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Usnsubvet77
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Username: Usnsubvet77

Post Number: 64
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Friday, December 07, 2007 - 12:59 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I would like to ask everyone if they have any memories of Fort Wayne to share. If you have information you could share about the Fort when it was active, from any time period. Whether it may be your personal experiences or from photos, letters, etc.

As a member of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, one of my personal initiatives is developing a collection of video/oral history interviews. It is in the preliminary stages and will be exclusive to Fort Wayne and experiences had there. I would also like to include documentation, photos to help tell the Fort's story.

Of course, the Fort's story does not only include it's military duties. I would like this memorial collection to be all encompassing. Experiences ranging from protests during Viet Nam, low income housing during the Great Depression, temporary housing during the 1967 civil uprising, civilian workers during WWII at "The Arsenal of Democracy", Job Corps, etc.

Also, I would like to record the memories of veterans that came and went through the Fort. What your thoughts were. What the induction was like. Your service branch, dates of service, etc

I will admit that I am not yet a degreed historian. I am a 7 year Navy veteran enrolled in History undergraduate studies. My aim is to collect these memories as another way to preserve the Fort. I am just looking for the basic information to tie as many people to the Fort as possible. To show the city and state that the Fort has effected many people. Also to show the reason for it's preservation is multi-layered and not exclusively military.

If anyone just has any memories to share on this thread, I would also appreciate it very much.

Feel free to contact me if you would like to participate. I certainly would enjoy talking to you about Fort Wayne.

Thomas Steele
Historic Fort Wayne Coalition
Projects Committee - Secretary
www.historicfortwaynecoalition .com

thomas.steele@us.yazaki.com
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Ookpik
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Username: Ookpik

Post Number: 360
Registered: 01-2007
Posted on Friday, December 07, 2007 - 11:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I went to Ft. Wayne several times as a kid and always enjoyed the experience. If I remember correctly, didn't they shoot the cannon with live shot and aim at barrels? I remember seeing this but can't recall if it was at Ft. Wayne, Greenfield Village, Ft. Mackinac, etc. I have also attended the flea markets held there. My brother said he saw two ghosts there!? My father entered the service at Ft. Wayne and was there this past summer when the B-17 flew over.

The photo below depicts the fort in the late 1960's.





Larger View

Ookpik
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Oladub
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Username: Oladub

Post Number: 65
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 3:03 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Favorite might not be the right word. When I was negotiating my way around the draft, I was ordered to report to Fort Wayne for a physical. I had previously taken a battery of tests, qualified for everything, and decided to sign up for a third year in return for guaranteed carpentry training rather than be drafted. A couple of months later I received a call, dropped out of Wayne State and had my father drive me down to Fort Wayne to enlist.

Those of us taking physicals were allowed to wear shoes and undershorts and carry a lunch bag with our wallet in it. We went from station to station having an exam of some sort in each one. I passed all the tests and sat down with a sargeant to fill out the paperwork. Instead of carpentry, he wrote construction. He said construction included carpentry and showed me the list of the various trades construction included. One was construction engineering assistant which I figured meant laborer. I told him to write in carpentry per agreement or I was going home. He replied that everyone else there was signing the paperwork. In the end, the recruiter drove me home. After being lied to, my cooperation ended. I took off for Santa Cruz finding carpentry work there.

Impressions of Fort Wayne: old stone buildings with high ceilings, steep roofs, and fire escapes. A cattle chute experience with improperly conducted tests. Small town white kids and blacks getting drafted while everyone getting off the Greyhound from Ann Arbor had piles of paperwork documenting why they were not draftable.
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Plymouthres
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Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 285
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 10:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Oladub-

Many people who inducted through Fort Wayne state the same negative experiences that you do. The system was not the most optimal according to my dad, either. The fact that you were lied to is no secret in military recruiting, and you were not the first or will you be the last.

I am curious what you mean by "negotiating my way around the draft"? I presume from what you write that you didn't go into the military, and were never drafted, having "took off" for Santa Cruz after your negative experience at Fort Wayne? Too bad, as it sounds like you could have qualified for any MOS that they had, according to your account of passing the tests. If you had just stayed in college, you would have almost automatically gotten a deferral because of that anyway.

