World War II Honoree

Lawrence R. Cayton

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Butler, Wisconsin

Honored By

Lynne Cayton Oehmcke & Marlin Cayton

Relationship

Children

ON JULY 6, 1943 (HIS 25TH BIRTHDAY) WAS INDUCTED INTO THE U.S. ARMY. BOARDED A MILWAUKEE ROAD TRAIN IN OCONOMOWOC, WISCONSIN AND SHIPPED TO CAMP GRANT, ILLINOIS (NEAR ROCKFORD) FOR PROCESSING. ON JULY 8, 1943 AT 5:00 PM WAS SHIPPED OUT ON THE CHICAGO, QUINCY AND BURLINGTON RAILROAD TO CAMP HAAN, CALIFORNIA LOCATED NEAR RIVERSIDE AND 60 MILES EAST OF LOS ANGELES. WAS ASSIGNED TO BATTERY D OF THE 818TH ANTI-AIRCRAFT ARTILLERY BATTALION AND WAS TRAINED IN THE USE OF 40MM CANNON. COMPLETED TRAINING EARLY IN DECEMBER 1943 AND RECEIVED FURLOUGHS. BATTALION DID NOT RECEIVE AN ASSIGNMENT. IN EARLY APRIL 1944 THERE WAS SOME QUESTION AS TO WHETHER ADDITIONAL ANTI-AIRCRAFT WAS NEEDED. MOST OF THE MEN IN OUR BATTALION WERE SHIPPED OUT TO AN INFANTRY REPLACEMENT DEPOT IN COLORADO. I WAS KEPT WITH OTHERS OF OUR UNIT WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN THE NUCLEUS TO TRAIN A NEW ANTI-AIRCRAFT UNIT. EARLY IN MAY, 1944 THE DECISION WAS MADE THAT THERE WAS NO FURTHER NEED FOR ANTI-AIRCRAFT, AND THE NEXT SIX WEEKS OUR UNIT HELPED TURN IN EQUIPMENT AS CAMP HAAN WAS DISMANTLED. LATER THE CAMP WAS A SERVICE CENTER TO HANDLE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES SENT BACK FROM OVERSEAS, WITH CIVILIANS BEING USED TO DO THE PROCESSING. EARLY IN JULY, 1944, THE REMAINING 80 MEN IN OUR UNIT WERE SHIPPED TO CAMP SWIFT, TEXAS. CAMP SWIFT WAS LOCATED NEAR BASTRAP, TEXAS, ABOUT 38 MILES SOUTH OF AUSTIN. WE WERE TRAINED IN BUILDING FLOATING BRIDGES ACROSS RIVERS IN THE 539TH LIGHT PONTON COMPANY. OUR TRAINING WAS COMPLETED IN DECEMBER, 1944, WE RECEIVED FURLOUGHS, AND OUR COMPANY WAS PUT ON ALERT LATE IN JANUARY, 1945. WE BEGAIN PREPARING OUR EQUIPMENT FOR OVERSEAS. ON MARCH 21, 1945 WE BOARDED A TRAIN BOUND FOR NEW YORK AND ARRIVED IN CAMP SHANKS, NEW YORK ON MARCH 24. WE BOARDED A SHIP, THE USS MARINE RAVEN, ON MARCH 31, 1945 AND LEFT NEW YORK HARBOR LATE THAT DAY. WE ARRIVED IN LE HAVRE, FRANCE APRIL 12, 1945. ON APRIL 28 OUR UNIT RECEIVED ORDERS TO REPORT TO HANOVER, GERMANY AND DEPARTED MAY 1ST BY MOTOR CONVOY, ARRIVING IN HANOVER MAY 3RD. ON MAY 5TH WE WERE ORDERED TO MOVE BACK TO KIEFELD, GERMANY WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE RUHR INDUSTRIAL AREA. THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WERE SPENT ASSISTING IN BUILDING OF TEMPORARY PRISONER OF WAR CAMPS. WE HAD A GOOD NUMBER OF TRUCKS IN OUR UNIT WHICH WERE THEN USED TO TRANSPORT EQUIPMENT, BUILDING MATERIALS, AND PERSONNEL TO THE BUILDING SITES. ON JUNE 7TH OUR COMPANY WAS PUT ON ALERT FORASSIGNMENT TO THE PACIFIC THEATER. ON JUNE 18TH WE STARTED OUR TRIP TO SOUTHERN FRANCE, ARRIVING IN ARLES (30 MILES NORTH OF MARSEILLES) ON JUNE 24TH. WE SPENT THE NEXT PERIOD OF TIME IN THE ARLES STAGIN AREA WHILE OUR EQUIPMENT WAS BEING PREPARED. ON AUGUST 11TH WE BOARDED THE USS LEROY ELTINGE WITH OUR DESTINATION OKINAWA. WE WERE TO SAIL FROM MARSEILLES THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL, WITH A STOP IN HAWAII, THEN ON TO OKINAWA. WE WERE TWO DAYS OUT FROM GIBRALTAR WHEN WORD CAME THAT JAPAN SURRENDERED. THE NEXT MORNING THE ANNOUNCEMENT CAME OVER THE LOUD SPEAKER SYSTEM THAT DURING THE NIGHT THE SHIP HAD CHANGED COURSE AND WAS NOW HEADED FOR HAMPTON ROADS, VIRGINIA. UNKNOWN TO THE TROOPS, THE CAPTAIN OF OUR SHIP HAD ORDERS, BEFORE LEAVING MARSEILLES, THAT IF THE WAR ENDED WHILE WE WERE AT SEA HE WAS TO WIRE HIS HOME PORT (HAMPTON ROADS) FOR FURTHER ORDERS. HE DID AND ORDERS WERE RECEIVED TO COME HOME TO HAMPTON ROADS. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS IN VIRGINIA, I WAS SHIPPED TO CAMP MCCOY, WISCONSIN AND RECEIVED A 45 DAY FURLOUGH. AFTER REPORTING BACK TO CAMP MCCOY, I WORKED IN THE SEPARATION CENTER ASSISTING IN THE SERVED DISCHARGING MEN FROM THE ARMY. TOWARD THE END OF JANUARY 1946 HE HAD ENOUGH POINTS TO BE DISCHARGED AND WAS SEPARATED FROM THE ARMY JANUARY 28, 1946.