The Lost Ranger: A Soldier's Story

by Mehlo, Noel

  Figure 90: World War II Postcard showing Pepsi-Cola Times Square Servicemen’s Center (Public Domain) Coca-Cola economically seemed to be favored by government contracts during the war. Complaints of this seemed to go ignored so Pepsi-Cola’s president Walter Mack bought a Cuban sugar plantation to increase productivity and product quality and built three large Pepsi-Cola Servicemen’s Centers. These were located in Washington D.C., San Francisco and New York’s Times Square. These facilities offered Pepsi, food, shaves and showers and other services such as reading and writing centers.11 The Pepsi-Cola Company (Figure 90) provided facilities for servicemen to record phonographic records with messages to be sent home to loved ones.12 There was a large Pepsi-Cola sign installed above the USO Center in shades of red, white and blue using colored mirrors and glass that lit and shimmered in daylight as well as night, and made the best of the blackout requirements placed on coastal cities. In 1941, New York City Mayor La Guardia required that all of Broadway’s lights could be turned off with one switch. The lights went off on April 29, 1942 for the duration of the war.13

  On the second day, Ching and Hull boarded the ferry to Liberty Island and visited the Statue of Liberty. While up in her crown, Ching wanted a better view and crawled out on to a ledge to take a look. He said that Sgt Hull was too modest to follow him. After their visit to the Statue of Liberty, the two men travelled to the Empire State Building. They went up the elevator to the 20th floor or so, and then caught the express elevator straight up to the 90th floor. They went out onto the observation deck which at the time was wide open without the extensive fencing and cover in place today. These two icons are shown in Figure 91 and 92 below.

  Figure 91: Liberty Island, Photo by National Park Service.

  Figure 92: US Army photo taken in 1939 of B-17s over New York City showing Empire State Building. NARA, SC 331724 Randall Ching’s daughter relayed what I found to be a hilarious story. She wrote: “My dad remembered a prank he, your grandfather and two other serviceman played on passerby on the streets of NYC. All four rangers would point to a building up in the sky and pretended "something amazing was happening." Then they would watch the crowd gather and laugh at them trying to see what they pretended to be seeing.” My wife pointed at me upon reading this and said “You inherited your Grandpa’s sense of humor.” In a separate instance, Ching’s daughter recounted “Dad recalls laughingly how your grandfather and he "slept on the marble staircase landing in Grand Central Station." Apparently, they "returned a couple of hours early to catch the train back to Trenton, so decide to take a nap".”

  When I sent Randall Ching and his daughter a high resolution digital version of the 1943 photo of my grandfather in Chapter 4, his daughter wrote “I just showed my Father the picture that you sent me of your Grandfather, and my Dad nearly jumped out of his pants, and he says, He’s damned sure, he’s damn right that that man standing in the bar with him in New York City is your Grandfather.” Randall spent a great deal of time trying to make sure he was accurately remembering his friend after 70 years. When the connection of identity was finally realized in his mind he opened up to me with great care.

  As far as the training goes at Fort Dix, the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion resumed land-based training in terms of shooting, marching and other more traditional Army activities. The Rangers trained in advanced tactics, including five-day tactical problems at both company and the battalion level. They conducted speed marches with a continued emphasis on physical fitness. They continued with weapons firing and familiarization including captured German, Japanese and Italian models. Some of the men considered the weapons training at Fort Dix the most intense portion of the training conducted there. They were provided instruction in demolitions, and crew served weapons such as mortars, machine guns and anti-tank weapons. They received training in the proper use of gas masks at Fort Dix. They continued their Commando training. The Rangers further trained in the art of sabotage and reconnaissance. They began to incorporate the use of enlisted medics at the line unit level from the Medical Detachment. The remainder of the medical personnel developed the tactics of running a battalion aid station.

