MR. WATSON: In Harbor Craft Company, and I was assigned to the Third Brigade, and the First and Second Brigade had already been sent to Japan or to the Pacific. MR. MCDANIEL: To the Pacific. MR. WATSON: And you know what, the Amphibious Engineers - they had landing craft, floating cranes tugboats and things like that except, also, a lot of land soldiers. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: Not combat soldiers. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: And then I was - after we finished our basic training in Third Brigade, about 13 or 15 of us, I believe it was, were transferred to the Fourth Brigade. MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. And the Third Brigade went to the Pacific. MR. WATSON: MR. MCDANIEL: Really? MR. WATSON: And I was transferred over as a supply clerk. I was a Private to begin with, and then we stayed there for about five more months and were sent down to Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida, and reorganized. And I was made the supply sergeant. That was a staff sergeant rating and we trained then in the Gulf of Mexico. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: We stayed there about five months before we were shipped overseas. MR. MCDANIEL: So, you were gone when the government came into Oak Ridge and took everybody's land. MR. WATSON: Yes. I wasn't there when they did that. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. Now, did your parents - did your mother still have property?
MR. WATSON: In Harbor Craft Company, and I was assigned to the Third Brigade, and the First and Second Brigade had already been sent to Japan or to the Pacific. MR. MCDANIEL: To the Pacific. MR. WATSON: And you know what, the Amphibious Engineers - they had landing craft, floating cranes tugboats and things like that except, also, a lot of land soldiers. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: Not combat soldiers. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: And then I was - after we finished our basic training in Third Brigade, about 13 or 15 of us, I believe it was, were transferred to the Fourth Brigade. MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. MR. WATSON: And the Third Brigade went to the Pacific. MR. MCDANIEL: Really? MR. WATSON: And I was transferred over as a supply clerk. I was a Private to begin with, and then we stayed there for about five more months and were sent down to Camp Gordon Johnston, Florida, and reorganized. And I was made the supply sergeant. That was a staff sergeant rating and we trained then in the Gulf of Mexico. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. MR. WATSON: We stayed there about five months before we were shipped overseas. MR. MCDANIEL: So, you were gone when the government came into Oak Ridge and took everybody's land. MR. WATSON: Yes. I wasn't there when they did that. MR. MCDANIEL: Right. Now, did your parents - did your mother still have property?
Watson_Don.docx