The Coalition is in the process of establishing a method in which those who passed through the gates of Fort Wayne as inductees are being asked to come down to the Fort and share their experiences with us so that they can be documented and preserved as part of the history of the Fort. We are contemplating a "Wall of Fame" type of exhibit, where former inductees or soldiers that were stationed at the Fort could come there and be recognized for their participation in the defense of our country. It is the least that we can do to honor these individuals whose military sacrifice kept us all safe here in the US.

Ookpik-

Thanks for the story-just the kind of thing Subvet was looking for. They did, indeed, shoot the cannon and it was loaded LIVE. They shot at targets and they had competitions. Most of that activity took place on the Parade Ground. Lowell has written about his experiences at Fort Wayne previously, and the cannon demo was one of the things he remembered vividly as well!

As for the fly over of the B-17's and B-24's this summer, we were lucky to coordinate with the YAF to get them to do the low level flyover that you saw. I was the guy working on the Commander's Quarter's stairs that was shouting out to everyone on the Parade Grounds across the street to look up!

We now have a connection with the US Navy that may get us a flyover next year from the Blue Angels! When the dates for 2008's Flea Markets and the other activities at the Fort are announced, I'll be posting them here. Stay tuned!

Thanks also for the picture. If you have any more of those, Subvet and I would be interested in seeing them if you could find the time? Perhaps we could meet at a FSC and talk it over one night. Just let us know and we will try to hook up with you!

PlymouthRes
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Oladub
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Username: Oladub

Post Number: 66
Registered: 08-2006
Posted on Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 9:19 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Re: negotiating around the draft. In the late sixties there was a two year draft. Draftees often, or usually, were trained for the infantry. However, the Army presented more options for anyone offering to volunteer for more years of service. The army said my clerical IQ was 139 and I qualified for every MOS. Since I already had a carpentry background, the three year enlistment with guaranteed carpentry school sounded like my best option given the choices. I volunteered. They lied. End of deal.

When I quit college to join the Army, I effectively gave up my student deferral. Deferrals ended upon graduation anyway.

Sometime later, the first Vietnam era draft lottery was set up and I drew a good number. Selective Service had students pick the lottery numbers to make it more like a game and provide an aura of student support. A black guy from Detroit, when it was his turn to take a ball out of the tumbler, refused to do so and made an anti-government statement on this nationally broadcast radio event. Being from Detroit, I was proud that he didn't play the game.
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Plymouthres
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Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 295
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 9:57 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks for the explanation. I'm glad that I didn't have to make the choices that some guys made back then.
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Gary
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Username: Gary

Post Number: 270
Registered: 02-2004
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 10:51 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My father was stationed at Fort Wayne when we moved to Detroit in 1959, he was Regular Army, but we didn't live on the post.

I have memories of lunch at the Officer's Club (best burgers I ever tasted even to this day), watching the fireworks from the river side of the fort, my brother and me getting "jar head" haircuts in the barber shop, buying comic books in the PX, and getting medical care at the Infirmary.

By the time the post closed as an active Army installation in the early 60s, my father had retired from active duty, but he continued to work for TACOM in Warren for many years as a civilian.

Re: the draft, I was in the last group to be drafted in the spring of 1972. My lottery number was 306 as I recall. I was just finishing my freshman year of college and all student deferments (2S classifications) had been eliminated by that time. Everybody was 1A.
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Plymouthres
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Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 296
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 11:03 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Awesome post Gary! Do you have any pictures of the Fort and it's environs from that era? The Historic Fort Wayne Coalition is always looking for photographic representations that show the Fort in it's heyday. If you do have anything along those lines (post newspaper "Tracks", etc) please let Subvet or I know!

Also, please consider coming down to the Fort this summer as we are starting to gather momentum in our restoration efforts and we would love to hear what you think of the job we are doing. It will be guys like yourself that could help us out the most as we only have a few members who were stationed at the Fort or inducted through Fort Wayne. We would obviously like to hear more from those that did rotate through.

Please feel free to contact me as well if you have any questions!

Thanks again for contributing to the thread!

