The war years

When the war was declared, America almost overnight turned from isolationism to extreme patriotism. We teen agers flocked to the enlistment centers. Most of we students entered programs that kept us in school supposedly until we graduated, but we all knew we would be going in to service sooner rather than later. The summer semester in 1942 was changed from it's former light sessions to a full term. I took it of course and in the fall of 1942 entered the second 1/2 of my sophmore year. I was taking aeronautical engineering, and had a full 44 class hours a week. When I went home for the break between semesters, I informed my Dad I had dropped out of school because I expected to be called up to the Air force any day as an aviation cadet. My Dad raised Hell saying I could have finished my education before being called up. He was wrong, and about 2 weeks later, my notice to report came to our house.
Along with about 40 kids, I got on a train going we knew not where! It made many stops including 24 hours on a siding in Cinncinatti. The cars we were in were pre war, cane seats. no sleepers. we were on it for 7 days before we arrived in Miami!

We spent 18 days in Miami Beach mostly patrolling the beach with wooden rifles! I did see several fires off shore at night, they were American boats carrying war goods to Europe and they were being torpedoed by U boats. Germany controlled the Atlantic still.
We were then boarded trains again, and again not knowing where we were going. It turned out to be the beginning of the CTD, college traing detachment, program. The Airforce had gradually reduced the education requirements, and was using a 3 month program in various schools all through the South to bring the cadets up to a minimum standard. I was sent to Clemson which was an all male military school. I just missed the group that went to Winthrop girl's college!
The first day of classes, the prof asked us our varying school histories. Turned out we had all had at least 2 years of engineering, and from then on, we had a fun time with math games etc.

From there, we went to basic training, not flying, at Montgomery Ala. in July! The barracks we were housed in had no air conditoning, 1942 remember, and it really was a hell hole.

In Sept. of 42 I was sent to Jackson Miss. for basic training, flying. Here we were finally treated
as Cadets and Gentlemen. We were told that only about 25 to35 % would pass, and this turned out to be true. We had to solo before 6 hours, Boeing Stearmans. A great, fun plane to fly. completely acrobatic! I soloed at about 4 hours 30 mins., about average for those that graduated, and then went to basic. I should add that we had some free time to occasionally go to town as cadets, and the town people treated us as kings. The field we flew out of was a grass field that had been a small private air school before the war. All our instuctors were civilian, and this was true as far I know for the whole training program in primary. When we graduated, we knew we were almost sure to get our wings and comission, and most all of us did. When we graduated from basic, we were asked to state our preference for advanced, single or twin. We all opted for single engine, which led to fighters. the glamour planes. But the Air Force needed bomber pilots, not fighter pilots any more, at least not as many as they had in the early stages of the war. So we all went to twin engine, and got our wings and commission. WHAT A DAY! I was sent to Chanute field to train in B-24s. Chanute had been a b-17 school, and we were to be the first class on the 24s. This meant a delay while the instuctor pilots were retrained. A nice summer of little to do.
I took the train to Detroit, or Chicago nearly every week. Finally we started to fly, and in the fall of 44 we were declared to be b- 24 pilots! I'll post a few pictures from this time, and then some war stories.