June 4, 1949-Granny and Papa were married on this day in Jackson, Mississippi.
Papa was all of 20, about to be 21, and a fresh graduate of Ole Miss. He had just started working as an accountant for Standard Oil.
Granny was a year younger and attending Milsaps College in Jackson.
Shortly after the nuptials, a friend who was on the local draft board called Papa to give him a heads-up that the board had met, drawn names for the next round of draftees, sent out notices that the members of that group were to appear for physicals for the "mud-Marines" after which they were to be sent to Korea to avert the domino effect in Asia.
The friend advised Papa that his name was in the hat and that his "Greetings" letter was in the mail. Papa was healthy, there were no deferments and so his future as a member of the Armed Forces was a foregone conclusion at that point.
The friend also told Papa that even thought the Air Force was not drafting, it was looking for "a few good men," particularly college graduates with his skills and training, and that if he wanted to serve his country with his education rather than with a rifle, he needed to volunteer for that branch of the service immediately.
In the end, Granny said she prefered the blue uniforms best, so next day, he dropped in to Lt. Steve's office and signed on the dotted line to begin then what they thought would be a two year hitch in the Air Force.
As it turned out, they were taking the first step (unintentional though it was) in what became a career military life that took them from Jackson across the globe. At the end of his enlistment period, he was offered the opportunity for a commission as an officer, and he accepted. He moved to San Antonio for Officer Training and when he successfully completed the training, was first assigned to Turner Air Force Base in Albany, Ga. (where I was born) and beyond.
Papa was all of 20, about to be 21, and a fresh graduate of Ole Miss. He had just started working as an accountant for Standard Oil.
Granny was a year younger and attending Milsaps College in Jackson.
Shortly after the nuptials, a friend who was on the local draft board called Papa to give him a heads-up that the board had met, drawn names for the next round of draftees, sent out notices that the members of that group were to appear for physicals for the "mud-Marines" after which they were to be sent to Korea to avert the domino effect in Asia.
The friend advised Papa that his name was in the hat and that his "Greetings" letter was in the mail. Papa was healthy, there were no deferments and so his future as a member of the Armed Forces was a foregone conclusion at that point.
The friend also told Papa that even thought the Air Force was not drafting, it was looking for "a few good men," particularly college graduates with his skills and training, and that if he wanted to serve his country with his education rather than with a rifle, he needed to volunteer for that branch of the service immediately.
In the end, Granny said she prefered the blue uniforms best, so next day, he dropped in to Lt. Steve's office and signed on the dotted line to begin then what they thought would be a two year hitch in the Air Force.
As it turned out, they were taking the first step (unintentional though it was) in what became a career military life that took them from Jackson across the globe. At the end of his enlistment period, he was offered the opportunity for a commission as an officer, and he accepted. He moved to San Antonio for Officer Training and when he successfully completed the training, was first assigned to Turner Air Force Base in Albany, Ga. (where I was born) and beyond.
©2006 David R. Childress. All Rights Reserved
1 comment:
Except I don't think Granny ever went to Milsaps College. She attended Mississippi College in Clinton, MS. I am not sure, but I think she would have graduated from Central High in 1947, being 18 that year. I don't know if she went to college one year or two, though I sort of think it was 2. You might remember tales of how she broke up with Dad when she went to MC, saying she wanted to "play the field." This broke Dad's heart, but she eventually came around again, and the rest, as they say, is history. I think that Dad graduated from high school in 45, a year early, because he thought he would be drafted before WW2 ended. Then I think he went a year to Milsaps before he went to Ole Miss.
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