Furloughs were few and far between in the U.S. Army. Pvt. Art did not get a
furlough home in 1943, but he did get a one week furlough in February 1944. As
soon as he got home he feared it wasn't worth the effort. Not that he didn't want
to see Mom and Dad, but the reality was - there was no one else left in Covington.
They were all in the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, who knows where. There was
zero to do and he suddenly realized he would rather be in Texas where the weather
was warm and back at camp with all the guys in the company.
The soldier's second furlough was in May 1945. He went on that 7 day leave
directly from the hospital in Hereford England back to Port Sunlight, where he stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Johnson.
He remembers this trip fondly as this area had been his home away from home for three months in 1944.
Since the war was almost over, the rest of the company back in Germany was
granted a week's holiday for almost any European destination, not counting travel
time. Many would pick the farthest point -- Ireland for instance, or the Scandinavian
countries -- as kind of an extended vacation.
Art's last furlough came when he was at Camp Campbell, Kentucky, and ready to
be mustered out in late 1945. Since he was so close to getting out of this man's
Army, this trip home was not particularly noteworthy.
Passes were short versions of the furlough. In basic training, any of the
company who lived close enough to get home and back on a weekend took that route.
Others went to nearby towns. The private visited Lake Austin near the town of the
same name, the closest major city, and took a bumpy motorboat ride and saw the
sights.
He recalls an incident: The first sergeant came dropping in, literally, from a
weekend pass. It was 4 o'clock a.m. or so, and he was not exactly clear headed. As Pvt. Art remembers it, he had to be carried
in. But at 6 a.m. he was out there with his whistle, his previous state not even
noticeable. This is the same guy who used to shout, "Off your ass and on your
feet. The old man wants you on the company street".
Anyone with a good behavior record was granted a Class A pass during overseas
duty. He could go as far as a radius of 50 miles, adhering to the rules of
course. The Army was always aware of each man's whereabouts at any one time.