On 12 April 1945, the long awaited day had finally arrived, the squadron was leaving Greenville, NC for the West Coast and for further assignment to overseas duty. The departure was met with mixed emotions by some members of the squadron and local townspeople. In the short span of 6 months that the squadron had been stationed in Greenville, the squadron's personnel had formed a bond with the City of Greenville and its people. The squadron marched in formation to the location where a Military Troop Train stood waiting to be boarded. Also present at the point of departure were the family and friends of VMD-354 personnel and some of the Townspeople who came to watch and to bid farewell to the men of VMD-354. The boarding of the squadron personnel onto the Troop Train was a slow process.While this was taking place, one of the pilots from VMD-954 decided to salute the departing men of VMD-354 by buzzing the Troop Train and the boarding VMD-ers. The pilot, Lt. John Justice, flew his F6F Hellcat so low that his aircraft severed a power line that was strung between two utility pole along the side of the railroad tracks. Lt. J. Justice received a bill from the City of Greenville for the repair of the severed cable. The cost of repair was $7.27. Finally, at 5:55 pm, the Troop Train departed Greenville, NC for the West Coast. It was on this same day that President F.D. Roosevelt died. The cross country trip was mostly uneventful and the passage of time was very slow. Personnel on board the train engaged in bull sessions. played cards, wrote letters, read books, slept or just watched the scenery pass by. Movement about on the train was limited and restricted . Meals were prepared by squadron personnel in a dining /kitchen car which was part of the Troop Train. The meals were served to the personnel at their seats. The train traveled South West, crossed the Mississippi River on a barge at Baton Rouge, Louisiana and continued on through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona to California. Along the way, there were a few instances of train breakdowns and, also, being sidetracked for trains with a higher travel priority than ours. At various stops along the way, personnel were put through a series of calisthenics to work their muscles and pulmonary/vascular system. Departure-Pictorial