![]() ![]() A few weeks after our wedding, Melvina went home to Chicago to live with her sister Pearl.Īt the same time, a train transported me and my company to Hampton Roads, Virginia, which was a main hub during both world wars for movement of millions of troops over seas. Melvina and I were married Februclose to Fort Alamo Riverside Baptist Church. After corresponding with me a few months Melvina completed her beautician training and came to San Antonio looking for a position in a beauty shop so we could be closer together. Later that year, I left Little Rock heading for the Putnam home in Chicago to be with Melvina before my transfer to Duncan Field in San Antonio, Texas. Though my mask was easy to use, it was bulky and tiresome to always carry over my shoulder. Any kind of gas, mustard, hydrogen, cyanide-there were lots of choices, that could be used for different situations. If it soaked into their clothes they might as well forget it. The enemy could drop or spray it anywhere to quietly settle over the troops so it was on them before they even noticed it was there. I was being trained to decontaminate troops after being exposed to poisonous gases like cyanide and mustard. Because “Chemical Warfare Service” seemed a bit too harsh after the WWI experience, it was renamed Chemical Corps. Appearing too lightweight for the infantry, I began my training in the renamed Chemical Corps that was attached to the Army Air Corps. I weighed 117 pounds, my back pack 109 pounds, so if I had to shoot a bazooka, it would knock me on my butt. Gerald Putnam and I formed a friendship and later he introduced me to his sister, Melvina Putnam, whom I would soon be courting.Īfter Chicago, I continued by train to Little Rock, Arkansas for further training. ![]() Finally, a young man, about my age, introduced himself and we began to talk. At a table by myself and being only one of several customers dressed in uniform, I was conspicuous. I had rarely ventured far from Kingsley, Michigan and now I was receiving Army training in Chicago, Illinois, where, one day, I happened to be eating at a Wimpie’s restaurant. A few days later, I went to Fort Custer in Battle Creek, and soon boarded a train to Chicago. Not only would I get married and travel with the Army throughout the eastern United States, but also see terrible devastation throughout most of northwestern Europe. Before my next birthday, unimaginable life changing events happened. ![]() In August 1942, I enlisted in the Army in Traverse City, Michigan. Venice could not have been more beautiful than my bride in San Antonio. Melvina and me at our wedding and San Antonio where we honeymooned. While Grand Traverse Journal typically features stories concerning our local region, we recognize the importance of recording and publishing the stories of our residents, both for future generations and for the catharsis it gives those who have served. Few of those who served remain to tell their stories 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the end of that conflict. Webster’s reminiscences focus on his years of service in World War II. This month’s “Celebrate the People” honors Floyd Webster, historian of the village of Kingsley since 1952, whose countless hours of work in that volunteer role has developed in to the local history collections held at the Kingsley Branch Library. Webster added memories in an interview with Peter Newell, November 12, 2014. From an original interview by Brenda Kay Wolfgram Moore in Kingsley, Michigan, undated. ![]()
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