Voice of the People

I was glad to see the letter from Paul Hutchens in VOP. I had wondered where he was and how he was doing. He stopped here to see me a few months after the reunion of the 38th Division at Camp Shelby in 1991, on the 50th anniversary of mobilization. Paul would have been there had he known about the reunion. At that time he resided in this country. I was surprised that he is now in Thailand.

It is now 62 years since we were at Camp Shelby. I know of only four people from Westchester who were there then and who are now alive. They are Robert Lorenz, who was then in the 152nd Infantry, George Roberts who was in Company K of the 151st Infantry, Paul who was then in the 152nd Infantry, and I was then in the Anti-tank Company of the 151st infantry. I still grieve over Robert Jensen, who was in the Class of 1937 with me. When we were sworn into the Army we stood side by side. On that day, who would have known that Bob would be killed in a war which had not yet started, and that I would be alive over 60 years later.

For those who may not know, the 38th Division was then comprised of the 149th Infantry Regiment, which was Kentucky National Guard, the 150th Infantry Regiment which was West Virginia National Guard, and the rest of the Division was Indiana National Guard. It was mobilized on January 17, 1941, by Presidential Decree. The first contingent left for Camp Shelby soon after that. The rest of us went at various times until the last group went in April of 1941. There were 18,000 of us in the 38th Division at Camp Shelby in 1941. The 37th Division, which was Ohio National Guard, was also there.

There is much more to say, but that is enough for this letter. I am glad that Paul is alive but do not understand why he is in Asia.

Very truly yours,

Malcolm E. Anderson

Chesterton

Posted 5/13/2003