Once the soldiers from Camp Skokie Valley arrived at Harms Woods in Glenview, they quickly set to task pitching up tents and preparing for a field inspection. Then came the order to fast roll packs and “march!” The men went double-time over 200 yards. At the end of the course, the soldiers turned around to find a field littered with equipment. They learned an important Army lesson the hard way.
An empty clearing south of Camp Skokie Valley
Harms Woods is a popular destination in the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC). Surrounded by several communities, Skokie, Morton Grove, Glenview, and Golf, the woods are situated between Glenview and Golf roads. Bisecting the property is the North Branch Chicago River, with trails running adjacent to the river located on both sides. Bordering this land to the north was once Camp Skokie Valley.
Built in 1933, at the height of the Great Depression, Camp Skokie Valley was a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp. It housed workers engaged on the Skokie Lagoons project, digging seven-interconnected lagoons on the environmentally degraded Skokie Marsh.
Click here to learn more about Camp Skokie Valley and the history of its inhabitants.
Abandoned in 1942, Camp Skokie Valley quickly became taken over by the Army. Retaining its original name, Camp Skokie Valley was home to the 740th Military Police (MP) Battalion and later German prisoners of war.
The Army took full advantage of the FPDCC’s properties. Although Camp Skokie Valley was itself on forest preserve land, leased to the government since 1933, it was not large enough for some of the Army’s activities. Physical conditioning and field exercises, for example, sometimes took place elsewhere. One location frequented by the soldiers was Harms Woods- just across from them on Glenview Road.
Understandably, not all of the Army’s activities for its soldiers in Harms Woods were ‘fun’. Serious military training took place; however, a civilian observer could still get in a laugh or two. Rather entertaining was a field inspection on one mid-August afternoon in 1943.
Take the time to roll up your pack!
Major Benjamin F. Dies arrived at the camp. The date was 11 August 1943, a Wednesday. As Chief of the Training Branch of the Sixth Service Command, Major Dies was there to carry out a general fitness inspection of the 740th MP Battalion. His interest lay in the battalion’s training regimen and the state of its equipment. He went straight to work and conducted a close checkup of individual equipment upon his arrival- surely met with great enthusiasm by soldiers. More was instore for the MPs the following day as described by the camp’s newspaper:
Quarters were inspected on Thursday morning. At 12:40 p.m., three blasts of the Post siren sounded to indicate an alert.
Although the actual time involved in the Battalion's response to the call cannot be disclosed for obvious reasons, the ease and speed with which the whole Battalion functioned was "very satisfactory," according to the Major.
Upon arrival at the destination- Harms Woods- the Battalion pitched tents and a full-field inspection was held.
Following this, the four companies participated in a fast rolling of packs. With these hastily-rolled pack on their backs, the men marched 200 yards at double time.
This was done to prove that an improperly rolled pack gains nothing to the soldier in the field.
15 raincoats, 12 military police clubs and numerous other items such as toilet articles, were found along the 200 yard course after the double time jaunt.1
The inspection lasted for three days and ended on a Friday, likely to the great relief of the men at Camp Skokie Valley. Weekend passes and liberty were a great way to end a stressful week.