Joining the ROTC

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“Pearl Harbor was December 7th, 1941. Yes, I remember it was a Sunday. Everybody was listening, was told to listen to the radio.  President Roosevelt was going to speak. So, of course, our family was huddled around that radio, listening to President Roosevelt. Our older brother, I said he's three years older. He immediately tried to join the army, but he was classified 4F because he had surgery on both ears as a youngster.  His hearing was impaired, so they classified him 4F.  So, the military would not accept him, and I remember all that very well. And, of course, the country as a whole everybody was doing something, either joining the military, or working in some factory that converted to making war material, serving, helping soldiers, USO, Red Cross, whatever. I remember all of that very well. 

"We were mid-terms, so we graduated high school in about the middle of January of 1942. We were home a week or ten days and we both entered as freshmen at the University of Florida. At that time, the University of Florida, it was an all-male school. The total student body was 3,000 students, all male.  They had an ROTC program. So, we joined the ROTC program, which was horse- drawn light artillery, 105-millimeter howitzers. Our uniforms were riding pants. Jobkins is what they called them, because we had to ride on the horses which pulled the howitzers. We were both being trained as gunners on 105-millimeter howitzers. The howitzers were real, the horses were real, our rifles were made out of wood. So much ready for combat. In October of 1942 an Army officer came and spoke to the ROTC students, and said if you join an Army Reserve Unit, there’s a good chance the army will let you remain in college until you get your degree. So, we joined an Army Reserve Unit. That was October 25, 1942. In early ’43, they called our reserve unit to active duty. But they did let us finish the semester.”  

"Well initially, when we were called to active duty, we didn’t know what to expect. At the age we were at the time, 18, 19 years old, it was like going on a great adventure. So, we were somewhat excited, looking forward to it. We had no idea what to expect, no idea what real army life would be like.”