Farragut, ID - "Watch Out for the Square Needle"

The train took us from Denver to Farragut, Idaho. There was a lot of youthful chatter and laughter. We were all gung-ho, that is, until we approached the place where we were processed, because just as we were going to enter some sailors yelled out at us, "Watch out for the square needle in the left nut!" That worried us a little but we finally decided their derisive laughter was just a joke, at our expense - dumb! We lined up to get our military clothing, including dungarees, in sizes that would fit; shoes, pea coat,toiletry items, etc. and then put them on; the rest went into a sea bag, which we promptly labeled. We were given shots, and yes, that unique physical where a doctor escorts about 15 men to a place where we're required to disrobe; then full front the Dr. walks back and forth looking at all of us; then we are ordered to "face away" and he does the same; then, lastly, we are required to spread our buttocks while he walks by a short distance away, and then we are dismissed and another group takes our place! Some physical we decide! Then we are assigned a camp - mine is Camp Scott. Then we find where our barracks will be. We gather our bags and wait to be transported to our quarters, which happens quickly, but as we are leaving a new group is just getting ready to enter, so we all yell, "Watch out for the square needle in the left nut!" and we laugh. We all decided those guys looked really worried!

"So, Do You Like Girls?"

In WWI my Dad was in Field Artillery and I had thought I might join the Army. Dad had not pushed my decision at all. My mother had asked a psychic at a packed theater which service I should go into? He cleverly said, "He should not join where he must go over water!" I rolled my eyes and said nothing. Anyway, my Mom, Dad and little brother came to the special bus chartered to deliver all of us who were going to Denver. My folks wore half-smiles and clearly looked worried, but didn't want to show their concern. Our bus soon left and all of us in the bus were not as excited as I thought we would be; yet, paradoxically, I felt relieved to be a participant in the war. My feelings were: "let's get this show on the road so we can win this war!" Spirits were high when we rolled into the Recruitment Center in Denver. Two of my friends and I filled out some preliminary forms when a Navy recruiter came over to "just chat." He asked us some questions and then with a low voice said to tell the men who decide which service you will join that we three say "we have a brother in the Navy!" We laughed and when we were asked which service we would like to go into we said what the recruiter told us to say. Then, slyly, they asked us, "So, do you like girls?" At this, we cracked up laughing!! The recruiters, laughing, said, "You're now in the Navy!" "Oh, and by the way, you'll get tremendous benefits, including the fact you will get free medical care from the VA for the rest of your life!" We said, "All right!" We later talked and laughed about the fact they asked us if we liked girls! Doesn't every one? Those recruiters were really funny!

1943 - Allies Definitely On The Offensive

Positive results came in from the war in the Pacific and the Atlantic: "The Allies were winning the battle of the Atlantic. We drove the Germans and Italians (Axis) out of North Africa and Sicily. We are now in Italy. In the Pacific we converged on the Phillippines." "Admiral Yamamoto shot down." Meanwhile, two good friends were killed on U.S. soil; Dudley in a plane crash and Fred died from injuries parachuting in training. My wife to be is going to go to the Northwest to be a Cadet Nurse. This I learned after watching her sing alto in her singing group at her high school. I have been declared fit and ready to be enlisted and will leave for Denver the day after graduation. I will pick my choice of the services and then on to training. My fiancee and I go back to the Half Way Point above a beautiful city in the foothills of the Rockies where I first proposed to her just a few months ago, and where she accepted. We talked over our future and decided we were definitely doing the right thing. We were both young - 18, but we would grab on to whatever happiness we could - now, with no regrets. We left each other with a kiss and I took her home and then went to my home to get ready to be part of the war effort I felt very satisfied and confident that I would do my very best. President Roosevelt has been very positive in our ultimate goal. What a leader! We'll win, no doubt! Hitler must be defeated! Japan also.

