FortMiles.org - Units - Second Service Command

Unit Distinctive Insignia
Second Service Command

Second Service Command

Organized:

March 1942

States Operated

New York
New Jersey
Delaware

Assignment:

Eastern Defense Frontier

Headquarters:

New York City, New York

Motto:

Command:

Major General Thomas A. Terry

The U.S. Army was re-organized into three forces in March 1942. They included the Army Ground Forces (AGF) which was to provide ground force units equipped and trained for combat operations. It consisted of 4.4 million personnel and sustained about 80% of the US Army casualties during World War II. The Army Air Force (AAF) was responsible for the training and making ready the air component of the US Army. This organization would become an independent service in 1947 as the US Air Force.

The Army Service Forces (ASF) was originally called the Services of Supply. Their initial responsibility included supplying and servicing the US Army. However, as the second world war broke out, the service commands took on many more critical responsibilities. No longer was supply their primary role. Organizations under the Army Service Forces included Corps of Engineers, Quartermaster Corps, Medical Corps, Signal Corps, Chemical Warfare Service, Ordnance Department, Military Police, Finance, Transportation, and much more. Below is a more extensive list of the various responsibilities of the ASF. These duties were performed within the continental boundaries of the United States. The nation was broken up into nine different service commands. Each one of the service commands would handle their assigned duties for the fortifications in their respective geographical areas. The ASF also coordinated military operations with civilian organizations such as ocean and rail transportation agencies, as well as civilian defense. The Second Service Command worked closely with Civilian Defense at the CD headquarters at Fort Miles.

Fort Miles, along with all other army forts in Delaware, New Jersey, and New York were supplied by the Second Service Command. The Army Service Forces were dissolved and re-organized almost before the war ended. By late 1944 the army was already working to plan a post war organization. Nearly a year later, in September of 1945 the service commands disappeared into the post war army.

Below is a map of the nine service command areas. Each had a service command headquarters.

Service Command	HQ City	Service Command	HQ City
First Service Command	Boston, Massachusetts	Sixth Service Command	Chicago, Illinois
Second Service Command	New York, New York	Seventh Service Command	Omaha, Nebraska
Third Service Command	Baltimore, Maryland	Eighth Service Command	Houston, Texas
Fourth Service Command	Atlanta, Georgia	Ninth Service Command	Salt Lake City, Utah
Fifth Service Command	Columbus, Ohio

Services Performed	Army-wide technical supervision	Training & Organization
A. Supply Services 1. Procures all supplies for the Army (except those peculiar to the Army Air Force) 2. Storage in the zone of interior 3. Issues to troops in the zone of interior and to overseas theaters B. General Services 1. Hospital service 2. Transportation service (for supplies and personnel) 3. Construction service 4. Communications service 5. Photographic service C. Personnel Services 1. Operation of induction stations and reception centers 2. Operation of reception stations 3. Operation of Ground and Service Forces redistribution stations 4. Operation of separation centers 5. Orientation and information programs 6. Supply of athletic and recreational supplies and equipment 7. Supply of Army Exchange merchandise 8. Operates disciplinary barracks and rehabilitation centers 9. Operation of Army Recruiting Stations D. Administrative Services 1. Maintains accounting records for the War Department 2. Pays War Department bills in the U. S. 3. Pays family allowances and allotments to beneficiaries 4. Reviews courts martial cases and records 5. Operates the Army Postal Service 6. Publishes Army documents 7. Maintains central personnel records 8. Operation of Prisoner of War camps 9. Casualty records and notifications 10. Legal service for War Department 11. Security of production installations 12. Criminal investigations of military personnel 13. Military policing in cities and on trains 14. Maintains War Department records E. Management of Stations Used for Ground Force Training 1. Buildings, roads and utilities (operation and maintenance) 2. Supply warehouses and dumps 3. Maintenance shops 4. Hospitals and dispensaries 5. Internal transportation 6. Security 7. Communication centers 8. Post Exchanges 9. Theaters 10. Service clubs 11. Field houses 12. Post offices 13. Religious services 14. Disbursing offices 15. Laundries 16. Stockades 17. Photographic laboratories 18. Film exchanges 19. Civilian housing	1. Supply procedures (requisitioning, distribution stock control, disposition) 2. Storage 3. Maintenance and repair 4. Construction 5. Acquisition and disposal of real estate 6. Port operations 7. Railway operations 8. Medical care and hospitalization 9. Army physical standards 10. Military Police activities 11. Special Service activities 12. Chaplain activities 13. Legal activities 14. AG activities 15. Financial activities 16. Signal communications 17. Photography and cryptography 18. Signal security 19. Food preparation 20. Laundry operations	1. Organization and training of ASF units for theater communications zones (ASF's or SOS's) 2. Training of fillers for Ground and Air Force service units 3. Training of specialists for Ground and Air Force service units 4. Training and providing replacements for all types of service units 5. Special training activities: Military Government, Students, Army Specialized Training Program

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