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Gateway National Recreation Area52nd Coast Artillery Band posing in front of Fort Hancock barracks c. 1938
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Gateway National Recreation Area
World War II at Fort Hancock
Soldiers pose on salute gun at flagpole on Fort Hancock Parade Ground, c. 1942.

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Soldiers pose at Fort Hancock's salute guns on the Parade Ground, c. 1942.

World War II saw Fort Hancock's peacetime population of approximately 800 swell to 12,000 soldiers by 1945. Below are the stories of some of those who served both in the military and civilians employees.

Carl Erickson, U.S. Coast Guard, pdf

May Siciliano, Civilian draftsman, pdf

Seymour Kurtz, 245th Coast Artillery, pdf

William Conover, U.S. Coast Guard, pdf

Loretta Reilly Hoffman, Women's Army Corps, Audio-Visual file hosted by Monmouth University on Real Player

Julian Jones, Civilian draftsman, pdf

Margaret Wright McCausland, Post Commissary Civilian Employee, pdf

Robert Truesdale, new Army draftee, pdf

Herman Warnke, 245th Coast Artillery, pdf
Women's Army Corps soldiers crossing out the  

Did You Know?
Did you know that Fort Hancock had an integrated unit in World War II? The 1225th Army Service Unit had African-American soldiers and in 1943 received a group from the Women's Army Corps.
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Last Updated: October 19, 2009 at 08:07 EST