Over 55 Years Ago, the United States Entered World War II. to Most Americans, Now, It’S Something That Happened “Over There” and Is Far Removed from Home
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
by Mike Prero Over 55 years ago, the United States entered World War II. To most Americans, now, it’s something that happened “over there” and is far removed from home. We frequently read books and see movies about our soldiers in Japanese or German prisoner-of-war camps, but few members of the younger generation realize that between 1942 and 1946, the United States held almost 400,000 German, more than 50,000 Italian, and 5,000 Japanese soldiers in P.O.W. camps right here in the United States. I’ve been a Military collector ever since I entered the hobby, but my interest was really drawn to P.O.W. camps during a game of bridge a number of years ago. Our opponents, an elderly couple, had actually met and fallen in love in a Japanese P.O.W. camp in the Philippines. Fascinating! And so are P.O.W. camp covers. There were over 500 such P.O.W. camps in America during the war. One of them was right down the road from here, in Stockton, CA. Not surprisingly, most were located in the western and central states that had wide-open spaces: California, Texas, Idaho, Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, etc. Although, there were a few in places like Maryland, Wisconsin, and Michigan. As with most World War II U.S. installations, there are a variety of covers from these P.O.W. camps, although they are definitely scarce compared to the number of camps that existed. I currently have 6,842 U.S. Military covers, but Major P.O.W. Camps only know of 9 that actually identify themselves as P.O.W. camps. There are also a number of Camp Algoma, ID Camp Como, MS covers that were issued by such camp locations Camp Aliceville, AL Camp Concordia, KS that don’t have any such ID on them, representing, Camp Alva, OK Camp Cooke, CA instead, the larger military installation of which Camp Angel Island, Camp Croft, SC the P.O.W. camp was just one portion. For such CA Camp Crossville, TN covers, you’d have to already be aware that those Camp Ashby, VA Camp Crowder, MO particluar locations were P.O.W. centers, and to Camp Ashford, WV Camp David, MD that end I’m including here a listing of at least the Camp Atlanta, NE Camp Dermott, AR major sites. Camp Atterbury, TN Camp Douglas, WY Camp Edwards, MA As shown here, most of Camp Ellis, IL the P.O.W. covers seem to Camp Evelyn, MI have been 40-strikes. That Camp Fannin, TX size was quite common for Camp Farragut, ID U.S. military installations Camp Florence, AZ during the war, as they Camp Forrest, TN doubled as postcards. Camp Gordon Whatever the size (and there Johnston, FL are some 20-strikes, as Camp Frant, IL well), you could go through Camp Gruber, OK your entire collecting career Camp Hale, CO and not see any. Anyone Camp Hearne, TX coming across one of these Camp Hood, TX gems would probably be Camp Houlton, ME inclined to hang onto it as a Camp Howze, TX curiosity, whether interest- Camp Hulen, TX ed in the category or not. Camp Huntsville, TX Camp Indianola, NE How could you start a Camp Jerome, AR collection? First, you have Camp Lee, VA to be a glutton for punish- Camp Livingston, LA ment, because you’re Camp Lordssburg, NM probably not going to have Camp McAlester, OK much luck...it’s going to be Camp McCain, MS Camp Beale, CA s-l-o-w going. I’ve only seen P.O.W. covers Camp McCoy, WI Camp Blanding, FL offered once at convention auctions, where just Camp McLean, TX Camp Bowie, TX about everything in the hobby goes on the block Camp Mackall, NC Camp Brady, TX eventually, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen them Camp Maxey, TX Camp Breckinridge,KY offered in club auctions. Camp Mexia, TX Camp Butner, NC Camp Monticello, AR Camp Campbell, KY Establishing a trading relationship with a Camp New Cumberland Camp Carson, CO Military collector who has considerable trading PA Camp Chaffee, AR stock is your best route, but don’t be surprised if Camp Ogden, UT Camp Claiborne, LA he wants your first born in return! Camp Opelika, AL Camp Clarinda, IA Camp Papago Park, AZ Camp Clark, MO Camp Peary, VA Camp Clinton, MS Camp Perry, OH Camp Phillips, KS Camp Wheeler, GA Fort Niagara, NY Hampton Rds Port of Camp Pickett, VA Camp White, OR Fort Oglethorpe, GA Embark., VA Camp Pima, AZ Camp Wolters, TX Fort Ord, CA Holabird Signal Depot, Camp Polk, LA Fort Ben. Harrison, IN Fort Patrick Henry, VA MD Camp Popolopen, NY Fort Benning, GA Fort Reno, OK Indiantown Gap Mil. Camp Pryor, OK Fort Bliss, TX Fort Riley, KS Res., PA Camp Reynolds, PA Fort Bragg, NC Fort Robinson, NE McCloskey General Camp J.T. Robinson, Fort Crockett, TX Fort D.A. Russell, TX Hosp., TX AR Fort Curtis, VA Fort Sam Houston, TX Memphis General De- Camp Roswell, NM Fort Custer, MI Fort Sheridan, IL pot, TN Camp Rucker, AL Fort Devens, MA Fort Sill, OK New Orleans Port of Camp Rupert, ID Fort Dix, NJ Fort F.E. Warren, WY Embark., LA Camp Ruston, LA Fort Dupont, DE Edgewood Arsenal, Olmsted Field, PA Camp Scottsbluff, NE Fort Eustis, VA MD Pine Bluff Arsenal, AR Camp Shelby, MS Fort Gordon, GA Elgin AAF, FL Richmond ASF Depot, Camp Sibert, AL Fort Greely, CO Glennan General Hosp. VA Camp Somerset, MD Fort Jackson, SC OK Tobyhanna Military Camp Stewart, GA Fort Kearny, RI Halloran General Hosp. Res., PA Camp Stockton, CA Fort Knox, KY NY Camp Sutton, NC Fort Leavenworth, KS Camp Swift, TX Fort Leonard Wood, Camp Tonkawa, OK MS Special Note Camp Trinidad, CO Fort Lewis, WA Camp Van Dorn, MS Fort McClellan, AL I’d like to thank Stuart Bergman, Mike Camp Wallace, TX Fort Meade, MD Samuels, and James Willard for their help in researching the covers in this topic. Also, special thanks to Arthur D. Jacobs, Major, USAF retired, for his help in sorting through background material on camps. .