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The Manhattan Project Heritage Preservation Association, Inc. "Preserving, Exhibiting, Interpreting and Teaching the History of the Manhattan Project" |
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The Special Engineer Detachment at Oak Ridge
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 "
I would like to convey to each member of the Special Engineer Detachment
my personal commendation and expression of appreciation for your very able
assistance in the successful accomplishment of the Atomic Bomb Project.
You are a unique organization, consisting of a group with specialized
talents which has no parallel in any Army unit. You were selected
from units scattered throughout the country for the purpose of manning
essential jobs on this Project for which qualified civilian personnel
could not be secured. The success of the Atomic Bomb Project is
sufficient proof of the very splendid manner in which you discharged your
assignments. Many of you would have preferred duty with troops
overseas. However, I am confident that as you may reflect back upon
the accomplishments of the Special Engineer Detachment, you will realize
that your contribution towards the winning of the war as a member of the
detachment was of far greater value than any service which you might have
rendered in a normal Army unit. The Manhattan District and the War
Department are both proud and grateful for your very loyal and able
services." Col. Kenneth D. Nichols - District Engineer -
Manhattan Engineer District |
History of the Detachment at Oak Ridge
| In 1943, the Manhattan District was
having difficulty in obtaining enough technically trained persons to help
construct and operate the various plants at Oak Ridge. Therefore, on
May 22, 1943, the Commanding General of the Army Services Forces
authorized the establishment of a Special Engineer Detachment, so that
essential technical personnel then working in the district could be
assigned back to the district upon their induction into the Army.
The first district roster consisted of 334 enlisted men. In the Fall of 1943, with technical men still scarce, the district began a program of recruiting among universities and colleges to line up draftable men who might be assigned to the district. As this program still did not fill the need, authority was obtained to recruit men from Replacement Training Centers. Allotments to the district were increased progressively as the size of the plants grew, and the recruiting drive was extended to include men in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP). The National Scientific Roster was also combed. and requests were sent to colleges for the names of graduates who had been drafted. (no stone was left unturned). The first enlisted man assigned to the Oak Ridge Special Engineer Detachment was Perry R. Gershon, who arrived on July 19, 1943. The first commanding officer of the detachment, Capt. William A. Fogg, took over in May 1943. He was succeeded by Capt. William A. Barger in March 1944. The first men to be assigned to Oak Ridge lived in dormitories with civilians, but as the detachment grew, it was decided to move them into the barracks. This move came in February, 1944. In December, 1945, the detachment returned to the dormitories, this taking over the complete buildings. The detachment reached its top strength in September, 1945, at which time the roster included 1,257 enlisted men. The men of the detachment came from every state in the union, and represent three hundred institutions of higher learning. Approximately two-thirds of the men hold college degrees. The average Army General Classification Test Score for the detachment is 133, the highest for any single unit in the Army. |
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