Operation Magic Carpet

The dauting task of returning the troops home after WWII

Operation Magic Carpet

U.S. troops returning from Europe on board of a British ocean liner
(Photo: U.S. Navy)

The U.S. military experienced an unimaginable increase during World War II. In 1939, there were 334,000 servicemen, not counting the Coast Guard. In 1945, there were over 12 million, including the Coast Guard. At the end of the war, over 8 million of these men and women were scattered overseas in Europe, the Pacific and Asia. Shipping them out wasn’t a particular problem but getting them home was a massive logistical headache. The problem didn’t come as a surprise, as Army Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall had already established committees to address the issue in 1943. The repatriation of military personnel was done in Operation Magic Carpet.Soldiers returning home on the USS General Harry Taylor in August 1945
(Photo: U.S. Navy)WebsiteFacebookInstagramYouTube

When Germany capitulated 76 years ago in May 1945, the U.S. Navy was still busy fighting in the Pacific and couldn’t assist. The job of transporting 3 million men home fell to the Army and the Merchant Marine. 300 Victory and Liberty cargo ships were converted to troop transports for the task. During the war, 148,000 troops crossed the Atlantic west to east each month; the rush home ramped this up to 435,000 a month over 14 months.
 
The conditions of a soldier returning home and getting discharged from military service were set out in the so-called Advance Service Rating Score (ASRS) better known as the Points System. Servicemen could obtain points for different actions in combat, number of dependents, number of months served, etc. More points meant less months until repatriation. An enlisted serviceman needed a score of 85 points to be considered for demobilization. With the end of the war getting closer, the Points System was revised almost every 3-4 months.Hammocks crammed into available spaces aboard the USS Intrepid
(Photo: U.S. Navy)

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In October 1945, with the war in Asia also over, the Navy started chipping in, converting all available vessels to transport duty. On smaller ships like destroyers, capable of carrying perhaps 300 men, soldiers were told to hang their hammocks in whatever nook and cranny they could find. Carriers were particularly useful, as their large open hangar decks could house 3,000 or more troops in relative comfort, with bunks, sometimes in stacks of five welded or bolted in place.Bunks aboard the Army transport SS Pennant
(Photo: U.S. National Archives)

The Navy wasn’t picky, though: cruisers, battleships, hospital ships, even LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank) were packed full of men yearning for home. Two British ocean liners under American control, the RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, had already served as troop transports before and continued to do so during the operation, each capable of carrying up to 15,000 people at a time, though their normal, peacetime capacity was less than 2,200. Twenty-nine ships were dedicated to transporting war brides: women married to American soldiers during the war.WebsiteFacebookInstagramYouTubeTroops performing a lifeboat drill onboard the Queen Mary in December 1944, before Operation Magic Carpet (Photo: MARAD)

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The Japanese surrender in August 1945 came none too soon, but it put an extra burden on the operation. The war in Asia had been expected to go well into 1946 and the Navy and the War Shipping Administration were hard-pressed to bring home all the soldiers who now had to get home earlier than anticipated. The transports carrying them also had to collect numerous POWs from recently liberated Japanese camps, many of whom suffered from malnutrition and illness. At the same time, hundreds of thousands of German and Italian POWs held in camps outside Europe had to be returned to their countries, too. This was also done under Operation Magic Carpet.U.S. soldiers recently freed from Japanese POW camps
(Photo: historycollection.com)

The time to get home depended a lot on the circumstances. USS Lake Champlain, a brand-new Essex-class carrier that arrived too late for the war, could cross the Atlantic and take 3,300 troops home a little under 4 days and 8 hours. Meanwhile, troops going home from Australia or India would sometimes spend months on slower vessels.Hangar of the USS Wasp during the operation
(Photo: U.S. Navy)

There was enormous pressure on the operation to bring home as many men as possible by Christmas 1945. Therefore, a sub-operation, Operation Santa Claus, was dedicated to the purpose. Due to storms at sea and an overabundance of soldiers eligible for return home, however, Santa Claus could only return a fraction in time. On top of that, the rapid demobilization of American servicemen threatened to create a shortage of manpower for occupation of Germany, Austria, and Japan. Many soldiers driven by homesickness protested worldwide, involving soldiers in Guam, Japan, France, Germany, Austria, India, Korea, the United States, and England. For instance, four thousand soldiers in the Philippines had demonstrated against the cancellation of a repatriation ship on Christmas 1945 and stormed the city hall of Manila. Some soldiers were arrested in the demonstrations but most commanders took a tolerant approach. In light of the protests, the armed forced sped up demobilization with measures like the further liberalization of the Points System.The crowded flight deck of the USS Saratoga which transported home a total of 29,204 servicemen during the operation
(Photo: U.S. Navy)

