My father grew up a simple country boy through the Great Depression in Texas. As a teen he got interested in radios and electronics, and he joined the Army in January 1943 during WWII.
Due to his interest and aptitudes in radios and electronics, he was sent to military school to study radios. He finished the course at the top of his class so, instead of going to gunnery school, he was assigned to instructors’ school and eventually became an Officer Candidate School graduate, leading to a commission as 2nd Lt. and a whopping $150 per month salary!
He continued getting top grades in his classes and was again assigned as an instructor in a radio fundamentals class. Then was assigned as a radar countermeasures officer with flight status. At that time even the word “radar”, a new emerging technology, was secret. This led to more training.
In June 1945 he was assigned to March Field near Riverside, CA, to fly in B-24s equipped with radar countermeasures, and in preparation for deployment off the coast of Japan. It was there he met and married my mother, June Mack. The war ended in August and my dad was discharged from active duty in March, 1946. He returned to active duty in May, 1951, during the Korean War and remained in the Air Force.
Except for WWII my dad might never have left Texas and met my mom. If he hadn’t been so interested in radios and gotten top scores in military schools he might have gone off to war and never returned. And I might never have been. So, on this Thanksgiving weekend, I’m thankful for this.
You have some great pictures of your dad. I have enjoyed reading about his life the last couple of days. Is he still living?
These “I might not have been” stories are often interesting. I suppose my family favorite is the one I’ve heard about my grandpa as a three year old in China falling off a boat into the Yangtze River and nearly drowning. I like how your parents met while he was stationed in California.
Thanks for sharing about your family! I’ve enjoyed your recollections.
Yes, my dad is still doing well at nearly 92 years of age. Thanks for reading my blog.