In The Army Now - Grandpa Rex in WW2

In 1943, Nelva was four, Margie wasn't yet nine months old and Zada found she was pregnant again. This could be a challenge under any circumstances, but World War 2 was going on and there was worry that Rex would be drafted. And he was.

From Rex's written history ...

Within a very short time Uncle Sam said, “I want you.” So into the Army I went. I could have my choice of the Navy (active duty in one week) or the Marines (duty in two weeks) or the Army (duty in three weeks). Because I would have to move Zada and the girls to Mt. Pleasant and get them settled down, I had to go with the Army. I reported to Fort Douglas induction center on Feb. 2, 1944. It would usually take about five days to clear the induction center, but I spent 36 days there. I then asked how much longer I would need to remain there and they informed me that I was waiting for special orders. People with my experience on IBM equipment were in demand. When I shipped out, I couldn’t even inform my family as to where I was going.

I was told to climb on top of a truckload of barracks bags and was driven to the railroad station. All alone, I was placed aboard a troop train passing through Salt Lake City. On arriving in Denver, Colorado, I was taken to the First Air Force Base called Buckley Field. There I was to receive my basic training. I was just finishing my training and baby was about due, so I applied to the Red Cross for an emergency furlough to be home when it came. But they didn’t make any attempt to secure one. As a result, I have no use for them, as do a great many of the other GIs. When I received my shipping orders, my assignment was to a Data Processing Unit as a keypunch operator at the First Air Force Headquarters located at Mitchell Field, New York. They gave me a 15-day delay in route. I was then able to go home and be there when the baby came. Two days before I was to return to duty, our baby boy finally made his appearance. We named him Merrill Rex and he was born May 3, 1944. I then had to leave with Zada still in the hospital and to go to Mitchell Field, NY, still traveling alone. For the next 20 months, I was assigned there.

I received the rank of Corporal and was eligible for Sergeant, but they froze the rankings. I was also on shipping orders twice for overseas, but they stopped because of my M.O.S classification, which was 300. I was also on orders to transfer to the Infantry for the Battle of the Bulge. I was also given a chance to go to Arial Gunnery School for the bombers, which I turned down. While there, I went from the keypunch to the tabulating equipment. There I was in charge of consolidating all the reports from over 30 airbases in the First Air Force and sending a daily report to the Continental Air Force Headquarters in Washington D.C.

The war was not yet over. I was looking forward to getting home, but they were holding me in because of the two-year clause. I had 65 points toward discharge and the Air Force was down to 35 points for the release. Finally in Dec. 1945, changes were made and I was eligible for release. I would watch every list that they posted, which was about every two hours. Finally on Dec. 14, 1945, on the last list for the day, my name appeared. I could go to Fort Douglas, Utah for release or get it at Mitchell Field and get travel expenses home. I wanted to be sure and get home as fast as possible and sure I would be home for Christmas. So I took my discharge there. I told the C.O. goodbye and ran to the barracks; there I threw everything into my barracks bags and went to the separation center. It was only two barracks away and I started to process at once. By noon the next day, with my discharge in my hand, I was on my way to New York and home. What a happy day. I arrived home just before Christmas.

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In Grandma Zada's history, she also mentions how they were worried about the draft. That Merrill was 10 days late and they were afraid Grandpa Rex would have to go back before the birth. She lived in Mt. Pleasant, renting a couple of different houses while he was gone. She said "Rex sent us gifts and was able to get home a couple of times. I will never forget the day President Roosevelt died, or the rationing that went on during the war. I kept so busy I didn't have time to get too lonely. Soon the war was over and Rex would be home. What a happy day that was!"