Forward
Charles was working on the Jersey Journal in Jersey City, writing mostly about sports, but also general news stories, when he was drafted in August of 1941.
The cutoff age for the draft at that pre-Pearl Harbor date was 28.
Charles was 27. He tried very hard to get a deferment for economic reasons, as he lived at home and his family depended on his paycheck, but was not successful.
His friends in Jersey City gave him a resounding send-off before he left for the Army.
Charles was inducted into the Army at Fort Dix in New Jersey. He was sent to Camp Croft in South Carolina for his basic training, arriving there sometime in October of 1941.
Charles wrote to his brother, John, while he was at Camp Croft:
"...I can do this army thing standing on my head... There is a saying: 'the Army can make a bum out of you, if you let it.' I can believe that. Fortunately, I can surround myself with enough fine fellows to live my way here. The Army is tough for anyone who can't take it. I've seen fellows get so low they can't raise their spirits for anything. Then, there are some who take Army life as a lark--for the fun and good times they think they are having. Instead of improving themselves, they get worse. So much for the dark side... ...as I said, I can do it without a worry in the world except how it will affect Mom....The way I feel is -- as long as I'm in the Army I'm going to try and be as good a soldier as I can. I couldn't do any more."
On January 17, 1942, on a weekend leave from Camp Croft that Charles spent in Asheville, North Carolina, he met Billee Gray at a dance for soldiers sponsored by a local Catholic organization. The picture on the right was taken the morning after they met -- they went to church together.
Charles wrote a letter to Billee on January 18:
"Evening, Honey-chile. Thought I'd like to drop in and say "hello" tonight and remind you to be a very good girl until Saturday [Charles was planning on taking the 140-mile round-trip bus ride to Asheville again] when I give the command, 'Present Arms"... It was the first of nearly two thousand letters they would exchange during the course of the war.
Charles finished basic training and was sent back to Fort Dix. In April, Billee visited Charles while he was on his embarkation leave in Jersey City and met his family. They toured New York City, visiting the top of the Empire State Building, riding on the Staten Island Ferry and dancing in the evenings to big band music. They got engaged.
Charles shipped out at the end of April, 1942. During the first four months after he left, in addition to writing constantly to Billee, he also wrote the following diary, recording his experiences on the troopship and his time spent as a soldier in Northern Ireland.
(To start the diary entries, click the link below)