Character notes

If you want to write up a character sheet, please do, but I am not requiring anyone to wrote up a CS prior to your first IC post. Please post a character in the characters tab to include Rank, Name and duty position before posting in the In-Character thread. As you write details about the character, add them to the character sheet. If you would like to write background information about your character, by all means do so. I will write some.

1. This is a realistic RP, so obviously there are no werewolves, demons or vampires in the company.
2. 90% of all soldiers in 1942 were draftees. 10% were either volunteers or members of the US Army before war was declared in 1941. Draftees can be any age between 17 and 32. A very small percentage of soldiers were successful at pretending to be older and enlisted at age 15. We’ve all heard the stories of people who have done that, but they are extremely rare.
3. The unit we are discussing was formed in April 1942 and performed their basic training at Camp Pine, New York. Today, this post is known as Fort Drum, near Watertown, NY. Your character may have an attachment in Watertown, NY.
4. In 1943, the unit moved to Camp Myles Standish, near Plymouth, Massachusetts.
5. In November 1943, the unit boarded a ship in Boston harbor and sailed to England.
6. Soldiers who go through Basic Training hold the rank of Private (Recruit) no stripe. After about six months’ time in service, the soldier was promoted to Private First Class (one stripe). After two years, the soldier was promoted to Technician 5th grade (two stripes with a letter “T” under the stripes). This is not a leadership rank and considered the senior lower enlisted rank before the NCO grades (Non-Commissioned Officers).
7. If there are NCO positions available like Tank Commander, Section Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Squad Leader, Assistant Squad Leader, Operations Sergeant and Company First Sergeant, a soldier can be promoted. It is possible for soldiers of lower rank to hold higher ranked positions awaiting promotion.
8. A soldier working in an NCO position, can be promoted to Corporal (Assistant Squad Leader or Tank Commander) two stripes. A Tank Commander or Section Leader was authorized the rank of Sergeant (three stripes). The platoon sergeant is authorized the rank of Staff Sergeant (three stripes and one rocker). The company operations sergeant is authorized the rank of Technical Sergeant 2nd Grade (three stripes and two rockers). The senior enlisted soldier in the company is the company first sergeant (three stripes and three rockers with a diamond in the middle). This is the highest rank in the company.
9. Each of the three Tank Platoons is authorized one officer who is either a 2nd or a 1st lieutenant. The Executive Officer is the second in command and is the senior 1st Lieutenant in the company. The Company Commander is authorized to hold the rank of Captain.
10. Ages of your character should be commensurate with time spent in the Army and the rank they hold. As an example, you will not find any 18 year old first sergeants or even 20 year old staff sergeants. Since officers must attend a commissioning source, very few of them will be younger than 20 or 21. A 20-year old 2nd Lieutenant is rare. I graduated Officer Candidate School at age 23 and one of my classmates was 19. That is extremely rare since most officers are college graduates.

Embedded Reporter: @FrostedCaramel

Open this hider to see what position your GI can take.

Cast of Letters:
CPT Arthur Tyler, Company Commander - Gunther
PVT Lewis Morrison, Mortarman - BingTheWing
Staff Sergeant Cliff Cox, Operations Sergeant - The Spectre
PFC Earl Ball, Rifleman - CaptainBritton

Captain Arthur Tyler is 25 years old and hails from Albany, NY. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in Engineering and received a commission in the US Army as a Second Lieutenant, Cavalry. His branch assignment was quickly changed to armor before he attended his Officer Basic Course.

Lieutenant Tyler was initially assigned as a 2LT Platoon Leader in D Company, 37th Tank Battalion then stationed at Camp Pine, New York in 1942. He was promoted to First Lieutenant in the summer of 1943. The unit embarked to England from Boston Harbor in Late 1943 and began training in England in January, 1944. By February, the battalion was issued the M18 Hellcat Tank Destroyers in order to establish Assault Gun platoons in every line company.

Arthur met his wife while a student at Boston College. Jean Dumas is originally from Attleboro, Massachusetts. Before they graduated from BC, the couple was married and expecting their first child. Jean followed Art to Ft. Knox, KY for the Armor Basic Course. Art moved is family to Watertown, NY when he was assigned to the 37th. They have a permanent residence there. Arthur and Jean have two sons; Louis, 3 and Robert, 15 months.

During the D-Day invasion, the 4th Armor Division remained in England. Many of the soldiers were eager to go and hated waiting. Captain Ronald Dixon, A Company Commander got drunk one night in mid-June and died in a motor vehicle accident. 1LT Tyer was then given command of A Company effective 21 June 1944.

Arthur Tyler was promoted to Captain on 16 July with an effective date of 1 July 1944.

Name
Clifford Hallam Cox

Age
Twenty-eight years old

Rank
Sergeant

Position
Company Operations Sergeant

Background
Born in the city of Arlington, Clifford's family had been in the military since the Civil War. His father lost his right leg during the first World War in the Second Battle of Marne. His father's tales of combat during the war caused him to become interested in joining the military. Clifford went and graduated from Texas State University after he finished up high school. Afterwards, he joined the military and began his work on the officer basic course in the early forties. Once he was finished with the course, Clifford was assigned as the company's operations sergeant in 1943. His mother and father were still alive when their son left for Europe. He wrote letters to them and his friends whenever he could.

Now, Clifford is preparing for the coming days in the fight against the dying Nazi German army.

Earl Franklin Ball

19

Private First Class (PFC)

Rifleman (MOS 745)

Earl F. Ball was born on June 13th, 1925 in the municipality of Greeneville, Tennessee, in the similarly named Greene County, noted for being the birthplace of David 'Davy' Crockett. Born to the proud owners of a tobacco farm among the Tennessee Valley's rolling hills, Earl spent a great deal of his time as a farmhand, assisting his father and the hands he hired to till, sew, and harvest the fields.

He attended the local schoolhouse nearby to the modern day Ottway Primary School, receiving a rudimentary education by modern standards. He graduated in mid-1942 and immediately sought enlistment. As soon as his parents signed the waiver, he was shipped to Fort Bragg, North Carolina for BCT, which was completed and he was mustered into the 53rd Armored Infantry Battalion at its formation, shipped to Watertown, New York for advanced training.

At Camp Pine, Earl was trained as an operator of one of the M2 Brownings on one of the M3 Halftracks. He bided his time and underwent training as it came. By the time the unit left for England, he had no strong connections or attachments in Watertown.

Once in England, he eagerly anticipated the unit’s deployment, and was promoted during exercises in preparation for aforementioned deployment. Once in mainland France, Earl began to keep a journal starting July 16th.

Name:
Harry Wass

Age:
Thirty Nine

Rank:
None

Position:
War Correspondent

Background:
Philadelphia born, Harry Wass is described as a good-natured and easy to approach guy. A witness to the Allied offensive in North Africa he is no stranger to the realities of war and now finds himself following the exploits of the 37th Armored Tank Battalion as they make their way through France following the D-Day landings.