The following video will help you visualize the events that took place in the Mojave Desert during World War Two. Not only will you get a sense of what the individuals went through at the training camps, you will get real live interviews and letters from the men and women who went through these camps.

Citation: Sands of War. PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 2015. https://www.pbs.org/video/kvie-viewfinder-sands-war/. 

The back of the post card has a picture of a Joshua Tree in the Mojave Desert which is located in California. This is suggesting that at some point Sgt. J.R. Dolin was at the training camps that took place in the Mojave Deserts in October of the year of 1943. The training camps in the Mojave Desert lasted during World War Two during the years of 1942 through 1944 and its main purpose was to train soldiers involved in the war to be able to fight in different climates and conditions. It prepared the soldiers and allowed them to get accustomed to the different climate conditions that they would come across while fighting. During the training camps they set up temporary living structures, dining halls, and nursing stations for the soldiers to have while attending these camps. Many of the soldiers that attended these camp have never experienced these kinds of harsh conditions of extreme heat and sands storms and many suffered from severe dehydration. Not only did the soldiers participate in training during this time they also tested a variety of weapons such as bullets, explosives, tanks, and bombs that they would use in the war. Additionally, they flew aircrafts and tested the bombs in the middle of the desert to determine if they were safe for the soldiers to use during war. Along with accessing the safety of these weapons, tanks, aircrafts, and bombs they wanted to access the damages of each weapon before using them in the war as well. This was also a way to see how the soldiers would perform with these weapons while enduring these harsh conditions.

Citation: “Home | Bureau of Land Management.” Discover the Desert. Accessed March 3, 2023. https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/media-center-public-room-california-desert-training-center-brochure.pdf.

The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.

• Contributing Institution - Piedmont Historical Preservation Society
• Collection Name - Margaret Payne Collection
• Language - English
• Rights - Copyright held by the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society; no reproduction without written consent from the Piedmont Historical Preservation Society.
• Notes - Handwritten postcard dated October 20, 1943, sent from Camp Santa Anita in Arcadia, California.

•  Does Sgt. J.R. Dolin at some point attend the training camps in the Mojave Desert and if so for how long?

• If he did not attend the training camps in the Mojave Desert then why was he there?

•  What were his thoughts at the training camps if he participated in the initial training?

•  In the postcard he told Margaret he would see her and the family soon. Did he visit and what was it like seeing his family or going home for the first time after leaving these training camps?

Dying to know what Sgt. J.R. Dolin may have been doing while in training in the Mojave Desert? The link above will not only give you information about the training camps and what the soldiers were expected to do but it also gives you details about the dangers you may encounter while being there. Deadly climate conditions were the least of your worries when you had military explosives just laying around! Explore and Dig Deeper into what it was like being in the Mojave Desert during World War Two.

Citation: “Home | Bureau of Land Management.” Discover the Desert. Accessed March 3, 2023 https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/documents/files/media-center-public-room-california-desert-training-center-brochure.pdf.

Are you interested in learning more about the Mojave Desert? No worries! Click the link above and this educator's guide will give you all the facts about the desert’s geology, plants, animals, and most importantly the deserts unknown history. You wouldn’t believe that more historical events have taken place at the Mojave Desert besides the training camps during World War Two. Not only does it tell you all about the Mojave Desert and its background it gives you safety and park information just in case you are interested enough to visit! 

This educator's guide was funded with grants from the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation. Parks as Classrooms is the educational program of the National Park Service in partnership with the National Park Foundation.
Published 1994.

Citation: “Npshistory.com.” Mojave Desert Discovery. Accessed February 24, 2023. http://npshistory.com/publications/moja/mojave-desert-discovery.pdf.