Camp Roberts veterans recall four memorable months in 1943

November 12, 1998

For many, Veterans Day is a time to remember the bloody battles of past wars and honor those who fought for their country.

But for a handful of World War II veterans gathered Wednesday at Camp Roberts, it was a chance to look back on friendships formed in August 1943, when the Army brought them to its new training facility north of Paso Robles.

Members of the B and C companies of the 80th Infantry Training Battalion, who later went on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge, unveiled a plaque at the Camp Roberts Historical Museum to commemorate their time at the facility, now run by the National Guard.

"This went back to the human, individual experiences," said C company veteran Jacques DuBois, after the ceremony. "This really brought back a lot of memories, and some of them brought tears to my eyes."

About 50 of the 452 men who served in B and C companies attended the ceremony Wednesday for the group's 55-year reunion. Many, including DuBois, made their first trip back to Camp Roberts since their four-month stay, in 1943.

Lt. Col. Lawrence Kimmel of the Army National Guard, who hosted the ceremony, received chuckles from the crowd when he said not much had changed at Camp Roberts since B and C companies were there.

"Ninety percent of the buildings are still made of World War II wood," Kimmel said. "At least you won't have a hard time finding your old barracks and mess hall."

DuBois said he was having a harder time recognizing some of the faces of his former Camp Roberts peers.

"It has been 55 years," he said with a laugh.

The atmosphere at the ceremony resembled that of a high school reunion as B and C company members shared stories. Tales of forgotten comrades and 22-mile, seven-hour hikes brought nostalgic murmurs from the crowd.

"The members of Bravo and Charlie companies trained as a family, and it is as a family that they will always be remembered," Col. Gordon Herb, Camp Roberts chaplain, said during a prayer.

Members of the two companies also presented a photo album, containing pictures taken during their 1943 stay, to the Camp Roberts Museum.

The men who gathered Wednesday were all enrolled in the Army Specialized Training Program in 1943, and left Camp Roberts for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma to study engineering.

About half of the men from the two companies went to Tacoma. The rest headed for battlefields in Europe.

But the program was cut short in the spring of 1944. The Camp Roberts men then fought in Patton's Third Army, most in the 11th Armored Division and a handful in the 28th Infantry Division.

Former B company member Patrick Kearney worked with his son, Patrick Kearney Jr., to organize the ceremony, which was not the first B and C company reunion.

Members of the group also gathered at the University of Puget Sound in 1996, where a similar plaque was unveiled to commemorate their time in the specialized training program.

The elder Kearney said the gatherings allow the men to reflect on the bonds they made at Camp Roberts and to think about their training and how it has served them throughout life.

"It's also important because it is bringing in many of the second generation, such as myself," the younger Kearney added.

Wednesday's ceremony was quiet as the company members fondly remembered their Camp Roberts days. But speakers also made sure the sacrifices made by thousands in World War II and in other conflicts were not overlooked.

"During their stay, the men of B and C companies rewrote the history of Camp Roberts," Kimmel said. "But in infantries on the battlefields, they rewrote the history of the world."

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