June 10,1992
Thanks for remembering my birthday. I hope you also had a good day.
Dear Marcia
I received your letter sometime ago, You are asking about memories of the time the brothers served in different capacities in service during the times they were drafted or went into voluntary service.
During World War II I was in McPherson where I had the cooking job in the Hospital. I worked there from 1942 -1950. One of us needed to find employment to help with finances in the home. Your mom told me you go so that’s what happened. Your mom had the hardest job keeping things going at home. I used to go home on my days off to help. My wages at the hospital were 50 cents an hour. I, with those wages was able to provide clothing and other necessities even with those wages. Prices of items were priced more in accordance of what the wages were at that time. I even was able to loan Art money for his education when he was attending college. I also paid the real estate taxes one year.
During the 40s three of the boys Bill, Dan and Herb were in the service. Bill was overseas serving in the air force so we usually made up a package for Christmas in October. Dan was in CPS serving in the Norristown, PA area. For some reason he transformed into the Navy. He’ll need to tell you about that. It was in PA where he met Grace and got married. Bill in the Air Force was injured and brought back on a stretcher to Biloxi, Miss from where he had entered the service. I’ll leave it up to him to fill you in on his experiences. Herb was still in basic training when peace was declared. He was somewhere in Texas.
When in McPherson I remember a place in McPherson was set up to entertain service men who happened to come there for entertainment. Many young women made sure they were being entertained. I didn’t ever go there but heard much about it.
It was also during the time I was in McPherson that the accident happened when Ralph was critically injured. It was a traumatic experience to see Ralph, Jim and Leonard brought on stretchers to the emergency at the hospital. All three were admitted to the hospital. They were all three injured but Jim and Leonard were much more fortunate than Ralph was. That accident happened in Jan. of 1946. Ralph was 14.
Martha and Archer postponed their wedding until March because of the accident. They were planning the wedding in January. Then in March Archer’s brother Floyd was killed on his way home for the wedding. Hope Martha tells you of those experiences.
When your folks got married in 1950 I quit my job to be at home to try to keep things going. We were living at Peabody then moving from Canton in 1947.
It was in the 1950’s when some of the brothers entered service during the Korean conflict. If I remember right Art went as a non-combat serving as a volunteer in the medics. I don’t rightly remember what he did. Art will have to fill you in on that. I also remember that art counselled with H.B. Schmidt concerning changing his status into voluntary service. Perhaps he will fill you in his reason to make a change.
I remember John going to Korea. He also enlisted as a non-combat. He was in training in Kansas at Fort Riley. He was such a homebody, he came home often hitch-hiking his way bringing his duffel bag with dirty laundry which was my job to launder. When he was assigned to go to Korea I remember Dad and I taking him to the train station in Newton. He was to get on the train before midnight. The train was late and pulled into in the station early morning. John had a terrible time saying good-bye. We just stayed until he got on.
He had very harrowing experiences in Korea and would write of horrible experiences he was encountering and then when he came home he had a terrible time adjusting and kept much bottled up and was very moody. Just when he was able to deal with it I don’t know.
Leonard did voluntary service in a Topeka hospital. When we would visit him there he was disturbed that some that were serving there were not living up to the status as a conscientious objector.
Jim went into Pax and served in Germany doing construction of places that were destroyed during World War II. When he came home he let us know that our German was way off base. I hope all of the boys write of why the status they chose.
I was like Dad. They all needed to make their own choices. I myself would go into voluntary service of I was called on to make a decision. Your mom and I did a lot of voluntary service in helping Dad keep the family together and were well repaid by the respect we have for one another. There were times when things were tough but with God’s help He saw us through and as a result we have been richly blessed.
The time Harry and Larry went into serving was after I was married and I really never heard much of their experiences. I was busy with my own family at that time. I married Dan in 1955. We were married almost 25 yrs. There again the rich blessings of the Lord entered my life and as a result I have a beautiful family who love me and respect me. I now have a family of three children with spouses. Seven grandchildren of which three are married, and now I am great grandma often.
I don’t know if this is of what you were hoping to hear of all of us. Maybe you can glean some of what I wrote for what you were making your survey.
Hope to see you at the reunion.
Love Aunt Elva
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