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Topic: U.S. Naval Training and Distribution Center - Shoemaker, CA |
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Wayne Bauer
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 9:34am
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Gentlemen, I've been a "reader" of this website and the various topics almost on a daily basis now for a long time. I have posted a couple of times looking for information on my father Walter W. Bauer Jr. a torpedoman who according to his separation papers mentions he served in Rons 17,14, 23 and the USS Accontius.
My sister was recently cleaning out my Mother's house and came across what looks almost like a yearbook - Black hard cover with a raised abchor and US Navy on the cover. Inside there is a history of the Navy, a section on our Navy in Action with photo's taken during WWII and then a complete sectoin on "Life in the Naval Receiving Station of the U.S. Naval Training and Distrubution Center, Shoemaker, CA. This section contains photos of the facility, football basketball and baseball teams, barracks activities etc. Finally under the title Transient Personnel at the back of the book are individual photo's of various sailors, their names, rating, and address. There are 640 men shown and listed - one of which is my father.- who is listed as "Bauer W. W. TM2c 301 E. Courtois St. St. Louis, MO. Hand written beside his name is Ron 23 and it appears beside several other names he has written various Rons that the other men served in (several Ron 14, ron 20 and "Gene Lafette" (?)
There are no dates shown anywhere as to when these photos may have been taken or when he was assigned here etc. My first thought was it was a training center he went through after the war but I don't know if that is correct. His separation papers dated 20 November 1946 shows his place of separation as US Naval Training Station Newport, R.I. and lists him as TM first class. Under service schools completed it lists in order, Torpedo Sch San Diego, CA; Torpedo Sch Advanced; Coco Solo, Canal Zone; Torpedo Sch Newport, RI. HIs service (vessels and stations served on) lists in order MTS San Diego, CA; MTBSTR Portsmouth, R.I. and the aforementioned Rons, 17; Ron 14; Ron 23; and USS Acontius (AGP12).
Assuming the Service record is in chronological sequence he must have been here either before or after his Ron 23 days.
Can anyone give me any insight as to what this is / was etc.
p.s. sorry for the length of this message, but I get carried away trying to make sure all the info is here.
Wayne
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29navy
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 10:04am
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I believe I have a copy of that book, or one similar. I'll have to look. Many bases put these books out to document the base and people that were there. It wasn't everybody but just those at the time the book was being made. Shoemaker was a big base that processes sailors through and I believe they had some training classes. Many of these books were put together at the end of the war. I have a couple of them that have the same intro pages on the history of the Navy in the war, and then go to the specific base pictures. So my guess is late 1945 is when they put them together. He probably got his picture taken and ordered a book and it was sent to his address after printing.
Charlie
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Wayne Bauer
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 10:35am
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Charlie, thanks
The back of the book shows "Volume 1, Transient Personnel, Shoemaker, CA.
I "googled" Naval Recieving Station Shoemaker, CA and came across a website that mentions "Camp Shoemaker housed a Naval Hospital and Naval Training and Personnel Distribution Center. These facilities served the fleet in much the same manner as Camp Parks served the Seabees. Camp Parks functioned as home for Seabees returning from the Pacific Theater of Operations. Battalions returned to the States after a year or more of arduous construction duty. They came to Camp Parks for medical treatment, military training and reorganization."
...so can I assubme he was there for "training" or reassignment following his service with Ron 14 and then reassigned to Ron 23 or perhaps he was there after Ron 23 and then assigned to the Acontius? My Mother's memory doesn't recall any of this but she does claim he came back from the Phillipines after the war aboard the Acontius.
Wayne
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BobPic
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 12:32pm
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I can't shed much light on this, but I went through the transient business at Shoemaker. I was only there for a few days. All I saw of it was a temporary barracks for holding Navy enlisted men while they were waiting for transportation overseas. I remember there were no musters, work assignments or liberty, we were just hung up waiting to go. There were a bunch of PT Boaters there but I don't know what others may have bunked there.
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earl
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 2:13pm
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i also was at shoemaker waiiting for assignment to go overseas.i remember the barracks,no liberty or work ASSIGNMENTS.ALSO REMEMBER THE WARM DAYS,AFTER THE COLD OF THE NIGHTS WORE OFF AND WASHING OUTDOORS AT THE LONG WASHBASIN STANDS IN THE COLD MORNINGS. EARL
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QM
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Posted on: Dec 24, 2008 - 6:04pm
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I also spent some time at Shoemaker awaiting assignment. Later a group of sailors was transferred to Treasure Island and then to a transport ship sailing to Brisbane unescorted. On return to the states, I was at Treasure Island for a few days before going home on leave. While at Shoemaker, in 1943, we permitted to go on liberty.
I was not aware of any training facilities at Shoemaker, but I never explored the base. However, its primary use was receiving men from various training stations, San Diego for me, and shipping them out to various assignments. |
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Russell Pullano
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Posted on: Dec 25, 2008 - 3:48pm
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I was there twice. The first time it was just called Pleasanton, which is in Pleasanton, Ca. However i don't understand that some members on this board say that there ws no liberty. I went on liberty in San Francisco, San Jose, Hayward from there. I also sthink some sailors going into town (I don't know which town) and working one night in canneries.
I hope I'm not dreamng about the canneries. I know that I am not dreaming about liberties.
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earl
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Posted on: Dec 25, 2008 - 4:02pm
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hi russ it remember the canneries but i did not have liberty from shoemaker/pleasanton.i was in treasure island when i had my liberties.i treasure island was under the golden gate bridge. did work in one cannery for one night so i could make some money for the liberty from TI. we took our liberty in sanFrancisco and a place just outside of there.we went to the stage door canteen in SF and a place called seal rock amusement park.i was at TI before i was in shoemaker/pleasanton.i worked the galley in TI for a short time.also remember that in TI mess hall ,when you turned in your dirty tray,the men working in that section were POW,S from germany.i had an altercation with one of them. guess you who had the liberties from S/P were the lucky ones. earl
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QM
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Posted on: Dec 25, 2008 - 5:48pm
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I forgot to mention that while at Shoemaker I was put to work one night. I was assigned to shore patrol duty in Hayward. I had no idea as to what I should do. Fortunately I was accompanied by another sailor who was trained for the job. |
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CJ Willis
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Posted on: Dec 25, 2008 - 7:29pm
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I too was in Shoemaker for about a week or 10 days in March 1945. Sent there from the Fargo Bldg. It was a receiving station for personnel waiting shipment overseas. I shipped out from there to Samar, Phillipines Base 17. While I was there I had liberty every night - got a job at a trucking company handling freight loading trucks to make a little extra money.
C. J. Willis |
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