A Soldier's Story: "A Man of Honor"

My father served as an airplane engine repairman for 31 months, from 4 Jan, 1943 to 5 Nov, 1945.  His discharge document gives this summary:  “Repaired Cyclone, Pratt and Whitney , Aeronca, and Liberty engines in all types of planes.  Disassembled, cleaned, and replaced worn or defective parts.  Performed difficult and delicate repairs and adjustments of valve actuating and timing mechanisms."   He was a graduate of Embry-Riddle School of Aviation with six months (720 hours) of instruction.    He completed the course with 96%.  (Embry-Riddle is still one of the top aviation schools in the world, with notable alumni and service to the aeronautical industry.)  The discharge papers also tell about my father’s high school education, stating that he had five months (658 hours) of training in Aviation Engine Mechanics) at East High School Trade School.

In addition to his discharge papers, my father has an Army Air Forces Certificate of Appreciation for War Service signed by the Commanding General of the Army Air Forces, General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold.  I remember studying about Hap Arnold during my short time in the U.S. Air Force.  Hap Arnold was a legend, taught to fly by the Wright Brothers and one of the first military pilots worldwide.  The letter states:

"I cannot meet you personally to thank you for a job well done; nor can I hope to put in written words the great hope I have for your success in future life. 

Together we built the striking force that swept the Luftwaffe from the skies and broke the German power to resist.   The total might of that striking force was then unleashed upon the Japanese.  Although you no longer play an active military part, the contribution you made to the Air Forces was essential in making us the greatest team in the world.

The ties that bound us under stress of combat must not be broken in peacetime.  Together we share the responsibility for guarding our country in the air.  We who stay will never forget the part you have played while in uniform.  We know you will continue to play a comparable role as a civilian.  As our ways part, let me wish you God speed and the best of luck on your road in life.  Our gratitude and respect go with you."

Signed, H. Arnold

Following the war, my father continued his studies with the help of the GI Bill.  He earned a certificate  on 10 May, 1954, from International Correspondence Schools, Scranton, Pennsylvania, completing the following subjects:  Electrical Engineering, Division One, Mathematics, Mechanics, Electrical Principles, D-C Machines, A-C Currents, Alternators, A-C Motors, Transformers, Converters and Rectifiers, Motor Applications, Chemistry, Electric Heating, Furnaces,  Batteries, Electroplating, Measuring Instruments, Electron Tubes, Lighting Practice, Illumination, Electric Signs.  On 28 Feb, 1956, he earned a further certificate from International Correspondence Schools, completing:  Electrical Engineer, Division Two, Advanced Mathematics, Wiring, Switchgear, Electrical Distribution, Line Calculations, Electrical Machinery Operation, Voltage Regulation, Relays, Efficiency Tests, Electric Stations, Electrical Machine Design.  On 26 Jul, 1962 – 31 days after his sixth child was born – he received his Diploma from International Correspondence Schools, also called ICS. Completing this program of study was no small feat.  Wikipedia says of ICS:

“The dropout rates were high; only one in six made it past the first third of the material in a course. Only 2.6% of students who began a course finished it. The students dropped out because they overestimated the difficulty, had little encouragement, and had poor study habits.”

I’ve pieced together this soldier’s story from a few documents that have been scanned and are now residing on my computer.  One can see a lifetime in these documents, but I will elaborate somewhat.  My father, a child of the depression, studied a trade in high school that he later developed further and practiced in the Army Air Force, the forerunner of today’s U.S. Air Force.  After tech school, he traveled on a crowded ship to northern Africa,where the Desert Fox, German General Erwin Rommel waged his battles.  My father later went on to Italy, and I have a suspicion that there he know Joseph Heller, the author of the book Catch 22.  (Ask me and I’ll tell you why I think so.)  He saw Rome – I followed his footsteps a few years ago, noting the very spot where he stood in front of the Coliseum, where I explained my father’s story to a group of young choir singers. His mother -- my grandmother -- died before he returned from the war.

After the war, my father met the challenge and expectations of Hap Arnold.  He contributed.  He had success.  He had a comparable role in civilian life.  My father provided for a wife and six children, worked tirelessly in community and fraternal organizations, and finally retired after 32 years as an electrician.  His children and grandchildren know that he was the rock or our family, and we remember him as a great example.  At my father’s funeral, my brother gave a fitting eulogy.  He summed up our father’s life with these simple words:  “He was a man of honor.”