Before the Front: From “Attached Unassigned” to Basic Training

Part 2-Attached Unassigned

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This post continues the Before the Front series, following my dad’s early training after his arrival at Fort Custer. From the reception center, his journey moved into the first stages of Army training, a period often recorded simply as “attached unassigned,” but one that marked the beginning of his transformation into a soldier.

From Reception Center to Training Status

Official Army photograph of my father taken early in his training, 

likely at Fort Custer in 1943.

After processing through the reception center at Fort Custer, the next phase of a soldier’s journey is not always as clearly defined in the records as we might hope.

The morning reports show that on July 24,1943, 137 enlisted men, including my father, were listed as unassigned and joined from Headquarters at Fort Custer.

Two days later, Special Orders #172 placed him in a status that appears frequently in World War II records but is often misunderstood: “attached unassigned.”

At first glance, this phrase can seem vague. It does not name a specific training course or location, and it does not describe what a soldier was actually doing day to day. However, this status was an important part of the Army’s training system.

What “Attached Unassigned” Really Meant

Soldiers listed as “attached unassigned” were temporarily placed with a unit, in this case Company D, 135th Training Detachment Battalion, while awaiting further assignment. This did not mean they were idle.

In reality, these men were actively engaged in the early phases of military training. They were learning discipline, adjusting to Army life, and beginning the physical and mental conditioning that would prepare them for what lay ahead.

My father (front row, left) wearing an armband, likely indicating a temporary leadership or training role during basic training.

The Missing Piece: A Soldier’s Experience

This is where my father’s words help bring the records to life.

While the morning reports document him as “attached unassigned,” he remembered the reality of those early days of training. The long days, the constant instruction, and the physical demands were already shaping the soldiers they were becoming.

The morning reports provide only a brief description of this period, but my father’s own words offer a much clearer picture of what training was really like.

In His Own Words

My father during his early training period, photographed while on leave in Hazel Park, Michigan, likely at his family home on Reynolds Street.

“It was the last week in June 1943 when I arrived at Camp Hood to begin an intensive 13 weeks of basic infantry training, and it was ungodly hot, with temperatures continually reaching the 100s most days. I was probably in the best condition of my life at this time, and it is a good thing I was because of the intense physical activities. We completed 25-mile hikes with 25-pound or more full field packs on our backs, nine-mile forced marches that practically required you to jog the entire distance, and physical fitness obstacle courses that included scaling 10-foot walls and crawling under barbed wire with machine gun bullets whistling overhead. We trained in bayonet and hand-to-hand combat and even crossed a stream about 20 yards wide by hand over a rope 10 feet above the water with smoke bombs going off below.

I felt sorry for many of the older fellows in training because many of them had held office or non-physical jobs and had a difficult time performing the many activities expected of them. I weighed 140 pounds when I began training, and 13 weeks later I weighed 173 pounds, mainly because I ate like a hog in the mess hall each day. Most veterans I know had nothing good to say about Army food, but I thrived on it.

Another memory I have of basic training was our sergeant who was a little wiry guy from West Virginia with a filthy mouth and an IQ too low to measure (my opinion, not fact).  He seemed to get a particular pleasure out of coming in the barracks at five each morning putting on the lights and yelling out … I was trained as a BAR man.  BAR stands for Browning automatic rifle, which carried a clip of 20 bullets and could be fired in a very few seconds. We were also trained in rifle, bayonet, and hand-to-hand combat.  I think in the 13 weeks we got one overnight pass off the post which I didn’t take advantage of as they had a post commissary store and a movie theater which showed the newest of movies.  Ping Pong and Pool were two of my favorite activities when time allowed, which was not very often.  During training we wondered where we would end up.  Would we be sent to the Pacific to fight the Japs or to Europe to battle the Nazis "

Training was not just about learning skills. It was about endurance, discipline, and adapting to a completely new way of life.

His words fill in the gaps left by the records, giving us a clearer understanding of what “attached unassigned” truly meant for the soldiers living it.

A Familiar Name

My father (right) with his high school friend William H. Fisher during their early Army training. Although the exact location is unknown, this photograph was likely taken before they were assigned to different units.

The records also reveal a personal connection. Listed alongside my father is William H. Fisher, a high school friend who would later become a prisoner of war.

These small details remind us that these were not just names on a page, but young men moving through the same system together, sharing experiences that would shape the rest of their lives.

On to the Next Phase

My father with his father, Harry Glover, photographed while on leave in front of their home on Reynolds Street in Hazel Park, Michigan.

This period of “attached unassigned” status was only the beginning.

From Fort Custer, my father’s journey continued to North Camp Hood, Texas, where the structure and intensity of Army training became even more defined. The records provide the framework, but his memories reveal what those days truly felt like.

Together, they show that long before soldiers reached the front lines, they had already been tested, shaped, and prepared for what lay ahead.

This early phase of training laid the foundation for everything that followed. From Camp Hood, his journey would take another unexpected turn, one that led from the training field to the classroom.

AI Disclosure

Portions of this post, including assistance with titles, headings, photo captions, and some writing support, including organizing content and structuring paragraphs for clarity and flow were created with the help of ChatGPT. All research, interpretation, and final content decisions are my own.