  Randall shared his recollection of how he remembers really meeting Sgt Hull. “Oh, by the way, you asked me how I met your Grandfather. I’ll tell you that. I met your Grandfather I think between the Fort Dix and England. What happened was your Grandfather was a machine gun leader, section leader. He got light machine gun, he got three men and himself. A light machine gun is a clumsy weapon. You had to set it up, you got a gunner, and two people carrying ammunition. As a Ranger, we are a light, fast moving unit. You don’t have time for setting up a light machine gun, which is mostly for defense. So they gave us all the Automatic Rifle. So now we got six companies, A, B is Assault Company, C, D, is Assault Company. E and F is heavy company, heavy weapons. They will take care of the machine guns and heavy mortar. E Company got 60 mm, F Company got 81 mm mortar. They also got light machine gun. They are the support companies. For us, in case we attack, we need heavy weapons support, they will support us. That’s when they got the machine gun over there. That’s when your grandfather was assigned to an Assault Squad. That’s how I met your Grandfather. I met him, because first we had a machine gun orientation, we shoot and know how to use a machine gun… So our Section was assigned to your Grandfather, he’s the instructor… That’s your Grandfather as the instructor. That’s how I met him.” He was referring to the M1917 machine gun.

  One piece of information that nagged at me through the research of military records concerned the weapons Sgt Hull was trained in and an expert with. I asked him how good he was with weapons and what weapons he was qualified “Expert” with. Randall Ching provided first hand thoughts regarding the marksmanship abilities and qualifications of Sgt Hull. He said that he was good with all the weapons in the unit qualified as an Expert in the machine gun, Browning Automatic Rifle, Rifle, sub-machine gun, and pistol at least. When they met, Hull was a light machine gun Squad Leader in the 1st Section. Ching noted that to his recollection, Hull always had a leadership position in the platoon. He would eventually move to 2nd Section as the Section Leader after the battalion reorganized to lighten up Assault Sections from the heavy burden of machine guns. After the reorganization, he no longer carried a machine gun. Ching seemed to remember him maybe carrying a submachine gun. Hull was such an expert in the machine gun that he was the instructor in how to shoot and maintain the weapon for the Company.

  Ching stated that at some point during the training, every person in the Ranger Battalion received a Government Issue watch. He noted that that was special as no one else that he remembered got them like that. The Rangers used them to synchronize time to handle the demands of the maneuvers. They allowed the men to set and reset time as needed for coordination purposes. He said, “So I got the Lan Jean, and your Grandfather got a Bolivar watch.”

  A particular treat occurred on the week of August 5, 2013 while writing this chapter. I had been corresponding with Mr. Graves for the past several months regarding the potential to place me in contact with Mr. Copeland. On this week, I was finally able to have a phone call with Mr. James Robert Copeland and his daughter. I spent around one and a half hours on the phone with them. After introductions, I asked him if he remembered my grandpa. He said that he did. He stated, “He was a good man. He took his job seriously. He took care of his men.” He told me that he did not know him in the 35th Infantry Division, and that they first became acquainted after joining the Rangers. He told me they were both Privates. He indicated that as he recalled, he was a PFC and Herb was a Private. He went on to say “they were great friends.” Both men had come from the 35th Infantry Division to the Rangers. It was a real honor to speak with Ranger Copeland, and I hope to remain friends with him and his family.

  After arriving at Fort Dix, Ranger James Robert (JR) Copeland was attached to the special weapons section within B Company. This was done because of his knowledge of rifles and shotguns and the expertise h
e had demonstrated to that point. In the weapons section, he trained on rifles, shotguns, pistols, automatic rifles, machine guns, bazookas, mortars, grenade launchers and other individual weapons. He reported training on crew served weapons. Figure 93 shows one of the weapons ranges on Fort Dix. He told his biographer Mr. Gary Graves, “They taught me how to tear every weapon apart piece by piece and put it back together again, JR’ said, and I was damn good at it.” His expertise and skill as a Ranger got him promoted from Tec 5 to Sergeant on December 4, 1943 and made him a ‘Special Weapons Unit NCO,’ (Non-Commissioned Officer). He went on to state: “The Rangers did things differently; they were tough and they were serious,” JR’ said. “If you knew something special then you were recognized for it. If a person had a talent for something they let him do it. The Rangers were much smarter than the normal Army,” he said. “They didn’t pigeon-hole you—making you just another grunt soldier. They made you ‘the individual’ a weapon too, they liked to say.”3 He also discussed some of the free time afforded to him while at Fort Dix, including trips to New York and meeting with family. Ranger Copeland concluded his thoughts by saying that he had learned a lot at Fort Dix, and that the knowledge went on to serve him well on D-Day. He noted that his skill and personality made him stand out amongst his fellow Rangers, catching the eyes of his superiors. He would later see another promotion.

