At war’s end, I had been with the 37th Division since before war’s beginning and combined with my combat experience had enough points to have earned immediate rotation home. Most of my comrades who had shared my experiences were already in or on their way back to the States. Obviously I was looking forward eagerly to setting sail for San Francisco.
It was not to be. As I have noted, I had never wanted or expected to be a combat infantryman, and even after being commissioned I had regularly requested a different assignment only to be summarily turned down. After the month- long New Georgia campaign, I typed out a Request for Transfer to Yank Magazine and sent it through channels to the Commanding General of the 37th. In a few days the Request bounced back: ‘‘ Transfer denied. There is a drastic shortage of experienced infantry officers. ’’ Again . . . I knew why . . . which was the reason I wanted out. Even though along with the rejection came promotion and medals, I was not consoled. Up the Solomon ladder we went . . . next to Bougainville . . . followed by another Request for Transfer, a request denied for the same reasons . . . then Manila . . . request submitted and denied . . . a mountain fight for Baguio
. . . more consolation prizes but no transfer.
Now, with the war over, I wanted only to return to civilian life. Instead of orders to return to the States, however, I received a summons from Commanding General Robert S. Beightler. In his Division Headquarters tent, he returned my salute with a warm handshake and a generous comment: ‘‘ Major Frankel, I have been aware of your interest in writing, and I felt bad having to turn down your many requests to be transferred to a writing assignment. However, you know there was a shortage of qualified infantry officers. Now I am happy to tell you that I have decided to honor your request. ’’
‘‘ But General . . . the war is over . . . I didn’t make any recent request. I want to go home. ’’
‘‘ Major, someone has to stay here with my staff and me for the next few months to assemble and draft the history of our Division, and we have chosen you. After all, Major . . . you realize that there is a peace to be won. ’’
What winning the peace had to do with me I shall never know. All I wanted to write now was ‘‘ Goodbye Army’’, but my latest fate delayed that message by another three months.
I was ordered to remain in the Philippines along with a small group of editors and writers to work on the History of the 37th Division. We returned to the States in early 1946, received our formal discharges in March 1946, and continued working on the History evenings and weekends, while we adjusted to full- time civilian jobs. By the end of that year, our assignment had been fulfilled. The original draft then began its rounds to the Commanding General, various division, regimental and battalion staff officers, and to company commanders. Facts were checked and re- checked, debated, and disputes finally resolved. The 37th Infantry Division in World War II was published in 1948 by the Infantry Journal Press in Washington, D. C. It consisted of 400 double column pages of words, maps and pictures.
The response was as good as I could ever have imagined . . . generally accolades. There was a large sale of the hard covers, and eventually a soft- cover reprint. There were very few beefs about errors (of which there have to be many) . . . and not a single complaint about mistreatment from any soldier from the Corps Commander to the lowly rifleman.
My Foreword is reproduced below: ‘‘ This history was written by 40,000 men. ‘‘ Half of the writers were from Ohio, and the second half came from 47 other states.
‘‘ Some wrote their paragraphs in a bold, heroic hand, and some wrote simply and effectively. Thirteen hundred of the writers were killed as they placed periods at the end of the most brilliant chapters.
‘‘ The rank of these historians ranged from buck private to major general; their ages from an unofficial 16 to a concealed 55; their civilian vocations from janitor to banker; their God from Christ to Buddha; their ancestral homes from Edinburgh to Tokyo.
‘‘ These 40,000 men have a good story. It is not unlike stories by other men who pushed a common enemy around in other parts of the globe. It concerns a gallant band of American soldiers who trained and fought and bled, and in some cases, died. Those who trained and fought and bled, and the kin of those who died, hold in their hearts and minds everything worth preserving. For all of them, and for their families and friends and for those to come, we are trying to preserve their story in printed form.
‘‘ We editors didn’t write this history; we merely reproduced it on paper. The reproduction falls short. But it is as faithful and as complete as our space and our skill permit. Many paragraphs remained unreproduced; they remain untapped in the hearts and minds of our soldiers. Other inspiring chapters lie buried with their writers in Guadalcanal, in New Georgia, in Bougainville, and in Luzon.
‘‘ We promise our 40,000 writers that this reproduction of their story is the very best we can do.
‘‘ Many soldiers helped magnificently in getting this History ready for the printers. Our assistant editor, Technical Sergeant John K. Macdonald, unselfishly volunteered to remain in the army seven months after his normal discharge date to work on the job. A large part of the reproduction is his.
‘‘ When Sgt. Macdonald was discharged, Chaplain Frederick Kirker, longtime Division Chaplain, took over. He tied together the loose ends, rewrote sections which last- minute information had rendered incomplete, and put the final History into the hands of the printers. His contribution to the 37th Division in its written History– and in its actual history– was tremendous.
‘‘ Major General Robert S. Beightler spent hours in proofreading, checking, and advising. In peace as in war, he demonstrated how close the 37th Division is to his heart. On Luzon, Brigadier General Leo M. Kreber, then chairman of the Division Historical Board, assisted the editors materially; as did Colonel Russell Ramsey, who was appointed the new Board chairman when the Division was deactivated. This Historical Board was chosen from all Division units. It met periodically to settle literary disputes and transact business and consisted of the following men: Lieutenant Colonel Chester Wolfe, Lieutenant Colonel Sylvester Del Corso, Major Grank Middleberg, Major John C. Guenther, Master Sergeant Richard W. Gohn, Master Sergeant Walter J. Freeman, Master Sergeant Paul Dearth, Staff Sergeant Herbert C. French, Technician grade 4 Joseph C. Caserta.
‘‘ While overseas, the Historical Staff was large and invaluable. On Luzon, the following writers, reporters, research men, typists, and artists contributed efficiently to our task: Technical Sergeant Jack F. Ehlinger and Technical Sergeant Harry F. Storin, Jr., both of whom voluntarily remained in the army for three months after returning to the United States to work on the History; First Lieutenant David Andrews, whose skilled writing embellishes the New Georgia and the Bougainville chapters; Captain Francis X. Shannon, chief artillery writer- adviser; Major John Guenther, whose outline of the Division History from induction through Bougainville was extremely helpful and whose intimate information on Division staff procedure was generously shared with the editors; Captain Charles H. Holzinger, specialist on the planning phase of the Philippine operation and the surrender period in the Gagayan Valley; Sergeant Jesse Gauthorn, who did a large portion of the art work for the history; First Lieutenant Shelby Minton; Technical Sergeant Kenneth E. Chronister; Technical Sergeant Virgil R. Bates; Staff Sergeant Harold L. Geisse; Staff Sergeant Perry Tenenbaum; Sergeant Bernard R. Flesher; Technician grade 4 Harry B. Bunting; Technician grade 4 Eugene J. Ruane; Technician grade 4 Eric Adler; Technician grade 5 Keith L. Barker; and Technician grade 5 Harry Lipowitch.
‘‘ Our appreciation to these assistants and to unnamed others is keen.
‘‘ And to those 40,000 writers who permitted us to reproduce their story, we are eternally grateful. ’’