PlymouthRes
Projects Committee Member
Historic Fort Wayne Coalition/
Fort Wayne Advisory Committee
bcjaxson@comcast.net
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Gary
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Username: Gary

Post Number: 271
Registered: 02-2004
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 11:30 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This sounds like a great project, Plymouthres. By all means, I'll look forward to coming down this summer to see the restoration efforts. Hats off to you and everyone involved.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of the old fort, but I will ask my dad about any specific memories he may have from the years he was stationed there. I'll be in touch with you if he can provide you with anything worthwhile.

Good luck with this project!
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Plymouthres
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Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 298
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 11:37 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Gary. We certainly appreciate the encouragement! Please bring dad with you as we would (hopefully) by then, have a video process in place to "capture" your memories to be preserved forever for all to see and hear.

Also, I forgot to thank you and your dad for your service to our country.

Look forward to seeing you this summer! Pleas shoot either Subvet or myself an e-mail when you're coming down so that we can help to make your visit a bit more special!

PlymouthRes
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Gary
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Username: Gary

Post Number: 272
Registered: 02-2004
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 12:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks, Plymouthres...will do!
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Waxx
Member
Username: Waxx

Post Number: 273
Registered: 09-2006
Posted on Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 2:42 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Seeing that's been awhile since I last posted on this wonderful site. My memories of Fort Wayne are NOTHING compared to those of you old veterans and patrons (LOL). But my first incarnation with Fort Wayne was in 1987-I was 11 going on 12 @ the time-I was slightly un-enthused being inside and old war zone but after an hour or so I was starting to feel the vibes of Fort Wayne and its history. I am glad that the fort has reopened in recent years, but it's not the same due to economic issues (or so they say). But back to what I was about to mention was that the thing that impressed me the most was that I was walking down the tunnels while following the tour guide was that the guards were dressed in civil war attire with bayonets-I was too young to know what they were (knives at the tip of the rifle) at the time-and the password for every entrance was 'sawbone' and although I was bored out of my mind at first, the trip got better when got to the Tuskeegee Airmen display (which became its own museum @ the Fort in recent years) and I was amazed that Coleman Young was one of the pilots who served in WWII and that's what stuck in my mind for the rest of my childhood. That the then-current mayor of Detroit was virtually a living piece of history and that's what made the trip easier, and we got to see the rest of fort which was a beautiful site to see. I was just disillusioned to see the other half of Jefferson looking [LITERRALLY] like a dump-it still does!

My second incarnation was in 1998 when DPS had a school located in Fort Wayne called Medicine Bear. It was-according to the surveyists-the ONLY Native American School in Michigan (somehow I don't believe that, don't ask why I just don't-as big as Michigan is, that just impossible). But anyway, I worked there as a janitor and I had a real nice time being there. BTW, it was subzero outside, and over 100 INSIDE! The rooms had fans running because the building was so darn hot but I was amazed at hoe diverse the setting was! I met the principal there and he was either Native American or Mexican but he told me that he went to Cooley-Class of '65 if I'm not mistaken-and he told that he hoped that the school would stay open for as long as possible. I heard that Medicine Bear was closed (or relocated) in recent years but for the short time I worked there I'll say this; It was a small, structurally sound building that was hot as I don't know what, but it was one the BEST schools I've worked in in 12 years I've been with DPS.

Like I said, my stories are nothing compared to the older ones who registered for the armed forces or those who walked through the corridors and the vaults of the fort, but I thought I'd share my little experiences with Fort Wayne. And one other thing, I've worked with teachers and even have friends who have went to the fort for registration and all of 'em had stories to tell. The fort has a very VIVID and storied history, and there's more to tell after this, I predict.
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Usnsubvet77
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Username: Usnsubvet77

Post Number: 67
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Monday, December 10, 2007 - 8:21 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

All of these memories are exactly what I am looking for!

Thank you so much for taking the time to share the memories, good and bad about Fort Wayne with us.

Understand that memories that may seem mundane and insignificant to you perhaps may mean the world to someone else. I appreciate everyone's input so far and will keep the DYES site updated when we are ready for video/sound recordings, should you choose to participate.

Thanks again!
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Mikeg
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Username: Mikeg

Post Number: 1315
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Monday, December 10, 2007 - 9:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't have any personal memories to share, but I just came across some on-line images from the archives of the U of M's Bentley Historical Library that might be of interest to you.

