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{
    "localId": "17343226",
    "label": "The Memoirs of Sergeant Verne Chaney",
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{
    "id": "17343226",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/17343226",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "The Memoirs of Sergeant Verne Chaney",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/17343226",
    "collections": [
        "Verne E. Chaney Papers",
        "Subject Files"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972",
        "Spina, Frank E., 1887-1972",
        "Klemm, Karl D., 1880-",
        "Wooldridge, Glenwood F., 1893-1977",
        "Pershing, John J. (John Joseph), 1860-1948",
        "Thacher, John H., 1872-1960",
        "Miles, John L., 1878-1961",
        "Soldiers",
        "World War, 1914-1918",
        "Artillery"
    ],
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    "productionDates": [
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            "logicalDate": "1919-01-01",
            "year": 1919
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{
    "seq": 4,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/26/3432/17343226/content/presidential-libraries/truman/648564/hst-vec-naid7453017-04.jpg",
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    "ocrText": "4\nGarden City where we hiked on to Camp Mills.9 It was here where we were\ngiven complete outfits and our steel helmets.10 We were all given passes to\nthe city which were enjoyed immensly by all of us. Many took nightly leaves\nfor nearby towns.\nOn the 16th Frank Spina, our battery barber, and myself met his sister\nand family outside the camp gates, and there we took a taxi to Astoria, L.I.\nto\ntheir home.11 We enjoyed a good Italian dinner and wine. Afterwards the\nevening was well spent with singing, dancing and drinking along with ice\ncream and chocolates. Their hospitality was greatly appreciated. During our\nstay at Camp Mills, Col.Klemm was undergoing a severe questioning by the\nWar Department representatives, evidently considering his loyalty to the\n12\ncause.\nKUMAN\nARCHIVES RECORDS NATIONAL FORM\nADMIN.\"\nEs\nCOVERIGHTED\n9\nThe arrival was at Pennsylvania Station on the West side of Manhattan at 34th street. In 1917 only\ntwo railroad lines came into Manhattan, both to Pennsylvania Station. The hike would be down 34th street to\nthe East River docks. A major shopping street, 34th street was always crowded. It is not surprising they received\na typical New York welcome during the two mile hike. After docking in Brooklyn, there was a one mile hike to\nthe Long Island Railroad terminus at Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. Garden City on Long Island is an affluent\nbedroom community for New York City. Camp Mills was located in Garden City, on a large undeveloped tract\nof land, it had a favorable location and nearness to New York City along with a good railroad system and an\nabundant water supply. The first troops arrived a month after it was selected, and no permanent structures had\nbeen constructed. Originally a tent camp, it was to cold for troops to winter in. It was deactivated for the Winter\nand reactivated in the spring of 1918. It was turned into a full fledged embarkation camp with permanent\nfacilities. It served as a demobilization camp at the end of the war. The camp could accommodate 50,000troops\nand had 838 buildings of which 398 were barracks. The camp hospital had 2500 beds. Camp Merritt in New\nJersey was the other embarkation camp.\n10\nSteel helmets of British design were a belated introduction into the combat wardrobe of the United\nPeak\nStates Army. The steel helmets undoubtly saved many lives. The Smokey Bear' campaign hat although generally\nusless except for parade grounds show, was standard issue along with the \"Tin Hat\" to Marines and Doughboys\nup until World War Two. The \"Overseas Cap\" became the World War One headpiece of choice because it could\nbe worn under the helmet as padding and it kept the head warm, and could be easily folded and carried ina\n11\npocket.\nThis taxi ride must have cost a healthy taxi bill. Astoria is located in Queens, a borough of New\nYork City. Astoria is a long way from Mineola.\n12\nColonel Karl Klemm, a West Pointer, left the Army to marry well. He continued to be active in\nthe National Guard. Most likely he was being questioned to determine his physical and professional fitness to\nserve in France. General Pershing had scant use for National Guard officers and the feeling was reciprocated.\nRegardless of his emotional problems in France, he performed well as Commander of the 129th Artillery\nRegiment. Tragically he committed suicide in 1924."
}