Sixth Historical Detachment (Type C)
Camp Atterbury, Indiana

June 9, 2007

Dear Mr. West,

I hope you are not too disappointed in what I have to say, but the passing of 57 years played a trick with my memory.

What I am sending you is information about the reactivation of Atterbury for the Korean War, not WWII. As you will see, this was given to us by the Post Engineers.

I am sending two photographs which may be of interest.

  
(Click on image for enlarged view)

One photo shows a group of officers observing a training session of the 28^th Division in Atterbury. I believe the third man from the left is Gen. Mark Clark, and the fifth from the right (in the lighter colored trench coat) may be General J. Lawton Collins, then Chief of Staff.

(Click on image for enlarged view)

The second photo shows the 6^th Historical Detachment with full equipment in front of the 8^th Army Historical Section in Yokahama, Japan, in March, 1951.

This unit consisted of myself who was the stenographer/typist,

Cpl. Frederick Price, Driver, and Lt. William D. Magnes who had been a writer in civilian life. Our purpose was to go to the reserve areas behind the front lines and interview non-corns and officers about the combat they had just been engaged in. We actually did our training by interviewing men at the Tokyo General Hospital. Our biggest problem was that many of them didn't want to talk about it, and others were too badly wounded to talk to us. In fact, we had several occasions where we would interview a GI, and he would be gone (or had died) when we came back the next day.

I had been in the I Infantry Division in Germany 1946-1948, gone to Logansport Business College 1948-1950, where I learned, among other things, how to type and take dictation using Gregg Shorthand, and that is why I wound up in a historical unit rather than back in the Infantry.

During the summer of 1951, the Army began releasing all the Reserves who had been called up in 1950, so I myself never got to Korea, and the 6^th went to Korea with three different individuals:

In May2000, I went to Washington D.C. to an Elderhostel called "Memorial Week" We visited many memorials in Washington, including the Korean Memorial, and also took part in a Wednesday night "Tattoo", given in honor of the 50^th Anniversary of the Korean War.

I contacted the Army Historical Center at Ft. McNair, gave them several pictures taken by the 8^th Army Historical Section, and was interviewed about my service. While I was there, they let me read several reports written by the 6^th in Korea.

I am also sending a tongue-in-cheek history of the 6^th Historical Detachment. It is more or less correct.

I'm sorry I got you excited about a possible WWII record of the camp, but hope you will be interested in what I am sending. : )

Ed Cochley

Page last revised 07/17/2010