War games in Shelton: Part two

This is the conclusion of a story about U.S. Army war games that took place in and around Shelton in August 1941.

From the Journal: "Soldiers of the maneuvering troops are finding Sheltonians eager to assist in making their stay in the town pleasant, and local residents have had nothing but praise for the character and actions of the soldiers. A reading and recreation room has been established in the old post office building, and is a favorite spot for soldiers with a few minutes to spare, although so far the boys have been kept mighty busy. The showers at Lincoln Gym have been in constant use since being turned over to the Army, and now the junior high showers have also been put into service.

Residents near places where soldiers are bivouacked have been sending highly appreciated snacks – sandwiches, cakes, pastries, etc. – down to the boys, and in some cases have "rescued" some who appeared to have been forgotten by their outfits and left without meals, by having them in for dinner."

A letter to the Journal from Corporal James Miller began, "I am one of the Fort Lewis soldiers playing in the war games, and I think something should be said about the treatment we've been getting from your farm and city folk. The treatment has been generous, we've been getting breaks right and left. We appreciate it, and I'll tell you why. It all starts with the state of mind a soldier gets in after hiding around in the woods for a week or more. We get cold, wet, and even hungry, and pretty soon we have the idea that we are being "treated like dogs." At this point, along comes one of your good neighbors, who proceeds to explode our carefully prepared state of mind all to pieces. Maybe our mess truck has been captured by the enemy and we've missed two meals. We are feeling very hungry and warlike when down the road comes the lady from the nearby farm house with sandwiches, hot coffee and a sack full of cookies." Corporal Miller mentioned several specific acts of kindness that "made these war games a lot more tolerable than we will ever admit."

On Aug. 26, the Journal announced that "orders to bring the current Army maneuvers, greatest in the history of the Western United States, to a close were issued from Fort Lewis last night, and transport of the more than 100,000 soldiers taking part in the action in Southwest Washington began immediately. Weather that soaked the soldiers and made transportation of the heavy Army machines over rural roads virtually impossible contributed to the decision to terminate the maneuvers. Soldiers turned their trucks, tanks, jeeps, motorcycles and heavy artillery around last night and began the retreat toward Fort Lewis. A steady stream of transport trucks swept through Shelton all night long, and another line came back the other way for 'refills.' "

A final story about the war games experience appeared in the Aug. 28 Journal (under the headline "Army Traffic Proves Need for Highway.") "Advocates of a straighter, wider highway between Shelton and Olympia received some excellent ammunition for their guns during the recent Army maneuvers, particularly during the return of troops to Fort Lewis. Traffic was so badly congested throughout the paved, two-lane thoroughfare that motorists spent up to three hours making the usual half-hour trip. The Seattle P.I. carried a picture of the congestion, showing three lanes of traffic all headed the same direction on the two-way, two-lane highway. One logging truck was reported to have been forced so far over on the shoulder that it lost its load during efforts to clear a path for War Secretary Henry L. Stimson and Chief of Staff General George Marshall, who came along during the worst of the jam.

On the other hand, all grocery stores, meat markets, dairies, service stations, bakeries, restaurants and cafes benefited financially to no small extent by the presence of the troops here. Two grocery stores reported the biggest single-day volumes in their histories last Saturday."

■ Jan Parker is a researcher for the Mason County Historical Museum. She can be reached at [email protected]. Membership in the Mason County Historical Society is $25 per year. For a limited time, new members will receive a free copy of the book "Shelton, the First Century Plus Ten."