Camp Shanks

Named after Major General David C. Shanks, it was situated near the juncture of the Erie Railroad and the Hudson River.

Camp Shanks served as a staging area for troops departing the New York Port of Embarkation for overseas service during World War II.

If the United States was to transport troops and equipment to Europe, it had to expand its military facilities around New York City.

In June 1946, a federal grand jury cleared the military and the contractors of charges of graft, but acknowledged major problems among some of the labor unions, primarily consisting of a gigantic kickback system.

One of the primary functions as a staging area was to ensure each soldier and WAC left the U.S. fully equipped before crossing the Atlantic.

The soldiers removed their division sleeve patches, and their helmets were chalked with a letter and a number, indicating the proper marching order from the camp to the train and the railroad car to ride in.

It was a short train ride to the New Jersey docks, and a harbor boat ferried troops to a waiting troopship.

One source also advised that troops marched the four miles (6 km) from the camp to the Piermont Pier where they boarded troopships.