by Zorine Shirley
April’s VE Day and August’s VJ Day were in the past and it was time to go home; however there were many obstacles ahead. Over 12 million Americans had served during wartime and 7.6 million were overseas in many different theaters.
The task of “demobilization” was immense. In October 1945 millions of American servicemen and servicewomen were, in most cases, patiently awaiting troop carriers to return them to their families. Nonetheless, troops were still needed in the war torn regions because of small uprisings and incursions that occurred often.
The process of demobilization had actually been considered as early as 1942 even though the end of the war was not yet in sight. Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall recognized that the logistics would be monumental. In response, President Roosevelt in 1942 tasked the War Shipping Administration with coordinating “Operation Magic Carpet.” The project began on ….
