Unable to see over the landing ramp, the men knew they were approaching hell as both the sound of artillery fire and machine guns as well as the reek of gunpowder flooded the boat. He was the lead man as the bow ramp came down.
The streets had even been paved with concrete and brick to replace the rutted dirt roads of his early childhood. As the son of a meat cutter with other family in the oil business, Earnest could devote his childhood to school, sports, like boxing and horses.
The war that began in Europe was in the consciousness of most young men, and when the U. Roberts did not travel far from home as his initial training took place at Camp Wolters, Texas, a bare miles from where he grew up.
While in training, he won the Camp Wolters Golden Gloves boxing championship and remained undefeated since soon after he shipped out to Fort Dix, New Jersey. After arrival and further training, Roberts was scheduled leave to New York since the soldiers were on a schedule that depended on the troopships departing. The Queen Mary, however, arrived and was large enough to carry almost all the waiting troops.
Just before departing on leave, Roberts was recalled to dutyβand given the name of the AWOL soldier whose place he would be taking on the Queen Maryβas he was hustled aboard the ship to maximize troop capacity. Once in England, training continued. Big training events involved landing on the English coast in small assault craft, moving inland several miles and digging into defensive positions, and conducting patrols and live ammunition firing for several days.
