Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Sorted by date Results 76 - 94 of 94
Raymond Little (Ray) spent most of his growing-up years in Fort Collins, CO. He was a scrappy kid, whose household could have been a little warmer. When he was seventeen, he had quit high school. His mother sent him to the Post Office in Fort Collins and Ray was soon taken by a recruiting poster. It was a large picture of Uncle Sam pointing one of his fingers at the reader. The quote on the paper was “I want You in the US Army”. Ray inquired of the recruiter about joining and the recruiter made it easy… just have your parents sign the form...
By March 1944, World War II was being fought on many fronts, costing thousands of lives and even more injuries. There was progress being made in Europe as well as in the islands in the Pacific. Less than six months before, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met to coordinate plans to smash German forces and their nasty leader. The Russians had driven the German Forces out of Leningrad. Big things were in the works. Daniel E. Kinnison (Dan) was a strapping twenty year old man who knew that the Selective Service System was active in the northern...
In the summer of 1952, the Korean War was in-progress. Many of the young men and women in the Midwest were joining the various branches of the service. Aldon Eckland (Al) fancied the US Navy. He and his best buddy from school went to the recruiter at the same time and decided to sign up. They had both completed high school and their whole future was in front of them. Al had a job with the local meat processing plant. He worked in the maintenance section and did quite a bit with the boiler part of the heating system. His supervisor told him...
Life as it was known in the United States, changed on the 7th of December 1941. Our Nation was struck by enemy forces. Some 2500 people were killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor. The staggering amount of destruction, damage, and slaughter was not soon to be forgotten by most Americans. One way to do one’s part in taking the fight to the opposing forces was to “join up”. Raymond L. Davis (Ray) was in Watertown, New York. (This is the city adjacent to Fort Drum, home of the 10th Mountain Light Infantry now.) He wanted to join the US Army. Those...
From an early age, Russell Brady faced life challenges. His mother had passed away (tuberculosis); his father was seriously injured in an accident; he lived in an orphanage. When America was attacked, he joined the US Army. Russell enlisted on 8 December 1941. The Armed Services needed personnel badly. He signed up in the Akron, Colorado area and passed the physical exams, then went to Fort Logan, CO where he was further tested and provided uniforms, haircuts, and new friends. Russell completed 5 weeks of basic training at Fort Carson, CO. He...
After World War II, one learned to pay attention to what was going on around him or her. In 1949, this was true, and essentially, it marked wisdom…it is now termed “situational awareness”. In the case of this story, four young men from Larned, Kansas were friends and seemed to do everything together. In the closing months of their senior year in high school, one of their fathers’ gathered the four pals together. The Dad was aware of the political winds and that American politicians were likely to involve the country and its resources in anot...
William “Bill” Tracy Jr. was twenty one yrs old when the Selective Service System caught up with him. There was a war goin’ on and they wanted him in it. He was a young man trying to find his way in Alaska and Washington State when he was notified by his draft board in northern Colorado. In May 1943, Bill was at Fort Logan, CO, passing a physical examination and taking other tests to find out what he was best at. He told his reviewers that he was most interested in flying or being a bombardier or a gunner. In very short order, he was assigned t...
In late 1941, the Selective Service Board was looking for people to fill the thousands of positions and skill sets in all branches of the U.S. military. Japan had made its strike at Pearl Harbor… war had been declared. The U.S. was going to be sending its warriors all over the world. George Fehringer was 31 years old, a farmer and a John Deere Implement dealer in Peetz, Colorado. He was a skilled welder. He was a recently married man. The Draft Board required that he submit to a physical exam in August 1942. The result of the physical was t...
As was the case much of the time, the Cheyenne County Selective Service System was doing its job, drafting young men to help fill the ranks of the Army, mainly. After the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor, the manpower needs of the military were very urgent. There were six sons in the Larson household west of Gurley and/or northeast of Potter. Three of the young men (brothers) were notified that they were going to be drafted. About the only questions were when and how many at a time? The timing was mostly decided. They were notified in February,...
