Leon Buckwalter - Diary on the cattle boat to Danzig, Poland
Leon Buckwalter 1945 (far right in black jacket, kneeling)
Excerpt from "Leon Buckwalter - Stories" . More is written there about the cattle boat to Danzig, Poland
Clair: Were you drafted?
Leon: No, I was never drafted. That was considered an essential job at the time: working on a farm. The cattle boat thing was a volunteer job.
We heard they were doing this. My buddies began to inquire about it. So, I guess, I just sort of fell into it.
Clair: It was cattle from where to where?
Leon: Baltimore to Poland. Guys got sick on the first few days out. I didn't mind it at all. So they put me down the hold. I'd hook the
tongs in the hay bales and they would pull them up. I can still hear the guy say, "You feel good. Why don't you go down into the deck."
Clair: Who provided the cattle?
Leon: I guess they were donated. A lot of the cattle (in Europe) were destroyed during the war. The war was over in '43, I guess. Perhaps
'44.
Clair: So this was part of the effort of this country to help the war stricken countries to rebuild?
Leon: That's right. I have here: out of bed at 6 a.m. Watered horses until breakfast. This was on November 8. Until breakfast at 8:30 a.m.
Meeting in mess hall following breakfast. Luke Bomberger and I were assigned to 37 horses on the second deck. Ship left Pier #9 at 1:00 p.m. Dinner at 6:00 p.m. Attended
horses following dinner. Helped the veterinarian inject horses until 9:30 p.m. As I said I have a day to day dairy.
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