California State Military Department
The California State Military Museum
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D
DAVIES, William
 
12 years that I served in the US Army as follows: Jul - Dec 1961, Private, undergoing Basic and Infantry Training at Ft. Ord, CA. Jan - Jun 1962, Private/PFC, Served in 2nd Battle Group, 47th Infantry, sent to reinforce Berlin when the Wall went up. Jul 62 - Apr 63, PFC/Sp4, Served as Intelligence Clerk in same unit at Ft. Lewis, WA. May - Aug 63, Sp4, Air Photo Interpretation Trainee, 4th Infantry Division's Military Intelligence Detachment, Ft. Lewis. Sep 63 - Aug 64, Sp4/Sp5, Air Photo Interpreter, G2, 8th Army, Seoul Korea. Sep 64 - Sep 65, Sp5, Air Photo Interpreter, 4th Infantry Div. Military Intelligence Detachment, Ft. Lewis. Sep 65 - Sep 66, Sp5/Sgt, Air Photo Interpretation Supervisor and Training NCO, 5th Infantry Division's Military Intelligence Detachment, Ft. Carson, CO. Sep 66 - Sep 67, Warrant Officer, W-1, Photo Interpretation Technician and Aerial Reconnaissance Staff Officer, 2nd Field Force's G2-Air, Long Binh, Vietnam. Sep 67 - Dec 68, WO1/CW2, Photo Interpretation Technician, 1801 Airborne Corps, Ft. Bragg, NC. Jan - Dec 69, CW2, Photo Interpretation Technician and Aerial Reconnaissance Staff Officer, 2nd Field Force's G2-Air, Long Binh, Vietnam. Jan 70 - Aug 73, CW2, Photo Interpretation Tech, Headquarters, US Army Europe, Heidelberg, Germany. Jan 90 - Current, Librarian & Military History Researcher, California Military Museum, Old Sacramento, CA. Jul 97 - Current, California WW2 Veterans Oral History Program Director. Jan 2000 - Current, Military History Editor, University of Texas's Latino/Latina WW2 Oral History program.
 
DAVIS, William

Colonel (Retired), California State Military Reserve; Captain (Retired), Army National Guard. In World War II, at age 17,1 was assigned to the US Maritime Service Training School for Merchant seaman training. I then shipped out on Liberty ships and oil tankers. Our cargo was ammunition and fuel, which we carried in the Pacific, Caribbean, and North Atlantic, upon being discharged in 1947; I joined the 52nd Infantry Division, which later became the 49th Infantry Division, California National Guard. I enlisted as a recruit and eventually obtained the rank of Sergeant. I was sent to Ft. Sill Oklahoma to attend the Army aviation Mechanics school. Returning to the 49th, I became a full time aviation mechanic in the 49th Inf. aviation section. / was commissioned in 1950 and went to Liaison Pilot training, graduating and returning to the 49th. I eventually attained the rank of Captain and retired in 1971 after serving as standardization pilot in both fixed wing and helicopters. In 1982, joined the 1st Brigade, California State Military Reserve and was assigned as a Major. Later, I was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and given command of the 205th Battalion, CSMR. A few years later, I became Deputy Commander of the 2nd Brigade, and promoted to Colonel. Later assigned as the 1st Brigade Commander, where I remained until 1992 when I retired.
 
DIXON, Jack Stanley Kearn
 
Sergeant, US Army, Korea. Jack had just completed Elk Grove High School in 1949 at Elk Grove CA, and had started a job with J.C. Penney's when he received his draft letter from the US government in 1951. He did his basic training at Fort Ord and Camp Roberts. He had just finished his basic training and a four-week heavy artillery training course at Fort Bliss, Texas when he was told to report to Fort Lewis, Washington for overseas duty. He knew it would be Korea.
 
Tokyo compared to Camp Drake was like a jewel, like a park groomed to the last blade of grass and to the last pebble. Many temporary structures had been added to the existing buildings. The water tower that stood prominently above Camp Drake had a gigantic 1st Cavalry Division patch painted on it.
 
Processing at Camp Drake near Tokyo was quick - about three days. Twelve men received orders for the dozer-scraper school at Eta Jima, Japan. Eta Jima Specialist school was near Hiroshima, on an island about five miles out in the Inland Sea. Before WWII, it was the Navy Officer's Candidate School, Japan's Annapolis. The dozer-scraper MOS 3359 course took four weeks to complete. Training was concentrated on the maintenance and operation of D4, D6, and D8 Caterpillar tractors.
 
Jack spent the next 19 months in Korea with Company A, Engineers. He completed his tour of the Korean conflict never having to fire his M1-Garand rifle. He was a supply Sergeant, helping to build roads, bridges and MASH units north of the 38th parallel in Korea.

Campaigns Awards: Korean War Medal, Good Conduct and American Defense Medals


DIXON, Robert A.
 
…of Elk Grove was in his 4th week of basic training when he received his first visitors. His family drove down to Fort Ord to visit him. It was on a Saturday and they went to a Pacific Grove beach for a picnic lunch and visit. His visitors were Harry and Lois Dixon, father and mother, along with Marion and Loretta, his brother and sister-in-law, and his youngest brother Harry Jr. (Butch).
 
After basic training, he became an instructor in compass and map reading. Robert became a Sergeant and served his two years at Fort Ord. During the Korean War.
 
DUENAS, Joseph J
Private First Class, U.S. Army
 
Joseph Jonathan Duenas was a 23 year old Private First Class, serving in the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. He was killed in Kirkuk, Iraq, on March 30th, 2006, as he was returning from a combat operation. Except for the final year of his life, he was a California resident and his service is therefore formally honored by the California State Military Museum.
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