their newly issued army underwear. Nobody wore pajamas, of course. Much to our surprise, some ladies boarded the train and gave us cookies and I believe, apples. I’m sure that all of us thanked the ladies who had come to greet us in the middle of the night. In thanking our surprise visitors, we almost forgot to ask where we were. The answer was of course, Hutchinson, Kansas. On that trip we ended up at Las Vegas, New Mexico but the talk was not where we were headed but rather the hospitality shown us by the people of Hutchinson, Kansas.
We did our basic training in Camp Luna, New Mexico and many of us were sent to Aerial Engineer’s training in Miami. At the conclusion of that program, it was back to the trains for our next assignment. The whole routine applied once again as no one knew where our path was to lead us. Again we were in the dark. After two or three days, we again saw the Kansas City train yards and it was a good bet that we were headed back to Las Vegas, New Mexico. This is now late January, 1943, and we did return to New Mexico.
Some of us remembering the first visit to Hutchinson, were anxious to see if those ladies would show up again. Well they did! Again, I believe it was somewhere around midnight but those Hutchinson Belles showed up again to comfort soldiers on a troop train. We were a little more prepared for them inasmuch as the men wore fatigues over their underwear and all of us thanked them for coming out on such a bleak January night.
Well while we thanked the gracious ladies of Hutchinson, I have long thought that I ought to offer a more formal note of appreciation. As I said, it’s almost 57 years so I’ve thought about it quite a bit.
It seems to me that boarding those troop trains to cheer soldiers was an extraordinary gesture of kindness. It made us proud to be citizens of the United States and soldiers in its army. And I must say that it was in the generous spirit of Midwestern America at its best. So Hutchinson, I salute your ladies who came to the train station late at night in all kinds of weather and I salute all the other people who supported that operation. You must be proud of them.
If any of the train ladies or their children or relatives would care to write to me, I’d be more than pleased to hear from you. And one more thought. Don’t be put off by the New Jersey address. I’ve lived here for more than 40 years because as we said during the Depression, “You go where the work is.” My work brought me here. In point of fact however, I am your neighbor, being born in Missouri and living there until age 28 when I moved to Prairie Village, Kansas for nearly two years. I suppose I have some qualifications as a Midwesterner and even as a Kansan.
So, Hutchinson, Kansas, I salute you for your generous display of compassion. It doesn’t make any difference that it was 56 or 57 years ago. I remember and I salute the wonderful women and men of Hutchinson who came to the troop trains so long ago.
With all best wishes,
E. E. Carr
February 10, 1998
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Daw. This is just really sweet, nothing much more to say.