Almost everyone I've ever spoken with about Pearl Harbor can remember exactly where they were when hearing news of the attack on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941. For those who lived along the state Route 7 corridor at the time, the military was still very fresh upon their minds. In the two days leading up to the attack, places like Sidney, Oneonta and Cobleskill saw 10,000 soldiers in 1,900 vehicles passing through.
This was a viewing, as the Oneonta Star of Friday, Dec. 5, reported, "of Uncle Sam's up-to-the-minute men, en route home, bronzed and fit after two months of maneuvers in the Carolinas."
"First echelon, which will camp overnight in Colliers, will arrive here at approximately 5:30 this afternoon with 1,100 vehicles containing the 16th and 26th infantry regiment, and the Fifth, Seventh and 33rd field artillery." The remaining 800 vehicles were set to come through Saturday morning.
There had been more than a day's notice of this convoy's arrival. An advance detail had arrived in the Oneonta area on Thursday. They secured some land in Colliersville and speedily set up shelter halves, pup tents and large tents for the officers. The area was described as "16 acres behind the Goodyear homestead, a short distance from the Colliers corner."
Oneonta residents were given advance warning of the Friday and Saturday convoys. The Star had made arrangements to have the fire siren sounded when the convoy left Otego, giving enough time for residents to assemble in the downtown area. The Star also installed its portable public address system on Main Street, near Dietz Street. It secured an Army staff person who described the various items of equipment as they passed.
Eight blasts at 10-second intervals on what was a recently installed fire alarm alerted the locals. The convoy ran a bit late, arriving just after 6:35 p.m. Friday. It took about two-and-a-half hours to pass in front of an estimated 5,000 onlookers in the downtown area alone. Saturday's convoy arrived after 9:30 a.m.
Some noted military personnel in Friday's convoy included Col. Theodore Roosevelt, son of the former U.S. president, commanding the 26th infantry, and his son, Lt. Quentin Roosevelt, a member of the 33rd field artillery. Col. Roosevelt rode near the head of the long line in his own personal Jeep.
As the Friday and Saturday convoys headed northeast on state Route 7, they split at U.S. Route 20 in Duanesburg. Some of the convoy went north to Plattsburgh while others continued east to Fort Devens, near Leominster/Fitchburg, Mass.
Many of these troops the local residents saw would soon be heading overseas, as the attack on Pearl Harbor happened about 24 hours after the last of the convoy departed Oneonta.
The morning after the attack, Dr. Charles W. Hunt of the Oneonta State Normal School and Dr. Henry J. Arnold, president of Hartwick College, addressed their students in morning assemblies.
"We do not know what is ahead," Dr. Arnold said, "but whatever it is, it is going to require the strength and might of every citizen, and we can best serve our country by doing what we are called upon to do and by doing it well."
Male college students on both campuses soon became a rare sight. Hartwick College came perilously close to permanent closure during the war, due to the lack of enrollment.
The Star reported that the Army and Navy recruiting offices were busy on Monday, Dec. 8, at the Oneonta post office, then at 258 Main St. More than 75 young men came in to seek information about the branches or to enlist. Bruce Decker, a Maryland man was the first area applicant.
It was reported on Thursday, Dec. 11, that William W. Merithew of Otego became the first area casualty of the war. Merithew died Sunday at the Hickam Field territory of Hawaii.
On Monday: While the war put an end to a men's basketball rivalry between Hartwick and Oneonta Normal in 1942, the contest was resumed in 1991.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
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