Many freshly discharged men found themselves stuck in separation centers on American soil. The nation’s transportation network was overloaded: trains heading west from the East Coast were on average 6 hours behind schedule and trains heading east from the West Coast were twice that late. Luckily, the soldiers faced an outpouring of love and friendliness from the locals. Many townsfolk took in freshly arrived troops and invited them to Christmas dinner in their homes. Others gave their train tickets to soldiers and still others organized quick parties at local train stations for men on layover. A Los Angeles taxi driver took six soldiers all the way to Chicago; another took another carload of men to Manhattan, the Bronx, Pittsburgh, Long Island, Buffalo and New Hampshire. Neither of the drivers accepted a fare beyond the cost of gas.Overjoyed troops returning home on the battleship USS Texas
(Photo: U.S. Navy)

All in all, though, the Christmas deadline proved untenable. The European phase of the operation concluded in February 1946. The last 29 troop transports, carrying some 200,000 men from the China-India-Burma theater, arrived to America in April 1946, bringing Operation Magic Carpet to an end, though an additional 127,000 soldiers still took until September to return home and finally lay down the burden of war.

Those interested in history might have heard about another Operation Magic Carpet, too. Under the same codename, between 1949 and 1950, the newly-founded state of Israel evacuated nearly 49,000 Yemeni Jews from Yemen to Israel due to the economic crisis and the expanding anti-Jewish violence in the country.Yemenite Jews on their way to Israel from Yemen
(Photo: Wikipedia)

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The CIS Ombudsman’s Webinar Series

The CIS Ombudsman’s Webinar Series:

USCIS Introduces Online Filing for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, for F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time

The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman (CIS Ombudsman) invites stakeholders to participate in a webinar to discuss online filing for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET.

On April 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that certain F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training are eligible to apply online for an employment authorization document. All other applicants will continue to file the paper Form I-765 with USCIS.

During this session, staff from the CIS Ombudsman will engage with USCIS representatives to highlight the agency’s myUSCIS account features while sharing instructions on how eligible applicants canfile Form I-765 online.

The CIS Ombudsman’s webinar will serve as an information sharing and gathering session. Participants may submit written questions and comments during the webinar. The CIS Ombudsman may share submitted questions, without attribution, to USCIS for awareness. If appropriate, these questions may be used by the agency to assist in the development of outreach and engagement materials.

We invite you to register for this webinar using the RSVP link below.

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Wait There’s More…

Find out the many ways on how the CIS Ombudsman works for you.

CIS Ombudsman’s Annual Reports: By statute, the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman submits an Annual Report to Congress by June 30 of each year. The CIS Ombudsman’s Annual Report must provide a summary of the most pervasive and serious problems encountered by individuals and employers applying for immigration benefits with USCIS. The Annual Report also reviews past recommendations to improve USCIS programs and services. Click here to view current and past Annual Reports. 

Asking the CIS Ombudsman for Help: The CIS Ombudsman provides an impartial and independent perspective to USCIS in an attempt to resolve problems with pending cases. The CIS Ombudsman does not have the authority to make or change USCIS decisions. Before contacting the CIS Ombudsman, you must first try to resolve your problem through USCIS customer service avenues. Learn more on how the CIS Ombudsman can help here. 

Recommendations: The CIS Ombudsman identifies systemic problems that individuals and employers face when seeking services from USCIS and makes recommendations with the goal of influencing change and improving the services at USCIS for both those who apply for and those who administer immigration benefits. In addition to the formal reviews and recommendations that the CIS Ombudsman issues to USCIS, we also work in less formal ways to identify emerging issues and begin discussions with USCIS about how problems can be addressed. Find out more information about recommendations by the CIS Ombudsman. 

Public Engagement: The CIS Ombudsman meets with stakeholders across the country to learn how the delivery of immigration benefits and services impacts communities and to share information about how our office can help. If you are interested in meeting with the CIS Ombudsman and sharing information about your experience with USCIS, please email us. 

