Next stop: San Francisco

After departing Spokane on 15 June, the long troop train - loaded with men and equipment - made its way down the scenic coasts of Washington, Oregon and California. After two days of travel, they finally arrived in San Francisco and went directly to the 'Cow Palace'.
The huge building was part of the San Francisco County Fair facilities and had been used for years for the showing and judging of livestock. The men of the 440th would call this place their home for a week before shipping out. Former stalls, once used to house prize beef animals and fancy horses, had been turned into sleeping areas. Showers and laundry rooms were also available to the officers and men. The men were told that they had all the comforts of home! They had other opinions.
There was little to do other than play cards, read and catch up on some of the sleep the men had gone without during the previous three months. Some of the men took this opportunity to write home to mothers, wives and sweethearts. It was also a time for reflection and contemplation. Four-hour passes were few and most of the men resigned themselves to waiting it out. One of the young men in the battalion could practically see his family home just two miles away from the Cow Palace. Still. it remained as far away as it had while he was in Spokane. He was not allowed out on a pass.
The day they had all been waiting for finally arrived and, late on the evening of 21 June, the 20 officers and 544 enlisted men of the battalion boarded the converted Norwegian freighter MS Torrens. After finding their bunks in the crowded interior of the ship, most of the men went back up to the main deck. They stood in small clusters, smoking and talking about their possible destination. While on deck, many of the men watched the dimmed lights of San Francisco and were lost in their own thoughts about the future.
Early on the morning of 22 June, the Torrens pulled away from the dock and slowly turned toward the west. The deck was again filled with men watching the City by the Bay fading behind them. As they passed under the Golden Gate Bridge, many of these young soldiers had thoughts about the prospect of never returning. Most of these men did return.
A few did not.