Reflections of My Life by JL Byars – page 7

I drove an open “Peep” (small jeep) to McDill and was responsible for keeping the convoy in order and staying on a route, etc. When we went through the tunnel under the river at Mobile, Alabama the mosquitoes were the worst I have ever seen!   If you have never been to Tampa, Florida in the summer time, you can’t believe how hot it can get and how big the mosquitoes can be. We had to drive with the windshields down to keep them blown off.  The coral snakes were plentiful, too.

We had only been at McDill a few weeks when on Sunday, December 7, 1941 we learned that the United States had been attacked by Japan.  I remember that my buddy, Neisler and I were on a pass in town enjoying a quiet, peaceful weekend and we rushed back to camp, expecting to be on our way to the South Pacific.  Instead it was back to Camp Polk, Louisiana for much more serious training.  And we did get much, much more of that!!  There were rumors that we were going to Africa soon, but this proved to be false.  About the middle of July 1942, we loaded up all vehicles and supplies and headed for the California desert.  There were about thirty trainloads in this move.  No vehicles were driven because rubber was too precious to waste.  The troops were given periods of rest in small towns in west Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  After four days we arrived in a place called Freda, which is near Rice, California.  This is on the east edge of the Mojave Desert.  Thermometers were always around 130 degrees and sometimes more.  We unloaded our tanks and headed west to the center of the Mojave Desert.  We pitched our tents and that was home while we were there.  Salt tablets were issued and eaten by the dozen and hot burning wind tanned us to a saddle leather color.  Although our lips chapped painfully in the early days, we found a cure for this ailment: crimson lipstick, not meant for GI=s, but it worked!!