When my father, Lieutenant Ernest M. Chamberlain, told me his stories of Officer of the Guard many years after the war, he broke into uncontrollable laughter. His experience at Fort Lewis Washington in 1942 tell us a lot about him. He was very serious about his work and put his whole heart into every project. Nevertheless, things didn’t always go as planned.

Lieutenant Chamberlain arrived at Fort Lewis on January 2, 1942 and was sent to Officer Training School in the US Army 76th Field Artillery Brigade. He completed the Officer training course on February 15, 1942 and returned to Field Artillery headquarters. The next morning, the 76th Brigade was ordered to perform guard duty for all of Fort Lewis.¹

Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii only two months earlier. This west coast military base was very vulnerable. Guard duty was not merely a training exercise, they were actually defending the fort against a possible attack.

There were two groups of guards, each with two officers. Each group had a tour of 48 hours on duty and 48 hours off. Ernest’s partner officer was called away, so Ernest did double duty as both Officer of the Day and Officer of the Guard. He was in charge of about 160 sentries.²

During the first 48 hour tour, Ernest inspected all 18 posts. Some of his observations bothered him. He therefore called for a meeting with his guards. Ernest stressed the importance of doing what’s necessary in event of emergency.

“Scare the Hell out of Lieutenant Chamberlain”

One post was especially vulnerable to sabotage. Trees and dense foliage surrounded the water tanks on a hill.

“On that post after dark,” Ernest instructed his men, “do not march around that fence like a tin soldier! Be innovative and vary your routine. If I see and challenge you before you challenge me, you are not walking your post in a military manner. And if I leave your post without being challenged you will have plenty of explaining to do”.¹

Ernest didn’t realize what he was creating.

The next night was cold and dark. As Ernest conducted his inspections, he came to the post he hated most, the water tower. The thought of his guards with little experience and live ammunition added to his anxiety.

His jeep slowly ascended the narrow winding dirt road toward the tower.  Suddenly, from the the darkness behind, cracked the command, “HALT!”²

The driver slammed on the brakes. Ernest hurled toward the windshield. They stopped the motor and shut off the lights as the guard commanded. Ernest got out of the jeep. “I shook my leg to see if anything would fall out of my pants”, he wrote.²  They then marched along the road as instructed. Suddenly, from the bushes ahead, a light flashed into their faces.

They had now identified Lieutenant Chamberlain.

The guard then stepped out of the bushes and came to “Present Arms” as a salute to the officer. The young guard looked like a boy scout, no bigger than his rifle with its attached bayonet. Now that Lieutenant Chamberlain was identified another guard fifteen yards ahead emerged from the shadows. “They certainly had me covered”, Ernest wrote.²

On later inspections, Ernest left the jeep and walked up the trail to try to surprise them. Invariably, as he walked along the fence, a guard with a rifle almost in his back would shout the challenge, “HALT!” It was in a different place each time.¹  “I was right proud of my boys”, Ernest wrote, “but so help me it was a real thriller diller.“²

Later, one guard told Ernest that everyone wanted that post “so they could scare the hell out of Lieutenant Chamberlain.¹

An air alert and black out

During the 48 hour guard duty tour of February 25th and 26th Ernest inspected every post two or three times. By 11 pm of the second day Ernest was exhausted. When he returned, he told the Sergeant of the Guard not to wake him for anything but an emergency.¹

At 8:00 am the sergeant shook Ernest awake.

“The Post Headquarters Adjutant wants to see you in his office immediately”, he said. “Did you know there was an air alert and blackout last night?” the sergeant asked as they rushed toward the jeep.

“I heard some sirens but quickly fell back to sleep”, Ernest replied.¹

The Officer Family Barracks

Ernest arrived at headquarters and entered the office of the Adjutant, Major Garver.³

Major Garver: “Lt. Chamberlain, did you know there was an air alert last night?”¹

Lieutenant Chamberlain: “Yes sir.”

Major Garver: “Was it your guards who were guarding the Officer Family Barracks?”

Lieutenant Chamberlain: “Yes sir”.

Major Garver: I have received numerous complaints about the action of your guards. After the sirens sounded the guards pounded on each door with the butt of their rifle and shouted “Come out immediately or I’ll come in after you”. They didn’t give them time to dress but rushed them out in their night clothes. When everyone was out they herded them to the 3rd Division Parade Ground and forced them to lay on the grass in spread eagle position!

“What do you have to say about that?” the major demanded¹ 

“Spread eagle on the Parade Ground?”, Ernest gasped. “That does seem rather excessive.”

Ernest grasped and groped for words. Finally he said, “Well sir, I am only thankful that I am here to account for this possible over action rather than a lack of action with a lot of dead people in a bombed out barracks.“¹

The Union Pacific Railroad

The Major stared straight ahead without expression or comment. He  then continued: “Last night were the guards at the warehouse under you?“¹

Lieutenant Chamberlain: “Yes sir”.

Major Garver: I had two calls, one from Union Pacific Railroad and one from the Engineers Union. They claimed that when one of their engines crossed the Olympia-Tacoma highway and slowly entered the warehouse area, a guard stood in front of it and flagged it to a halt.^1,4

The guard said, “This is a black out, turn out your head light”. The engineer refused. The guard said, “Either shut it off or I’ll shoot it out”. The engineer continued to stall. The guard marched around to the front and raised his rifle. The engineer hit the switch in time to save the light. The train remained there until the “All Clear Signal”.^1,4

The engineer was very unhappy. The train was late and not allowed to move without its light. Also the railroad cars were blocking the highway and traffic was backed up half way to Tacoma on one side and half way to Olympia on the other.

What do you have to say about that?^1,4

A very nervous Lieutenant Chamberlain: “Well sir, I do not know of any instructions we have received pertaining to trains. However, our instructions pertaining to vehicles were that all vehicle lights other than cat-eyes were to be turned out during black outs”.¹

When Ernest was dismissed, he felt sure he would soon be released as Officer of the Guard. Nevertheless, as he walked out of the office he believed he heard the major chuckle.¹

They did not release Ernest. In fact, he never heard any more on the subject.¹

Other Links for Ernest M. Chamberlain

Lieutenant Chamberlain, Officer of the Guard and Dad’s Hope for Our Best Christmas Ever  (a family Christmas Story) are two short stories derived from Chapter 29 Ernest and Fay Chamberlain During WWII 1942

Chapter 26- The Early Life of Ernest M. Chamberlain

Chapter 27- Fay Barney Chamberlain: Dating and Marriage

Chapter 28- Ernest M. Chamberlain after Pearl Harbor

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, All rights reserved. The Chamberlain Story, 2021.

References:

1- Ernest Chamberlain, “World War II, Ordered to Active Duty – Guard Duty”, unpublished autobiography

2- Ernest M. Chamberlain, Letter to his wife Fay Barney Chamberlain, written March 22, 1942

3- Ernest Chamberlain, unpublished autobiography. Major Garver was not mentioned in this incident. However, he was the IX Corp Adjutant Officer in January, 1942  Ernest wrote about earlier.

4- Fay Barney Chamberlain, Letter to her husband Ernest M. Chamberlain, March 9, 1942