Tennis: A Chance Encounter With My Future Wife

I finally settled into a routine that made time go by: I didn't study like I should have, but I found myself playing more and more tennis and it turned out this really is a game of love; in playing another team I was suddenly looking right into the beautiful blue eyes of my future wife! She was playing doubles; made a great play, glanced my way and I smiled; her smile back was gorgeous. Very interested I waited so I could talk to her and she ended up accepting my invitation to a date to go to Eliches or Lakeside in Denver! We found we were very compatible and other dates ensued. We went out on a double date with my friend dating her good friend. Where to go? Why, why not go out and watch the tracer bullets arching through the sky at the Denver Arsenal Ammunition Range? The spot testing was to ensure that ammunition sent to our armed services would actually fire and work as advertised. In all truth, after watching the tracers speeding through the sky we started becoming more interested in watching the tracers in each other's eyes! Also, we let the time slip away and then we suddenly realized it was almost 5:00am! My wife's parents were very worried and very relieved when we drove up. My Dad was glad to get the car back! At a later date with just the two of us I asked her to be my wife; she accepted and made both of us very happy. Meanwhile, WWII was going full bore.

Must Finish High School

My parents were against my enlisting in the military until I had finished high school. A talk with the principal of my high school produced the same results. I was a Junior and was seventeen. Many of my friends were faced with the same problem and we envied those who had taken advanced courses and could graduate early, but still in the future. Disappointment was etched on all of our faces since we were all intensly patriotic. Our country and flag meant everything to us. School didn't seem to be that important to me now. WE WERE AT WAR! Even Germany had declared war on us! That was two mistakes Japan and Germany had made! We would beat them. Our President kept us informed with his radio addresses. The Movie Industry put out pictures showing the Japanese with buckteeth and speaking horrible English. We laughed at the German "dunces." The propaganda war was "on," and we were very receptive; dumb some people said. The American people responded; afterall, we were ALL in the war, in one way or another. Even if you were 4F you were helping with the war effort. Everything was rationed and we all grew Victory Gardens. Even the Isolationist-anti-war crowd was silenced because we had been attacked. We followed the initial set backs with determination.

12/7/41 Pearl Harbor - Payback Time

This was a day that started out beautiful and made you smile. I had my breakfast, did a few things I had to do; then I made my way downtown to the bowling alley where I greeted a few friends and the owner of the bowling alley; did some small talk and then the boss said some people were going to bowl on my lane. I went down to where the pins were and reset a few. It was just automatic; someone would bowl and I would clear out the down pins and then sit back and watch the bowling ball smash into the pins whereupon I would bring my legs up to not get struck by a flying pin, and then I'd reset for the next person. This went on for the rest of my shift. Finally it was time to close and as I went forward to leave and go home my boss asked if I knew that "the Japs had bombed Pearl Harbor?" No, I hadn't heard and where in the heck was Pearl Harbor? I was told and this set me in a somber mood. Of course I and all my friends would try to enlist and pay those "Japs" back. (Now "Japs" was a derogatory word and it was used in the movies, the papers, or just conversation. After the war it became "Japanese" again after I remembered I had some good friends who were Japanese.) I admired President Roosevelt when he declared war on Japan and it's leaders. It was "payback time."

1st blog "The Beginning"

In the small college city in Colorado where I lived we all strove to do our best to overcome adverse economic conditions that seriously threatened most families during the depression of the 1930s. I attended a school system which taught me many things I wanted to learn about. It also enhanced the values that I was taught at home by parents who had left Wyoming, a place which was in much worse economic condition than our present state. We listened to radio addresses by President Roosevelt and believed in what we were told. I sometimes read "My Day" by the first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, and my small family felt we were being led to a better way of life. I felt it was a blue print to happiness and success. We had representatives in Congress, I was told, who were looking after my families interests, plus the interests of all of my friends. With such help how could we fail? We never locked even our screen doors at night; after all who would want to harm us? I had this "I love all my friends and neighbors" attitude and would greet complete strangers to a cheery "good morning!" and always got a positive response in turn. Life was wonderful, but rumblings from Europe were getting louder in '39.