Evening star., 1943-06-27
II Of 25 District Men Who Were Number 758 in Draft Lottery
Are Now in Armed Services Three in Essential Wor Jobs
All Are Accounted For
In Survey Of Changes
Since October, 1910
BY DAVE BoFFEY.


BY DAVE BOFFEY.
| At the height OF the aerial blitz
on England in October, 1910, the
United States was preparing to hold
its first peacetime draft lottery. The
day after Italy invaded Greece, the
first number, 158. was drawn frCm
goldfish bowl i'll Constitution Hall.
On October 30, day after the draw
ing, one OF the first men thus
selected was quoted in an interview
as saying:
Il understand the men chosen
probably won't be sent so far from
home they can't return for week
ends"
Such was the state Of the Union
in October. 1910.
Today, despite the heightened
tempo OF a country geared for vic
tory on fronts in every latitude, the
Is Washington men who held the
first number drawn in the lottery
are all present or accounted for.
Eleven of them are now in the
armed forces.
Three have changed to essential
war jobs.
Nine are doing the same thing
they were doing then, three of them
having been classified 4F.
And two of them have merely
changed jobs.
These Is men are a slice of life in
Washington that is representative
of all America. Among them was a
bartender, an attorney, a plumbers
helper, college boy, an automobile
salesman, an office manager, a skilled
laborer, a carpenter, baker and
nine Government clerks.
Where are they now?
Let's have look.
Bought Rug and Married Girl.
The man of the lot most likely to
shudder at the mention of "long
war; is H. Robert Bell, who was in
Quoted in November, 1910. He is
now overseas, corporal in chemi-
cal warfare
Corpl. Bell did not let the Army
change all of his plans. When the
actual lottery drawing was going on
in Constitution Hall, he was in
downtown department store select
ing rug for his future home with
his flancee. Miss Sarah v. Carter,
Sibley avenue, Hyattsville. On No
vember 8, he married Miss Carter,
bought the rug, and settled down
to await his call.
1t wasn't long wait. He went to
Edgewood Arsenal, Md, on Novem-
Der 81. In March, 1912, he was sent
to Fort Bragg, where he joined the
- Division and where his son was
born in April. In January of this
year he went to Camp Pickett for
special training and in May was
Africa-bound.
On the day his mother, Mrs. Mil
dred c. Bell, received his APO num-
Der, his sister Gladys returned from
Love Field, Dallas, Tex, for her
birthday. She has been ferrying
planes with the Air Transport Com
mand since October. A brother,
George Bell, Is, is in Roosevelt High
School awaiting his call into the
Navy. They live at 618 Rock Creek
Church road NV.
If you were listening to the radio
broadcast of the drawings, you
probably heard Mrs. Bell, Bob's.
mother, let out whoop when her
sons number was drawn. She was
in a front seat of the auditorium,
but to this day she is not sure Just
why she screamed, But she does
know one thing:
L am saving any screaming !
want to do now until all this is
over and my boys come home. Then
I will really let loose" she said.
Stays Put for IA Months.
In contrast to the Journeys Of
Bells Army career, we have the
Odyssey" of Capt. Joseph Aloysius
O'Connell, whose family lives at
1920 Alton place NV. He was in
Quoted into the Army IA months ago
and hasn't been out of the District
area since. Capt. O'Connell is in
the legal branch of Chemical War
fare and says he likes the Army.
He is stationed at Gravely Point,
Va. He has four children, the eldest
IA. They all want to join the Army
some day.
Clarence Frank Head isn't in vet.
but feels like he might be going
any day now" On June 2, he was
reclassif1ed from 4-F by his Draft
Board, but hasn't yet heard the re-
suit. No one, however, was more
confident of his ability to get along
in the Army.
You see, I'm bartender at the
Wardman Park Hotel" he remarked.
I'VE serve a lot of officers there
and they ali come up to the bar
when they want their drinks made a
special way. Well, I've always gotten
along with them and 1 think kind
of have the inside track on lust
how to treat them"
Head used to be an itinerant
master of ceremonies and thinks he
will apply for the entertainment
branch of the Army. Il would like
to entertain the boys, but If I don't
get this am going to try the Med
ical Corps. I had three years of
med school at Duke University.
I'm single and ready any time they
want me-" He is waiting at 1905
Rhode Island avenue NV.
Francis Michael Moran joined the
Metropolitan police force November
T. 1910, and is now a private at
tached to No. IL precinct but de-
tailed to the Capitol He is attend
ing George Washington University
Medical School in the hope of Join
ing the Army Medical Corps in about
four years.
This may seem like extra long
vision planning; but Moran is con-
vinced the war will still be going on
then-"those Japs are die-hards."