Charles King, his eldest daughter, Edna (Jason's Mom), Jason Harris (grandson) and Jackson (great grandson) Charles currently lives in Michigan.

Let's Go Traveling The start of my traveling was on June 1st, 1942 when I entered the military. From the Detroit train station I kissed my future wife and my sister Eunice goodbye and I was on my way. Fort Custer, Battle Creek my first stop. I was there for three days for all that rigamarole, clothing, shots, bed linen you name it, we got it. Three days later, several of us packed our equipment in barrack bags marked with the letters F.S.. We're all thinking Fort Sheridon, IL. We found out three days later, coming into Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This is where we really started our training.

Charles H. King

I was a little bit ahead of most of the men because of my three years in the Michigan National Guard. I didn't think it would help me to much, because that was training with horses, and I was thinking that was passe. I knew the basics, which helped. After we got settled in, they assigned us to a gun crew, which consisted of 16 men and a gun. We studied the operation of the 105mm and 75mm guns. I was interviewed, and sent to gunnery school, which meant no K.P., no inspection of barracks, clothes, or room.

We were on the 105mm guns on the forts ground because they didn't have the trucks to pull these big guns, so most of our training was on the 75mm. This is a French built gun and it breaks down into seven pieces. This is where the training with horses helped. When the gun was broken down into the seven pieces, they were then loaded onto mules. I can't recall anything about Fort Sill, because when we went out for training, in the field, we had to walk and lead one of the mules. Another thing I remember about Fort Sill was it's the only place I've ever been where you walk in mud up to your ankles, and dust gets into your eyes. They interviewed me for officers training school, but I turned it down, I just wanted to get out of the Army, and go back to civilian life. Goodbye Fort Sill!

I don't recall the date I left this beautiful fort. There were four of us who attended gunnery school. We were loaded on a train, pointing west. We landed in Camp Carson, Colorado, about fifty miles west of Colorado Springs. This was a new camp and I was assigned to the 601st Field Artillery Battalion (Pack) Battery "B" 3rd gun. There were four guns to a battery, and four batteries to a section, which amounted to 16 guns. This will be the outfit I will be in the rest of my time in the Army, with the exception of the time I was hurt and was assigned to a hospital unit.

Charles H. King, picture most likely taken at Camp Carson, Colorado, late 1942 or early 1943.

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