Separation/rotation orders for approx 50 men from the 712th Railway Operating Battalion 1951

This is a U.S. Army Special Order issued by the Headquarters, 712th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion on 26 June 1951. It is an administrative personnel order, not a combat report. Its purpose was to officially transfer soldiers out of the battalion at the end of their overseas tour in Japan.

Here's what it means:

• Headquarters: 712th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion
• APO 301, San Francisco, California
  • This was the Army postal address for a unit stationed overseas (in Japan), not an actual location in California.
• Special Orders No. 59
• Date: 26 June 1951

The 712th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion was serving in Japan during the Korean War, operating military railroads that supported U.S. forces and logistics.

 Leave their current organization.

• Travel to Headquarters, Sasebo Replacement Depot (Provisional), APO 27.
• Return to the Zone of Interior (ZI)—the continental United States.
• Be processed for ETS (Expiration of Term of Service), meaning they had completed their enlistment.

Before departure they were required to:

• Receive a physical examination.
• Complete WD AGO Form 204 so family, correspondents, and magazine subscriptions could be notified of their new address.

The orders also specify:

• They would report to the 369th Replacement Company, 110th Replacement Battalion on 26 June 1951.
• They were scheduled to depart Japan on 1 July 1951.
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On June 18, 1941, the U.S. Army organized the 711th Railway Operating Battalion. Its first mission? To renovate the four-and-a-half-mile railroad that served Fort Belvoir, Virginia, including thousands of ties, several bridges and 20 culverts, within 48 days. Their next mission was to move to Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and lay 50 miles of track between Camp Claiborne and Fort Polk. The C&P Railroad, built by more than 6,000 troops, was given a different name as training began – the Crime and Punishment Railroad. 

Because it was built on unstable ground, derailments were common. To make training more realistic, rails along the line were blown up or sabotaged so maintenance teams could train in rebuilding them. With this real-world training capability, the U.S. and Allied Forces wrote the book on wartime rail operations. Now, 85 years later, the U.S. Army returns to Fort Polk with a group of experts from ERDC to write the next chapter. https://www.dvidshub.net/video/1015363/85-years-rail-expertise-711th-erdc 

Tim Slocum writes ... my grandfather Herbert A Wolfe served in B company of the 737th Railway Operations Battalion in WWII. I'd love to find him on the roster. 

Sorry, I only have a partial roster of Company B as they are coming home from the Philippines   LINK HERE

Thanks Tim for sharing this great photo