Iowa National Guard

Before I dive in to my 2024 visit to North Africa to retrace some of my father's routes and battlefields as a Medical Officer during WWII, I want to provide some context as to how Dr. Arthur L. Ludwick found himself on the frontlines of a horrific war.

My father had joined the Iowa National Guard in late 1940, under the influence of a group of professional friends in Waterloo who said, "Doc - join the Iowa National Guard with us, and after a year, you'll become a Captain in the Army and get a $1,000 bonus." He was a struggling young physician and needed the extra income to support his widowed mother and plan for the future. So, he said yes.

In February 1941, he left Iowa for Ft. Claiborne, LA, to train with other National Guard units in the "Louisiana Maneuvers." There were whispers of war on the horizon, but the U.S. hadn't fully realized the imminent danger and necessary commitment.

And then, on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed, and my dad's life plan radically shifted. He and his wife of just two months, Jean, were playing golf on that "Day of Infamy," with three other officers and their wives. After being tracked down by military officials, my dad found himself on the first U.S. troop ship to Europe, destination unknown. My parents would be separated for 2 1/2 years, with my father serving on the frontlines as a medical officer and combat regimental surgeon in some of the bloodiest battles of WWII.

They later learned that the three officers who had played golf with them on December 7, 1941, all lost their lives during the war. Let's never forget the sacrifice, commitment, and courage of those soldiers during WWII, our last "good war."

Posted March 28, 2026

"Tent City," Camp Claiborne, LA, where National Guard units trained in 1941.

Litter training with the Iowa Nat'l Guard's 133rd Regiment.

Although the Guard units learned basic training skills, the LA Maneuvers were far removed from the challenges of live combat.

My father, 1st Lt Arthur L. Ludwick, M.D. at Camp Claiborne. Note his WWI issued helmut.

"Lud" at Camp Claiborne, 1942, as a Medical Officer of the 133rd regiment's medical detachment.

Lud playing golf on Sunday, Dec 7th, 1941, the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. This "day of infamy" would change the course of his life.

Soon after Pearl Harbor was bombed, Lud found himself aboard the RMS Strathaird, the first U.S. troop ship to Europe, destination unknown. The ship was ". . . about a 17,000 tonnage British passenger ship that had been used to go down through the Suez Canal to India and back before the war. It was a real high ship – had a high freeboard because they didn’t have many storms in the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Indian Oceans. Later on in the voyage, we experienced how poorly designed it was for Atlantic Ocean storms." (letter excerpt from Lud)