Otherwise, from 10 Dec 1944 until mid-January 1945, the 2ID was first moving north from near St. Vith, Belgium in anticipation of offensive operations in Germany and then ultimately defending against the Germans during their Ardennes Counterattack - better known as the Battle of the Bulge.

Given that most mail sent from Europe was in the form of V-mail (microfilmed in Europe and converted back to paper in the US), these colored cards may have been mailed home in their paper form, so the Division may have distributed them in November so the troops had time to personalize them and drop them into a mail bag for transport via ship - or maybe, just maybe, flown home as an exception to normal procedure.

In the weeks subsequent to its the publication, John was transported from Pilsin, Czechoslovakia to an presumed seaport in France, arrived somewhere on the eastern seaboard of the USA and transported to Camp Patrick Henry. (Inexplicably, in 1951 the Department of the Army destroyed all passenger lists, manifests, logs of vessels, and troop movement files of United States Army Transports for World War II.)

The newspaper story read in part:
"200,000 High-Scorers Quit ETO Next Month; Combat Vets Go First
The Army will “try desperately” to release 5 million men within a year, Secretary Stimson announced. The age for discharge of enlisted personnel was cut to 38. The critical point score will be lowered when Japan shows that she accepts the surrender terms “in good faith.” Further cuts will be made as transportation becomes available. Some 200,000 high-point troops are to be shipped home from the ETO next month. Combat veterans will get preference over services forces."

RJCarr note:
Points were awarded to servicemen based upon the following criteria:
1 point for each month of military service
1 point for each month of military service overseas
5 points for each combat award (Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Silver Star Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Purple Heart - but not for the Combat Infantry Badge)
5 points for each named campaign
12 points for dependent children under the age of eighteen

John Scott had 95 points (unofficial) when the Army discharge program was published in August 1945, so he was assured an early seat on the Magic Carpet as the mass demobilization operation was termed:
48 points: military service from August 1940 to August 1945
22 points: overseas duty from Oct 1943 to August 1945
25 points: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns

To facilitate his discharge, it appears that S/SGT Scott was reassigned from the 702nd Ordnance Company (LM), 2nd Infantry Division to the 799th Ordnance Company (LM), 99th Infantry Division on 14 June 1944. He departed Europe on 17 September 1945 and was back in the USA on 27 September via an unknown troopship. The 2ID had already arrived at Camp Swift, Texas on July 22, 1945 to begin training for a possible invasion of Japan. War in the Pacific Theater ended before the 2ID was scheduled to sail. While in Europe, the division participated in five campaigns: Normandy, Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and the Central Europe, while suffering 3,031 killed in action and 12,785 wounded in action.