Smyrna times., 1943-06-03
D
FROM
Our Boys and Girls
in the Service
David C. Harrison Post, No. IA,
American Legion, and Unit of the
American Legion Auxiliary.
by
Greenville Aviation School,
Ocala, Florida

Greenville Aviation School,
Ocala, Florida
To the Editor of Dribbles:
1 am going to attempt to de-
scribe to you the life of an Aviation
Cadet from the time he left home,
until the end of his Pre-Flight
course.
1 have just passed through two
whole days in which to do nothing.
This is almost a miracle, but we
will surely make up for it upon our
arrival in Primary. There is no
doubt about it, this is speedy
war. 1 have been away from home
three months, all but eight days,
and although / had never stayed
away from home more than three
or four days at time prior to en-
tering the Service, have not had
enough spare time until right now
to even think of getting bit home
sick. If our victories are to be as
fast and as thorough as our train
ing courses, this war will be all
over in couple of years I am sure.
When the full momentum of what
is going on now reaches the Axis,
there will be nothing to stop us. /
have often wondered why we were
instructed to clean our barracks so
thoroughly. Now, 1 think I know.
Ut is to teach us to leave no stone
unturned during the mopping up
procedure. 1 guarantee that the
boys in the Air Corps will not miss
one corner or crevice in their work
ahead. We have become most apt
finding dirty things in the most in
conspicuour places.
1 left Trenton, New Jersey on
February 9Th, 1943, (44 of us all to-
sether). At the time, we did not
know where we were going, how
long we would be on the train, or
even whether we would be fed or
not. However, our curiosity was
soon satisfied. We learned that our
destination was to be Nashville,
Tennessee, and we quickly found
out that we would be fed and fed
well. In this way our new life had
started. The group was exception
al. Everyone seemed to be in the
best of health, and our worries
about the few valuables we had
brought along with us, soon disap-
peared. In fact, every man in the
group appeared to be perfectly sat-
isfied.
Upon our arrival at Nashville, we
received the first taste of Army
life, such as one reads or hears
about. Since we were all expect
ing just this, we naturally took it
in our stride. The one thing that
happened which we did not look
forward to was to discover that our
papers were lost. This held us up
in Nashville for three and one-half
days quartered with casual
squadron, not knowing whether we
were in the Army or just plain
civilians. Without papers we were
there unofficially, but in the strict
sense officially, we were not. This
meant that we could not receive
our uniforms, nor could we start
the procedure of being clalslsified
for service. The one thing that
brought us to our senses was the
K. P. duty. This made us realize
that we were really in the Army
but we sure would have appreciat-
ed those pretty uniforms that most
of us had been looking forward to
for such a long time. Finally our
papers came through. We were
then on the right road. Immedi-
ately we were transferred to new
barracks Shat is forty of us and
the other four in still another. Now
only forty of the lost forty-four
were together.
After the weekend was over. we
started our classification journey
First we were measured, examined
and looked over thoroughly firm tor
to toe. After this, we stood in line
for week taking tests and being
tested. Along with this came some
drilling and calisthenics. We were
called upon so much to fall in
and open out" so much that we
did not bother to take our blouses
off until time for taps. The Army
momentum had now caugh UP with
us for sure and had swept us off