White Earth Reservation. Chippewa. Zhimaaganish Ogichidaa (Soldier Warrior)

 

The following excerpt is taken from words written by Dad in a journal that was titled, “My Life in the Service”.       “My career started in the year 1942.  I was sent to an induction center, there they stripped me of my civilian clothes and naturally to my disgust my brand-new uniform didn’t fit so well.  From here, I went to basic training, a very mild 4 weeks, this took place at Miami Beach, Florida.  Hot?  Cripes?   From Florida I went to gunnery school at Tyndall Field, Panama City,   Florida.  After five weeks of struggle I came out a Sergeant.  From here I went to Armament school in Denver, Colorado. I spent 3 months out there learning about guns, guns and more guns.”

Stations and Transfers

1942,  Fargo,  ND  induction center  Dad enlisted on  October  26,  1942 at Fort Snelling, MN  His Army serial number was  17154378.   He was 5foot 7.5 inches tall.  He was an Aerial Gunner and Pilot.  He was in the military for 2 years and 23 days.    

Fort Snelling,  Minneapolis,  MN

Miami Beach,  FL    Basic Training………..

Tyndall Field,  Panama City Beach, FL  this was Gunnery School 1  He graduated as a Sergeant.   

Lowry Field,  Denver,  CO   this was Armament School

New Cumberland AAb,  Harrisburg, PA

AAB,  Ft. Devens, Mass  this is where Dad did his Piper Cub training………

AAB,  Reading,  PA

BTC  #10  Greensboro, NC

C.T.D.  Kent State University,  Kent, OH

SAACC,  San Antonio,  TX  was completed in October of 1943.  Dad was in Preflight Group M  Squadron P/A

Primary Flight School,  Tulsa, OK  Completed in March  of  1944.  Class of 44-1, U.S. Army Air Cadets,  2565 Base Unit,  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,   May,  1944   Spartan School of Aeronautics. 

Basic Flight School,  Greenville, TX  Completed in May of 1944

Advanced Flight School,  Eagle Pass, TX  Completed in August of  1944

Boca Raton, Florida

Eagle Pass, TX

Lincoln, NE

Blytheville, Arkansas  AAB

T.C.C.  Pope Field, Ft. Bragg, NC

SLAAB  Salt Lake City, UT

Dad received an Honorable Discharge on November  19,  1944.  He was discharged from the 2516^th  AAF  BU  (PS A SE)  EPAAF at Eagle Pass, Texas

Dad accepted the inevitability of death with integrity.  He told me in March of 2011 that dying was a natural extension of birth, that it was part and parcel, that they went together and that he looked forward to seeing my Mom, Betty, in heaven.