Camp Gordon Johnston U.S. Highway 98 One of the most important miUtary bases in Horida, thousands of soldiers were trained in amphibious operations at Camp Gordon Johnston, located on the Gulf Coast 60 miles southwest of Tallahassee. In early 1942, the U.S. Army created an Amphibious Training Center (ATC) administered by the Army Ground Forces Command. The first such center was to be established at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts, with plans to later move to a training camp in Florida. Army officials eventually selected the small fishing village of Carrabelle as the site of the new facility. One hundred sixty-five thousand acres of land were purchased or leased, with clearing and construction beginning in July 1942. The base, known first as Camp Carrabelle and later as Camp Gordon Johnston after a Philippine Insurrection Medal of Honor recipient, stretched for some 20 miles along the Gulf Coast. The camp's cadre arrived in September and October 1942 and began preparations for receiving the first trainees. The 38th Infantry Division reached Camp Carrabelle in late November. Other divisions to follow included the 28th and the 4th Infantry Divisions. Living conditions at Camp Gordon Johnston were particularly crude. Most of the troops lived in tents or prefabricated barracks with sand floors. Hazards included snakes, wild hogs, mosquitoes, sand fleas, flies, and chiggers. Ironically, a cold winter in 1942-1943 also affected the soldiers, who had expected to enjoy a warm tropical climate. General Omar Bradley, who commanded the 28th Division, called the camp, "the most miserable Army installation since my days in Yuma, Arizona, ages past," and went on to say, "the man who selected that site should have been court-martialed for stupidity." In letters home, a camp trainee simply referred to it as, "Hell-by-the Sea."
The training also proved rugged and dangerous, particularly for Bradley's division. During a March 1943 training exercise, 14 men of the 112th Infantry Regiment d