Uncle Gordon Thomas separated from the Army Air Corps (where

Uncle Gordon Thomas separated from the Army Air Corps (where he had served as a telephone specialist) at Fort Bliss in El Paso. How he transitioned from Okinawa to Fort Bliss is unclear.

The US Army gave him train fare from El Paso to Beaumont because Beaumont is where he entered the Army.

He and three or four other guys got to the train station to find out that the next train east would be three days later. They creatively pooled their train fares and hired a taxi!!! Some cab driver agreed to drive these guys 800 miles on dodgy roads (and then return to El Paso on his own nickel).

Gordon was in a hurry to get back to Beaumont and marry Helen.