  Figure 93:Fort Dix Rifle Range postcard: Public Domain Ranger Miller indicated in his autobiography several points of interest. After leaving Fort Pierce, he recalled heading up the East coast by train. He recounted being housed in pyramidal tents with wooden floors and a heating stove in the center. He recalled being out in the field most of the time at the base being kept busy with training exercises. As part of the training, he recalled participating in opposing forces exercises where one company would defend a town at night while another would attack. He recalled hiding in the woods throughout the day. He recounted being tasked once to assist some of the officers in his company conduct the ever-present Army inventory on unit property. This little hint of standard Army life was neat to read about. He lastly indicated that the activities at Fort Dix “were rather mild.” Considering the types of things that the unit did to train, this makes sense. His autobiography is full of colorful stories of a personal nature that add to its value.14 USGS mapping and an aerial photo of the fort are in Figures 94 and 95.

  Figure 94: U.S. Department of the Interior Geologic Survey, Columbus & New Egypt, New Jersey, 7.5 Minute Quadrangles, Edition of 1948 Figure 95: Aerial View of Fort Dix, NJ: Postcard, Public Domain One difference between the training of the two Ranger battalions seems to have been that the 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion moved to Camp Ritchie, Penn Mar, Maryland for the purpose of a three day military intelligence course. Camp Ritchie is located in Central Maryland in the northeastern corner of Washington County off of State Route 550 near the Pennsylvania State line. The site is situated approximately 20 miles north of Frederick and 15 miles northeast of Hagerstown. The War Department activated the camp as a Military Intelligence Training Center. General Raaen later shared with me that the 5th Rangers simply did not have enough time for this training before shipping out.

  The Company Morning Reports provided a measure of answers in addition new questions regarding the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion’s time at Fort Dix. The record shows that on December, 11, 1943, some of the officers from Headquarters Company departed onNY659 from Fort Hamilton, New York at 1900 hours. Fort Hamilton, NY was the headquarters for the New York Port of Embarkation (Figure 96). They departed by truck and arrived at Pier 86 and on December 12, they boarded NY659 and 9664 NNX at 2100 hours. On December 19, this group reported being on NY659, 9664 NNX, and on December 20, reported arriving in Crew Wales, England, where they disembarked and boarded a train at 1530 hours.

  Figure 96: Fort Hamilton, NY: US Army Photo This record captures the movement of a small advanced party sent to England to prepare the way for the Battalion to follow. Another record revealed the mechanism of the movement of the Battalion from Fort Dix to Camp Kilmer, their next stop. The December 20 HQ Company Morning Report indicated:

  HQ 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion departed from Fort Dix, NJ on December 20, 1943 at 1210 by rail for permanent change of station per letter file 370.5/296 (GMHMC ?) Hq XIII Corps Fort DuPont, Delaware dated November 10m 1943. Arrive Camp Kilmer NJ December 20, 1943 at 1420 with a strength of 5 Officers.

  Even though the official information gathered on the Ranger’s time at Fort Dix is limited, as far as the search for my grandfather went, there could not have been a more important chapter in the exploits of the unit in terms of finding him. As I noted in Chapter 5, I visited the USHEC in Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania on March 28, 2012. It was during this visit that I reviewed the holdings for both Colonel Robert W. Black and Major General John C. Raaen, Jr. In reading Colonel Black’s files, I came across a copy of the B Company Morning Report for December 16, 1943 (Figure 97). This singular record represented the first concrete proof from the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion that showed Tec 5 Herbert Hull as belonging to the unit before they moved overseas to Europe. This record shows his promotion to Sergeant. It was the conclusive evidence to prove that he was not a replacement Ranger as had been originally postulated by Mr. Styles and General Raaen at the beginning of this quest. It validated so much of the oral history of the family. Both Colonel Black and General Raaen were pleased with this find, encouraged me and told me that my Grandpa would be proud of me for this effort of finding him. I can’t express the joy I felt that day. This luck would continue through meeting and befriending men from his platoon like Randall Ching and James Robert Copeland.

