Technician+Arnold+Krater

550th Medical Hospital Ship Platoon
PRE-WAR: Arnold Krater is the son of Maude and Frank Krater. He grew up in Port Carbon, Pennsylvania and spent the majority of his life there. He is the youngest of six children. He had two sisters, Mima and Eleanor. He also had three brothers, Warren, Franklin, and Randall. Warren and Frank were also drafted into the war.

ENTERING THE WAR: Mr. Krater was drafted into the Army on February 6, 1943. Mr. Krater, and all other men entering the war, had to go through boot camp. They had to do running tests, 25 miles hikes, and kitchen duty. All of the men going to war, no matter what division, must go through a boot camp, or basic training. Mr. Krater was on the Mariposa that departed from Virginia. He met two people on the ship from his home town.

media type="file" key="clip.mov" width="300" height="300" This is a clip of Mr. Krater explaining what they did while they were in basic training.



This is a picture showing men marching during basic training. They also had to learn how to march in time and many other things that would help them in their division.

DURING THE WAR:

During the War, Mr. Krater was in the 550th Medical Hospital Ship Platoon. That division was a group of medics. They originally started out with 21 men and 5 nurses but later cut it down to 15 men after the first trip. They figured that they did not need them for anything. The division did not have a kitchen crew, or a maintenance crew. The men had to make their own food, and clean up after themselves. The division went all over the world. They went to North Africa, the Poconos, and all over Europe. Their job was to come in and take over for the people who were currently working there and give them somewhat of a break. They also had to take care of the wounded soldiers that were coming home. They had to keep them alive on their way back to a hospital in America. Their job was especially hard because the men on the ship had to be on constant lookout for attacks. This is a picture of the Queen Mary. The Queen Mary was the ship that the 550th Medical Hospital Ship Platoon traveled on. The Queen Mary was originally a cruise ship but, because of the war, not many people were traveling so they gutted out the inside of the ship and made it into a hospital ship.

This is a picture of men taking care of a victim. Mr. Krater, and all of the men in his division, had to take care of the men that came from battle.

AFTER THE WAR: After the war, Mr. Krater met and married his wife, Janice. He had two children, Carol and Randall. Mr. Krater now lives in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He is the grandfather of five girls. When asked if he would ever go back and do his time in the service over again, he said that he would. When asked what advice he would give to men and women going into war now, he answered like this... media type="file" key="clip2.mov" width="300" height="300"

Full transcript of interview with Mr. Krater.