We called him "Dave". The "Chim" bit came up in the latter part of our time
at Camp Ritchie. And I do remember specifically when the name business
came up and I can hear him now say, "Call Me Chim."
Well, Gads, we didn't, (I didn't know) he was an eminent photographer.
And you've got to understand the ARMY in those days. So many young
men simply made up stuff about their backgrounds. Young egos were
always on display...at work. Yet, most of us had never been more than 60
miles away from our homes in our lifetimes.
Furthermore, merely being at Military establishment identified with Military
Intelligence was overwhelming ..awesome in a more recent expression.
At first, much of what we saw and heard at Ritchie was bizarre.
...especially to the young enlisted men. Perhaps not so to the officers who
were better educated and informed.
In the schools and classrooms officers and enlisted men were integrated.
Our quarters and mess halls were separated, of course. It would not be
unusual for me or Dave to be sitting alongside a grad of West point or
VMI during any of our classroom work.
We had seven day weeks...the eighth, ninth were days off.
The Commanding officer of the camp, Col Banfill made plain that training
and learning for our intelligence duties was paramount to all. Even Military
Discipline was allowed to be relaxed in the interest of our mission.
However, still, we were soldiers.
On the 2 days off some of the guys went to Baltimore, or Washington D.C.
.. depending on what one could afford. I went to D.C. - visited a cousin.
living in Anandale. He was a high school teacher and a Grad of G.W. He
taught at Fairfax and Washington and Lee HS... I do believe.....????
I do know that Dave went to D.C. once.
Camp Ritchie was a former National or State Guard Camp. Then
federalized. Not a very large camp...I remember a nearby small town
called Chocolate Park. A few of the guys in my class were married...late
20's. When I arrived. in Feb 1943...Dave would have arrived then,
many of the new barracks were not completed. There were no showers in
our assigned barracks and we needed to cross over to another barrack
for that accommodation. Of course, there were no sidewalks, etc. One
walked through deep mud to get to another barrack; not unusual to get
stuck, fall in the mud and have need to repeat the shower process.
In our Barrack, I was assigned to the second floor..as was David. He was
assigned 2.. perhaps 3 bunks over from me....lower bunk . Next bunk over
from me was a tall guy from Montana always sniffling and with a cold.
There was always a dispute over open windows at night.
To me, this was a mixed bag of humanity. We even had a Giant of a
"negro" mixed in with us who had never heard the word "integration". This
black man's presence was quite perplexing to many of us...especially
those from the South. However, in time, we learned he was an immigrant
from West Africa and a Muslim (what the hell did I know what a Muslim
was). I do believe he was pretty much isolated from us all...by choice.
Furthermore, he had a run-in with our immediate commander and the
Mess officer.... complaining that he was starving because the food he
received was not in agreement with his faith. Most of us were not
sympathetic to his problem since G.I.'s of other faiths received
dispensations for eating restricted foods.
at Camp Ritchie. And I do remember specifically when the name business
came up and I can hear him now say, "Call Me Chim."
Well, Gads, we didn't, (I didn't know) he was an eminent photographer.
And you've got to understand the ARMY in those days. So many young
men simply made up stuff about their backgrounds. Young egos were
always on display...at work. Yet, most of us had never been more than 60
miles away from our homes in our lifetimes.
Furthermore, merely being at Military establishment identified with Military
Intelligence was overwhelming ..awesome in a more recent expression.
At first, much of what we saw and heard at Ritchie was bizarre.
...especially to the young enlisted men. Perhaps not so to the officers who
were better educated and informed.
In the schools and classrooms officers and enlisted men were integrated.
Our quarters and mess halls were separated, of course. It would not be
unusual for me or Dave to be sitting alongside a grad of West point or
VMI during any of our classroom work.
We had seven day weeks...the eighth, ninth were days off.
The Commanding officer of the camp, Col Banfill made plain that training
and learning for our intelligence duties was paramount to all. Even Military
Discipline was allowed to be relaxed in the interest of our mission.
However, still, we were soldiers.
On the 2 days off some of the guys went to Baltimore, or Washington D.C.
.. depending on what one could afford. I went to D.C. - visited a cousin.
living in Anandale. He was a high school teacher and a Grad of G.W. He
taught at Fairfax and Washington and Lee HS... I do believe.....????
I do know that Dave went to D.C. once.
Camp Ritchie was a former National or State Guard Camp. Then
federalized. Not a very large camp...I remember a nearby small town
called Chocolate Park. A few of the guys in my class were married...late
20's. When I arrived. in Feb 1943...Dave would have arrived then,
many of the new barracks were not completed. There were no showers in
our assigned barracks and we needed to cross over to another barrack
for that accommodation. Of course, there were no sidewalks, etc. One
walked through deep mud to get to another barrack; not unusual to get
stuck, fall in the mud and have need to repeat the shower process.
In our Barrack, I was assigned to the second floor..as was David. He was
assigned 2.. perhaps 3 bunks over from me....lower bunk . Next bunk over
from me was a tall guy from Montana always sniffling and with a cold.
There was always a dispute over open windows at night.
To me, this was a mixed bag of humanity. We even had a Giant of a
"negro" mixed in with us who had never heard the word "integration". This
black man's presence was quite perplexing to many of us...especially
those from the South. However, in time, we learned he was an immigrant
from West Africa and a Muslim (what the hell did I know what a Muslim
was). I do believe he was pretty much isolated from us all...by choice.
Furthermore, he had a run-in with our immediate commander and the
Mess officer.... complaining that he was starving because the food he
received was not in agreement with his faith. Most of us were not
sympathetic to his problem since G.I.'s of other faiths received
dispensations for eating restricted foods.
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