[More from Vance's letter of Nov. 27-29, written from the Army Presidio at Monterey:]
Yesterday we had our interviews and took our aptitude tests. Suffice it to say that the tests were not too tough and I was told at my interview that I passed with a much, much better grade than average but the chap did not tell me what, nor did anyone find out their grades. The young fellow who interviewed me took plenty of time. He informed me that he had really spent too much time on me but that it was such a relief to find someone he could talk to. [Vance then explains in the vernacular of the day that many in the group are Blacks and Hispanics. Some can barely speak English. These guys were not the "first draft picks."]
[The interviewer] "suggested," as he put it, that my welding is no good to me in the army for I was not at it long enough to be considered a master welder. He told me he had interviewed more than 100 welders in the last few days. After our visit in which we covered music as well, he felt I should put in for cooks and bakers school and second choice the quartermasters corps. They were my choice also so that is the way I put it. Now I will have to wait and see. As I said, we do not expect to be here much longer so do not attempt to write me until I move on.
We had a typhoid shot and vaccination the first afternoon so we've been sleeping a little uncomfortable on the left side but the soreness is going out now. They tell me the second shot is the worst for feeling bad. On this first deal only one chap in our group got a little sick which is something of a record.
I think that is all. We came in from "retreat" – the sundown ceremony, a half hour ago and were given freedom until 11 tonight. . .
Your loving soldier son, brother and nephew, Vance
Send around. I won't write all this again.
P.S. Thought a lot of you Thanksgiving and hope you had a fine time.
Hmmm....so maybe Grandpa's famous biscuits are the Army's recipe???
ReplyDeleteHmm, a yummy recipe from the Army? One can only hope! :-) Maybe he perfected his recipe after having to make the Army one? We'll have to keep reading to find out!
ReplyDeleteThis is the army. Just because you put in for it doesn't mean you get what you want . . .
ReplyDeleteI think in the end Grandpa used Bisquick for his biscuits. But that's a point. We should make some baking powder biscuits from scratch just for the experience.
It did seem as though Vance was impressed with the Thanksgiving meal -- at least the sheer volume of food.
If you google "really the nuts", the first hit is an op-ed article, "Political Conventions Really the Nuts", from the Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Richland, Pasco) from 1952 - not too distant in time and place from Vance in Medford in 1942. (Coincidentally it refers to the 1952 Democratic and 1948 Republican conventions, both held a couple of blocks from where I am sitting now - Convention Hall in West Philadelphia.)
ReplyDelete