Camp Gordon Johnston

from Better Off Wet Water Lifestyle Magazine September 2022

by Better Off Wet - Water Lifestyle Magazine

Scalloping Season- This is the End!

Camp Gordon Johnston

46 BETTER OFF WET | SEPTEMBER 2022

Camp Gordon Johnston

The Better Off Wet Crew was so happy that we were able to visit the Camp Gordon Johnston Museum. We ourselves are Patriots, who love the United States of America, and are certainly lovers of the water and the world underwater. So, that being said, we could not help but love the rich military history embedded in the Forgotten Coast’s annals of time. Underwater salvage and demolition training was conducted at Camp Gordon Johnston as well as all types of amphibious training. We literally spent hours reading through the detailed accounts of what life was like at the camp, watching old training videos and footage, and perusing over all the artifacts. If someone you know or a family member was at the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, they most likely were trained at Camp Gordon Johnston. They say Dog Island is the most fought over piece of land in the Country, due to all the training that took place there. Many brave Patriots trained at Camp Gordon Johnston, in an environment, that due to remoteness at the time and the wildlife, they called hell.

The text below is from www.campgordonjohnston.com. While you are taking your visit to the Forgotten Coast, please take the time to stop into the museum, take a tour, and see what those before us endured, for freedom. History of Camp Gordon Johnston Camp Gordon Johnston opened in 1942, for the purpose of training infantry soldiers and their support groups, for amphibious landings on hostile shores. Camp Gordon Johnston was designated the Army’s Amphibious Training Center in September of 1942, three infantry divisions, two Engineers Special Brigades, and elements of three more Engineers Special Brigades left here after training to confront tyranny both in Europe and the Pacific. By June of 1943, the U.S. Navy had taken over the bulk of Amphibious training, and Camp Gordon Johnston was transitioned in September 1943 to a U.S. Army Special Forces Training Center. There were many Port Construction, Harbor Craft, Amphibious Truck and other specialized units trained in various tasks, related to opening and maintaining ports,

and supplying support to the war effort. At the end of the war, Camp Gordon Johnston served as a Separation Center for personnel of all services that lived in the Southeast Region. The Camp closed in 1946. Learn about their dedication, fears and heroism at our museum. Occupying 165,000 acres of forest and coastline in Franklin County, Florida, Camp Gordon Johnston oversaw the training of a quarter of a million troops and was the second largest installation in the state of Florida. The camp stretched from Carrabelle to Alligator Point, using area beaches and forests for training and maneuvers. The Camp Gordon Johnston Museum houses over 3000 square feet of artifacts, photos, memorabilia and memories of the soldiers, sailors and other military as well as civilian personnel who trained and worked here during the years of 1942-1946. Our goal is to honor them and promote the learning and preserving of the history of WWII, while portraying the gigantic effort that our nation and its allies poured into the war effort. The Museum is assembling the histories of the

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Camp Gordon Johnston

various units and their training, as well as developing exhibits that remind and teach about the various aspects and events of WWII. Veterans have contributed the artifacts brought back from battles overseas, along with uniforms, mess kits, and all sorts of souvenirs, too numerous to name. The museum also preserves oral histories of veterans that returned for reunions or visited the museum. The collection boasts a variety of interesting and exceptional artifacts donated over the years, many accompanied by the unique stories behind them. Some examples include: The 28th Infantry Division’s “Bloody Bucket” patch, belonging to then two star general Omar Bradley, who was the commander of the division when it trained at Camp Gordon Johnston. The story of how this patch came to be in our collection is a delightful and interesting one, as the patch was gifted to Vivian (Matthews) Hess, whose father was the Camp Postmaster. The first NAZI flag obtained by ground forces on German soil, collected by then Lt. Samuel Rhea from a German schoolhouse when the 4th Infantry crossed the Siegfried Line in September 1944. Top Secret Plans for Operation Neptune, dated May 20, 1944, describing in detail the Naval Operations of Operation Overlord. A full spectrum of Japanese rifles, including the type 38, type 44, type 99, type 99 “last ditch” and type 99 School rifle, as well as a type II paratroop rifle. A mock–up of a Camp Gordon Johnston barracks, complete with sand floor (yes, they were sand in the beginning) with actual bunks, windows, screen door, stove, coal bin and lockers. The Museum owns three vehicles, including a DUKW which represents us at events and parades. The DUKW is displayed at the museum for special events but is currently kept in Tallahassee. And of course, the biggest artifact of all, the Carrabelle Beach across US Highway 98 from the museum, the setting for amphibious training featured in numerous photographs and film. The museum is located at across the street from Carrabelle Beach.