The images are of the invitation and program for the 1st Annual Flag Day Retreat Ceremony, Dedication of the Ft. Wayne Military Museum and unveiling of a bronze tablet commemorating the history of the Fort, which was held on June 14, 1950.

Click on the link underneath each image to view the document at the Bentley site.


invitation

Invitation


Program - side 1

Program - side 1


Program - side 2

Program - side 2
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Plymouthres
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Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 309
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 8:30 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mikeg-

Absolutely awesome! This is one document that I have never seen before and adds much more to the post-war story of the Fort.

Exactly the type of thing Subvet was looking for!

Keep on posting what you find!

Thanks,

PlymouthRes
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Mikeg
Member
Username: Mikeg

Post Number: 1316
Registered: 12-2005
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 9:26 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Glad to be of assistance!

At the Bentley site, click on each image to view it full-size before saving to your hard drive. Any use of these images should credit the "Michael J. Macalla collection, "Polar Bear Expedition Digital Collections", Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan."

Michael Macalla served with Co. G, 339th Infantry in the American North Russia Expeditionary Force (1918-1919), also known as "Detroit's Own" and "Polar Bears". Macalla was a member of the 1929 Michigan commission sent to return the bodies of men killed in Russia. He was also an officer of the "Polar Bear Association" and the VFW Polar Bear Post No. 436 in Detroit. In 1950, he was Commander of Detroit's "Allied Veterans Council" and his invited role in the ceremony at Fort Wayne on June 14, 1950 was to represent the Council and to make the presentation of an American flag.

Here are some additional documents in the Macalla Collection relating to the June 14, 1950 ceremony at Fort Wayne:
Macalla's typewritten comments for the flag presentation
Order of Events - typewritten details listing the times, participants, locations, etc.
Page 2 of same

(Message edited by Mikeg on December 11, 2007)
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Hornist9
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Username: Hornist9

Post Number: 69
Registered: 05-2005
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 12:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Greetings.

When I worked as the GED Coordinator at the Detroit Job Corps Center, I learned that the first home for the DJCC was at Fort Wayne. I think the Center opened in 1972. Job Corps then moved to the old YMCA building across the street from Water Works Park and was housed there until 1997.
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Usnsubvet77
Member
Username: Usnsubvet77

Post Number: 69
Registered: 07-2007
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 3:25 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hornist9,

Yes that is correct. The Job Corps was housed at Fort Wayne in Barracks 314.

Recently, while evaluating some holes in the roof there, I found a "Code of Conduct" pamphlet from the Job Corps circa 1972. Interesting piece.

The barracks looks almost exactly the same as it did when the Job Corps was there as a dormitory. Less the falling ceiling plaster and broken windows. Other than that the paintings in the rooms are the same. That was the last time that that part of 314 was used for a function purpose.

Perhaps i will see if I can get access next time I am down there and snap some photos for you. I will also scan the cover of the Job Corps book.
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Plymouthres
Member
Username: Plymouthres

Post Number: 311
Registered: 02-2007
Posted on Tuesday, December 11, 2007 - 3:32 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Subvet-

Jump over to the Do you know this picture thread. I can't answer Gnome's questions. Can you possibly help out?
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Jaja
Member
Username: Jaja

Post Number: 2
Registered: 12-2007
Posted on Thursday, December 13, 2007 - 7:13 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My memories are back in 1965... the physical for
the draft..I was underweight (118 lbs) and needed glasses, so after the first screening, I was invited back the next month for an eye test and a re-weighing... of course I starved myself and got down to 116 lbs... I passed the second eye test ('we'll give you glasses')... I remember the Army Sgt at the end of the test looking at a chart of heights/weights... then saying 'Ah! you'll gain weight.. you passed' ...my heart sank....
Anyhow, I decided to go Navy, and guess what .. I had to gain weight ... again another trip to Ft Wayne... this time I ate bananas that morning, and carried penny rolls in the paper bag,with my wallet during the weigh-in...I passed for the Navy!! The last trip was leaving for Great Lakes Naval Station... I got to Ft Wayne around 8am to be 'processed'... finally leaving at 5:30pm for the trainride to Chicago..

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