Camp Van Dorn in Wilkinson County alongside Mississippi Highway 33 was among the U.S. Army training camps in preparation for D-Day in World War II for the 99th Infantry Division.

I started first grade at Kingston School and mother was the school bus driver in 1940. Ethel, my sister, and Hayward Jr., my brother, were enrolled also.

Frequent convoys of Army 2 1/2 ton trucks would come by our school. They would stop and “see saw” back and forth to reverse direction. We kids would line up at the fence to watch them practice.

At Christmas time at home, a Jeep pulled up in our driveway and the seargent and his driver came up to the front porch, and my dad asked what they wanted.

“Well, sir, we’re from Camp Van Dorn, and we need some cedar trees for Christmas trees for our day rooms back at the camp. Would you give us permission to cut some trees on your place?”

“Certainly, you have my permission!”

They thanked Dad and drove off down the road. From out of sight of the house came several 2 1/2 ton trucks. They went into the pasture across the main road, the field to the west and loaded those trucks with young cedar trees.

When they went back east those soliders waved and shouted “Thanks” as they left.

Mother inquired, “Hayward, if you had known they had all those trucks, would you have given them permission?”

Dad, a World War I veteran, said, “Honey, some of those men won’t make it back home. Anything they want is OK.”

I just hope our troops have a Christmas tree this year, and we have peace on earth once again.

 

Erle Drane is the Veterans Affairs officer in Natchez.