It is a rare thing for a young woman to want to join the Marine Corps. When their advertisements appear on various media, finding a female in the coverage takes some work. But they are there. They trained and worked just as hard, had similar goals, and proudly served. They are “Marines”. Vickie Morlock lived in Baker City, Oregon. She was eighteen years old. She completed her high school education. She knew college wasn’t going to be an option for her. She wanted to find a good job and get a career going. Hmm… it would be so cool to wear th...
Richard (Dick) Ament was on the verge of high school graduation in Marcus, Iowa. He knew the Country was at war in several different parts of the world. He also knew that once he left school, the Selective Service System could quickly snatch him up. He had three uncles who served in the U.S. Navy so he sought out the Navy recruiter first. He was initially inducted into the service in March 1944. The Navy offered to wait for him until after graduation. As the month of June came up, Dick was soon on a train headed for the Great Lakes Navy...
Everett L. Kelley of Kimball did his part in the effort to help bring down the Nazi regime in World War II. At the tender age of eighteen, he knew the Selective Service would be after him. He made his way to the U.S. Army recruiter’s office in Scottsbluff. He listened to what the man had to say, and followed the instructions as provided. By this time in his life, he had new bride and soon, she would be “with child.” He had worked some short-term jobs as a young man, but most businesses wouldn’t hire him because they seemed to know that he woul...
In his book “Brave Men” famous war correspondent Ernie Pyle wrote that “The front line soldier lived for months like an animal and was a veteran in the cruel, fierce world of death. Everything was abnormal and unstable in his life. He was filthy dirty, ate if and when, and slept on hard ground without cover. …he lived in a constant haze of dust or snow and moved constantly. He was deprived of all things that once meant stability –things such as walls, chairs, floors, windows, shelves, Coca-Colas and the little matter of knowing that he would...
Harold "Spike" Steele was a subject of the draft. He was on the farm in Banner County, minding his own business when the "greetings" letter arrived. Soon, he would be headed to Fort Logan, Colo., for a physical and beyond that, who knew? Draftees didn't have a lot of say in their immediate futures. After passing the physical exam and other tests, he and some new friends boarded a train for Fort Riley, Kan. V.E. Day had been declared. However, the draft was still alive and people were needed. The...
Kenneth Mueller (Ken) has been a part of this community for nearly all his 92 years! He was raised on a farm north of Potter. He graduated high school and knew of the war raging in Europe and in the Pacific. Right out of high school, he used the farm deferment to help his parents on their farm. The deferment was offered a second time, but he felt he was needed more in the fight. After the wheat harvest was in he received notice to report to the military processing station in Denver. Since his swimming skills weren’t that good, he felt the A...
In Early 1942, Richard Ryder and a few of his buddies went to the local recruiting office in Parkersburg, W. Va.. They were ready to sign up. It didn’t much matter which branch of service they were going into. Like so many young men at the time, they wanted in the fight. The recruiter told the young men to wait a few months until they finished high school and were old enough, then they could join up. Richard was already in college at Purdue University in Indiana. He was studying mechanical engineering and took classes in a unit called the V...
In 1937 Winifred Johnston graduated from Beth El School of Nursing in Colorado Springs, Colo. The head of the school at that time insisted that the graduates give back to their country by registering with the Red Cross so that when emergencies happened, they could be available to help the sick and/or wounded. All the class graduates signed up. Winifred went about her career. In early 1942, while in San Antonio, Texas, at Nix Hospital, she received a letter from the Armed Services. The letter advised her that since she was a nurse and was...
Raymond Little (Ray) of Kimball spent most of his growing-up years in Fort Collins, Colo. He was a scrappy kid, whose household could have been a little warmer. When he was 17, he had quit high school. His mother sent him to the Post Office in Fort Collins and Ray was soon taken by a recruiting poster. It was a large picture of Uncle Sam pointing one of his fingers at the reader. The quote on the paper was "I want You in the US Army." Ray inquired of the recruiter about joining and the...
By March 1944, World War II was being fought on many fronts, costing thousands of lives and even more injuries. There was progress being made in Europe as well as in the islands in the Pacific. Less than six months before, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met to coordinate plans to smash German forces and their nasty leader. The Russians had driven the German Forces out of Leningrad. Big things were in the works. Daniel E. Kinnison was a strapping 20 year old man who knew that the Selective...