THE PILGRIM
Member
I was planning on starting a series of threads entitled Great American heroes that I have known. But after thinking about it for a while, I have decided to call this series of threads , he doed his duty. Some of these guys are obvious American heroes, you will be able to pick them out.
So I will start with my father-in-law. He was an air corp Doctor from Indiana.
Prior to the war he was going to medical school in Indianapolis. He had graduated from Indiana University and received a Second Lieutenant commission in the infantry. While going to medical school he would go back down to Bloomington and teach some ROTC classes. He got a days pay and he needed the money.
One day he got an official letter in the mail. It was a commission in the medical corps. So now he had two commissions. He just kept On trucking.
He got another official letter in the mail. It was a call to active duty in the infantry.
He Gathered up all his papers and went down to the draft board. They were not accustomed to seeing a guy with two commissions. They were more accustomed to seeing people who had numerous reasons not to go at all.
So they told him we'll get back to you. After a while, he received a letter that said his infantry commission was canceled.
So he did complete medical school, he was called up as a doctor
I am already reported that he was in Mobile, Alabama on December seventh watching Sgt. York.
Later when he was assigned to Africa, he was issued two 1917 revolvers In DC. Later while on Pan-American flying boat between Brazil and Africa, he gave one of the 1917s to another air Corps officer who didn't have a sidearm.
So let's roll forward to Roberts Field, Liberia. Early in World War II, The Germans had effectively cut off the South Atlantic. We still needed natural rubber and a lot of it was produced by Firestone in Liberia.
So we flew rubber from Liberia to Natal, Brazil in B-24 bomber aircraft.
I don't know that my father-in-law ever shot anybody or anything with the 1917. But he did with the Springfield rifle.
When we scraped out a runway out of the jungle in Liberia that became Roberts airfield, we opened up an area of grass that looked like a salad bar to the native local cows. My father-in-law was never actually sure if they were wild cows, feral cows or stray cows.
But he was absolutely positive they were problem cows. They had to be run off of the runway so airplanes could land.
The only meat our guys had Roberts Field was canned. So after a while my father-in-law started thinking I bet those cows would be good to eat.
So we went over to the gun room and checked out a Springfield.
Went over to the Motorpool, got a weapons carrier and a couple of the local guys to help him.
Have you guys ever heard the saying that the two things you can't avoid are death and taxes?
In the military the things you can't avoid are inspections and inspectors. When the inspector saw the non-USDA beef hanging in the walk-in cooler, he just had a fit. Also for you nonmilitary types, veterinarians are responsible for meat and food safety. And if you don't have a vet on base, and only have one doctor, he's responsible for everything.
So my father-in-law told him you didn't seem to mind it so much last night.
When you were eating that roast beef for supper. This is the only fresh meat we got. Everything else is canned.
My father-in-law went on to tell him that I'm a farmboy from South Indiana.
I know how to butcher beef and take care of beef. So the inspector got on the next airplane and went on to inspect somebody else.
So I will start with my father-in-law. He was an air corp Doctor from Indiana.
Prior to the war he was going to medical school in Indianapolis. He had graduated from Indiana University and received a Second Lieutenant commission in the infantry. While going to medical school he would go back down to Bloomington and teach some ROTC classes. He got a days pay and he needed the money.
One day he got an official letter in the mail. It was a commission in the medical corps. So now he had two commissions. He just kept On trucking.
He got another official letter in the mail. It was a call to active duty in the infantry.
He Gathered up all his papers and went down to the draft board. They were not accustomed to seeing a guy with two commissions. They were more accustomed to seeing people who had numerous reasons not to go at all.
So they told him we'll get back to you. After a while, he received a letter that said his infantry commission was canceled.
So he did complete medical school, he was called up as a doctor
I am already reported that he was in Mobile, Alabama on December seventh watching Sgt. York.
Later when he was assigned to Africa, he was issued two 1917 revolvers In DC. Later while on Pan-American flying boat between Brazil and Africa, he gave one of the 1917s to another air Corps officer who didn't have a sidearm.
So let's roll forward to Roberts Field, Liberia. Early in World War II, The Germans had effectively cut off the South Atlantic. We still needed natural rubber and a lot of it was produced by Firestone in Liberia.
So we flew rubber from Liberia to Natal, Brazil in B-24 bomber aircraft.
I don't know that my father-in-law ever shot anybody or anything with the 1917. But he did with the Springfield rifle.
When we scraped out a runway out of the jungle in Liberia that became Roberts airfield, we opened up an area of grass that looked like a salad bar to the native local cows. My father-in-law was never actually sure if they were wild cows, feral cows or stray cows.
But he was absolutely positive they were problem cows. They had to be run off of the runway so airplanes could land.
The only meat our guys had Roberts Field was canned. So after a while my father-in-law started thinking I bet those cows would be good to eat.
So we went over to the gun room and checked out a Springfield.
Went over to the Motorpool, got a weapons carrier and a couple of the local guys to help him.
Have you guys ever heard the saying that the two things you can't avoid are death and taxes?
In the military the things you can't avoid are inspections and inspectors. When the inspector saw the non-USDA beef hanging in the walk-in cooler, he just had a fit. Also for you nonmilitary types, veterinarians are responsible for meat and food safety. And if you don't have a vet on base, and only have one doctor, he's responsible for everything.
So my father-in-law told him you didn't seem to mind it so much last night.
When you were eating that roast beef for supper. This is the only fresh meat we got. Everything else is canned.
My father-in-law went on to tell him that I'm a farmboy from South Indiana.
I know how to butcher beef and take care of beef. So the inspector got on the next airplane and went on to inspect somebody else.