  Figure 97: 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, B Company Morning Report for December 16, 1943

  8 CAMP KILMER – PREPARATION FOR MOVEMENT OVERSEAS

  Arriving at Camp Kilmer, New Jersey on the 20th of December 1943, the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion was assigned billeting at Bldg #T-947 Area #9 and other buildings in this area. The map below (Figure 98) denotes the area assigned to the Rangers. Camp Kilmer was a staging area as part of the final preparation of men and their units before heading for the New York Port of Embarkation (NYPE) on January 7, 1944.

  Figure 98: U.S. Department of the Interior Geologic Survey, Plainfield, New Jersey; Scale: 1:24,000; Edition of 1947: Area nine assigned to 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion is marked in red.1 I was able to place the unit specifically at this location by means of a personnel identification card for my grandpa card provided to me by my aunt. She found this as part of his belongings that she had stored away in a box once I had begun my research. This type of card was mandatory for all personnel preparing to depart overseas. It contained basic personal information for the soldier, and was signed by the company commanding officer. In Sgt Hull’s case, it was signed by Captain George P. Whittington. A copy of this card follows (Figure 99) with a map produced by the Army (Figure 100) showing the numbered areas of the Camp. It is these little clues that can help a family or veteran trace the military service of the veteran.

  Figure 99: S/Sgt Hull Identification Card from Camp Kilmer

  Figure 100: U.S. Army Installation Map of Camp Kilmer showing locations of various areas and important areas. Area nine assigned to 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion is marked in red: Courtesy of Rutgers University Library.2 Camp Kilmer was located Piscataway and Edison (formerly Raridan) Townships in Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is located at 40°31

  New York City is 22 miles to the northeast and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is 33 miles to the southwest. The Pennsylvania Railroad mainline served the Camp with service to New York City. Many of the troop movements would take soldiers by train to ferry stations in Bayonne and Hoboken, New Jersey which is opposite the NYPE along the Hudson River. There was a large flyover loop which crossed four mainline tracks that allowed movements into the large train loading yards associated with Camp Kilmer. The Port Reading branch of the Reading Railroad also served Camp Kilmer as did the Amboy branch of
the Lehigh Valley Railroad. It was located near US Route 1. The location of Camp Kilmer in association with the surrounding area is shown in Figure 101.

  Figure 101: 1947 map of Middlesex County, Acme Photo and Blueprint Company, Inc: Public Domain3 Piscataway was founded in 1666, and officially incorporated in 1798. The community, the fifth oldest municipality in New Jersey, has grown from Native American Indian territory, through a colonial period and is one of the links in the earliest settlement of the Atlantic seacoast that ultimately led to the formation of the United States.4

  Edison, formerly known as Raritan Township, was first settled in the late 1600's, when it was part of Woodbridge and Piscataway townships. One of the many passengers carried on the Pennsylvania line to Raritan was Thomas Alva Edison, later to be known as the "Wizard of Menlo Park". It is said that he chose the Menlo Park site for his laboratories because it was the highest point along the Pennsylvania Railroad between New York and Philadelphia. The establishment of Thomas Edison's industrial research laboratory - he preferred calling it his "invention factory" in 1876 brought global fame to the township as it became the site for some of the most innovative research and manufacturing feats in world history. While there, Thomas Edison invented items that led to for than 400 patents. These Menlo Park inventions include the phonograph, the electric railway (which incidentally, ran along present day Middlesex Avenue) and the incandescent lamp. In 1954, a group of citizens proposed a change in the name of the township, partially because of the confusion arising from the fact that several municipalities in the state were named Raritan. The name the voters selected was Edison.5