LAST MAINE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD CCKW
Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2007 1:15 am
I watched it drive past our business during a heavy snowstorm just after New Years' Day 1959.
It was a Closed Cab Compressor Truck and was headed to the State Shop in Augusta for turn in.
It was assigned to the 136th Engineer Company, and was replaced by an M-Series Reo 6X6 with a Harris Compressor.
The CO of the 136th was Captain Jacob Serota, a relative. Captain Serota was assigned to the amphibious Engineers in WWII. He was a veteran of 6 Amphibious landings in WWII. His stateside training in WWII started with GPAs in 1943 at Camp Edwards Massachusetts, prior to receiving DUKWs. He remarked how the Liberty Ships creaked and groaned in rough seas. Captain Serota was a mid 1930s graduate of the University of Maine, he majored in Forestry. He was College Heavyweight Boxing Champion, and a Uof M Football Star. He worked out at the "Y" for most of his life and maintained his 195 pound weight up thru his late 60s. I used to watch him jump rope with a 1" rope. WWII had been going on for 6 months before he heard about it, as he was a Land Surveyor and had been in the deep woods of Northern Maine laying out townships.
After the war he managed an Army Surplus Truck business and was CO of the 136th Engineer Company, Maine Army National Guard from 1947-1959. The 136th's mission during those years was Bailey Bridges and later on, Float Bridges. It held an Army wide record for erecting Bailey Bridges. This was quite an achievement as the National Guard only trained one weekend a month and attended summer camp for two weeks a year. The Regular Army had much more time to train. Captain Serota was a natural leader and highly respected by all who served with him.
I got a bit carried away here, but it is it is not easy to stop talking about Jake Serota.
It was a Closed Cab Compressor Truck and was headed to the State Shop in Augusta for turn in.
It was assigned to the 136th Engineer Company, and was replaced by an M-Series Reo 6X6 with a Harris Compressor.
The CO of the 136th was Captain Jacob Serota, a relative. Captain Serota was assigned to the amphibious Engineers in WWII. He was a veteran of 6 Amphibious landings in WWII. His stateside training in WWII started with GPAs in 1943 at Camp Edwards Massachusetts, prior to receiving DUKWs. He remarked how the Liberty Ships creaked and groaned in rough seas. Captain Serota was a mid 1930s graduate of the University of Maine, he majored in Forestry. He was College Heavyweight Boxing Champion, and a Uof M Football Star. He worked out at the "Y" for most of his life and maintained his 195 pound weight up thru his late 60s. I used to watch him jump rope with a 1" rope. WWII had been going on for 6 months before he heard about it, as he was a Land Surveyor and had been in the deep woods of Northern Maine laying out townships.
After the war he managed an Army Surplus Truck business and was CO of the 136th Engineer Company, Maine Army National Guard from 1947-1959. The 136th's mission during those years was Bailey Bridges and later on, Float Bridges. It held an Army wide record for erecting Bailey Bridges. This was quite an achievement as the National Guard only trained one weekend a month and attended summer camp for two weeks a year. The Regular Army had much more time to train. Captain Serota was a natural leader and highly respected by all who served with him.
I got a bit carried away here, but it is it is not easy to stop talking about Jake Serota.