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Happy Public Service Recognition Week, Teacher Appreciation Week and…

Peter ,
It feels like I say this every year, but it’s especially true this year. Every week—every day on the calendar—should be teacher, nurse and public employee appreciation week.
As we celebrate Public Service Recognition Week, May 2-8, Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7, and National Nurses Week, May 6-12, I often joke that this is AFT member appreciation week. But seriously, I want to stop and take a moment to reflect on the year we’ve had.
This year, you have saved us. You have kept your students engaged and fed. You have kept your patients as safe as humanly possible in a pandemic. And the services you provide—from public health to public safety—have kept our communities going. You are on the frontlines, not just of this COVID-19 pandemic but of every crisis we have faced.
AFT healthcare members risked their lives to see us through one of the deadliest years on record. As the pandemic began and it became clear there wasn’t enough personal protective equipment, I was shocked our federal leaders at the time didn’t do more to secure PPE for healthcare workers. The AFT stepped in, purchasing millions of dollars’ worth of PPE for healthcare workers, in addition to fighting for workplace safety on the picket lines. Our entire nation owes healthcare workers a debt of gratitude, and, especially during this National Nurses Week, we thank you.
Teachers and school staff turned on a dime last spring to begin teaching remotely. We knew from the beginning that in-person learning was better for students, and that’s why we immediately began laying out a blueprint for how to reopen school buildings safely. You moved mountains to begin the process of rebuilding our schools to be places where educators and staff want to work, parents want to send their kids, and students can thrive. Yes, there are some trying to politically throw shade, but we know that safety is the pathway to reopening school buildings and keeping them open. I hope the nation shows the gratitude you are due during this Teacher Appreciation Week.
Public employees have kept our country moving throughout this pandemic. When so many people began working from home, public workers kept us safe, connected and protected. You have inspected work sites, guarded facilities, conducted research, transported lifesaving materials, and made sure our state and local governments continued working. Thank you.
Your union has your back. It’s not just about thanking you; it’s about fighting for the policy and conditions you and your families need so you can thrive.
We worked so hard to help pass the critical American Rescue Plan, which, in addition to direct payments to individuals, provided billions in state and local aid, saving the jobs of thousands of public employees, nurses, teachers, school staff and higher education professionals. It also included dedicated funds that are being used to help ensure schools are safe as they continue to reopen. But we’re not stopping there.
Biden has proposed the American Jobs Plan and the American Families Plan, which we strongly support. Both are bold pieces of legislation that will invest in our schools, our hospitals, our colleges and our public employees. We’re also working directly with the administration on creating safety standards for healthcare workers, to make sure hospitals do what they need to do to keep you safe during this pandemic. And we’re fighting hard for the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, so more of us have access to unions. And that’s just the beginning.
Whether it’s our advocacy for democracy and voting rights, for jobs and justice, or for dignity for you, I promise you that, together, we will keep lifting you up.
The work you do matters, and we’re all better off for it.
Click here to watch Randi Weingarten’s video
Happy Public Service Recognition Week, Teacher Appreciation Week and National Nurses Week!
In unity,Randi WeingartenAFT president

How to celebrate Mother’s Day

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“A mother’s smile, when it is directed toward you, makes your day a whole lot better. All she needs is to know that she has helped you to be and feel your best.”

Dear gentleman, 

We care about our mothers. They gave us life. 

And this email is a gentle reminder to honour the mothers in your life on May 9, Sunday. 

Mother’s Day dates centuries ago, wherein ancient Greece, the spring celebration of Rhea, the Mother of Gods, was celebrated.

A tradition named Mothering Sunday was later born with the early Christians in England.

Mother’s Day, perhaps a commercial and not needed event.

But why not remind your mother that you care? 
(Because she will.)




How to celebrate Mother’s Day as a gentleman? 

1. Jewellery, what woman does not love diamonds? Take a sneak peek in the current jewellery collection of your mother and find out what kind of style she likes. Minimalistic or extraverted? 

2. In-home accessories. What about a personalized candle, a set of pillows or a personally written postcard to showcase on top of the fireplace?   

3. A handwritten letter. A letter doesn’t have to cost too much and every mother would love to read a handwritten letter from their son. She can re-read it forever (and she will).

4. A photo. As it’s the same with the handwritten card. Mothers love photos of their loved ones, and of you. But your pride to the side and send her a professional photo. She will love it! 

Be a gentleman at heart. 

Marten Sethaven
Founder ‘The Gentleman List’
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The Gentleman List is an exclusive network for men around the world with over 75K members. 

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