MUMBLINGS November 10, 2005

We have a lot of wonderful holidays in this great country.

If you had to judge by popularity, you would probably put them in this order: Christmas, Thanksgiving, and then you could select number three among several, including Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King Day, etc. On the top of my list is Veterans Day.

This gives us all an opportunity to pause and give thanks for the sacrifices the millions of veterans have made to keep this country safe, secure, and free. Early in my life, we paid honor to the veterans of WWI. Then, after WWII and several other wars, we recognize all veterans on this day.

Among the millions of American veterans, Alabama alone has about 250,000. WWI veterans are no more and we veterans of WWII are becoming more and more scarce. Forgive me for talking about my personal activities as a veteran of WWII.

Nothing had ever solidified the patriotism and unity of Uncle Sam’s country more than Pearl Harbor. Everybody seemed to be of one accord and Franklin D. Roosevelt was a great leader. I well remember his radio fireside chats every week and how they inspired us to keep on keeping on.

It was early in 1943 when I became involved on a state level in selling war savings bonds. It was a great patriotic gesture for people to invest in this country and its safety. I recall you could pay $750.00 for a bond and at the end of ten years it would be worth $1,000.00. However, you sold war bonds on the idea of patriotism more than profits.

As editor and publisher of The Baldwin Times, with one wife and two young boys three and five, I would not have been drafted. However, I had that patriotic streak, or whatever you want to call it and felt compelled to join in the fighting.

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Consequently, the thought created great problems with my family and what to do about The Baldwin Times. While in the process of deciding, Evelyn and I went with J.R. and Clara Wilson to New Orleans. There, I visited the Navy Air department and asked about enlisting as a prospective pilot. I will never forget the answer given me by Lt. Commander Baldwin of Montgomery. Of course, he did not know me but said emphatically and quickly, “Sir we are not looking for old men.” I was 26 and didn’t feel very old.

That night, we went to a movie in which there was a short where Jimmy Stewart, a prominent movie actor, stated, “You too, can become an aviation cadet.” He was speaking for the army.

Returning home, I went to Brookley Field and took the physical and other tests and then returned to Bay Minette and waited. For weeks I didn’t hear anything. Finally, I called over there and asked what had happened. They said, “You passed,” and wondered why I had not reported back to them. Immediately almost, I climbed on a train in Mobile and went all the way to San Antonio, Texas where I was in the Army Air Corps on my way to becoming a pilot.

Hope to tell you more.

See you again soon, I hope.