James A Monday

The day he was inducted he went onto the rolls of Company A, 1524th Service Unit at Fort Benjamin Harrison, attached unassigned, MOS 521, which meant unclassified. He was 35, married, and had been driving for a living in Marion County.

Released from the 1524th and attached to the 1584th Service Unit (Special Training Unit) at Camp Atterbury, Indiana. He stayed three weeks. Special Training Units generally taught reading, writing and arithmetic to men the Army had inducted anyway. Why he was sent to one is not recorded, and the orders say only that he went.

Released from the 1584th and sent back to Fort Benjamin Harrison. His name appears on six separate pages of the April roll.

Back on the 1524th Service Unit roster, now carried as MOS 345, light truck driver. The Army classified him into driving, which is what he had done as a civilian, and 345 was still the number beside his name the day he joined a tank company nine months later.

Attached unassigned to the Armored Replacement Training Center at Fort Knox, where the Army trained its armored replacements. He was there four months. What he was trained on is not recorded; he came out still carrying MOS 345, a driver's number.

The report for 16 July carries him "Dy to AWOL as of 0800 15 July 1944". The report for 18 July brings him back: "Fr AWOL to Dy as of 0700 hours 17 July 44". He was gone two days in the middle of training, and the record does not say why.

Named on a shipping list leaving the Armored Replacement Training Center with thirteen days delay en route and orders to report on 9 September. Delay en route was leave; where he spent it is not recorded, and Indianapolis was a day's travel from Fort Knox.

Attached to the 16th Armored Division and posted to Service Company of the 16th Tank Battalion at Camp Chaffee.

Joined Battery A, 397th Armored Field Artillery Battalion at Camp Chaffee — "atchd unasgd as of 26 Aug 44 and jd 9 Sep 44 fr Hq ARTC Ft Knox Ky (14 day delay enroute)".

Relieved from the 16th Armored Division and transferred to AGF Replacement Depot #1 at Fort Meade. From this point the Army moved him as a replacement, by serial number, toward whichever unit needed one.

On the Fort Meade rolls with Company C, 25th Battalion.

Listed on the outgoing transport roster staged at Camp Kilmer: Troop Class GL-207(a), Armored Force, Company "A", Fourth Platoon, item 36. Nobody has yet found the ship or the sailing date. The troop class is what should turn them up.

The first record of him on the far side of the Atlantic, in the 18th Replacement Depot. When he sailed, and on what ship, is still unknown.

Moved again inside the depot, to Det 86 GFRS, 366th Replacement Company, three days after the German attack opened in the Ardennes.

Orders from the 86th Replacement Battalion release him and the men with him "in gr to 774th Tank Bn", on the authority of Ninth US Army and Requisition No. 1 of 22 December. Seven enlisted men named in that same draft appear beside him on the company's report two days later, and two of the five officers who moved with them, Lieutenants Fall and Kurko, stand at the head of it as tank unit commanders.

Assigned and joined Company A, 774th Tank Battalion in the vicinity of Le Trombois, Belgium. "Asgd & jd fr 86th Repl Bn", still MOS 345. Seventeen days later he was killed.