The story
Camp White, Oregon was the birthplace of the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion.
The camp is located in the flat valley north of Medford, Oregon, and is surrounded on all sides by high, forested mountains.
The most prominent mountain is Mount McLoughlin towering 9493 feet into the sky. The Rogue River winds its way through the valley, known as the Agate Desert, and descends through the Coast Range of the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean.
The Agate Desert gained its name because of the large amount of the precious stone found there. Several members of the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion found various species of agates.
The vicinity of Camp White is America's number one producer of pears. Members of the Battalion took advantage of this and mailed of shipped home crates of the famous Medford pears
At 0200 the cadre arrived at the gates of Camp White in Greyhound coaches.
Eight hours later at 1000 3 March 1943 General Order No. 1 announced the activation of the 299th Engineer Combat Battalion. Several officers were awaiting the arrival of the cadre and immediately upon the activation of the unit each officer and enlisted man was assigned a specific task and duty - duties which grew in variety, magnitude, and efficiency to attain such heights of loyalty and devotion as is seldom attained in any military organization.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.