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Bret
Yoda
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Hey everyone,
While sifting through some old photos and documents from my grandfather I discovered these two little gems. Special significance for me this Veterans Day.
The first is a my Grandpa’s Discharge Certificate. Interesting in that it shows that he was inducted in the Army from the Students’ Army Training Corps (Think ROTC) in October 1918 and was discharged on Dec. 7th (yet another interesting date) that same year.
Granddad always liked to tell the story of how he & his fellow classmates in the training corps at Vanderbilt had plans to become officers. But with the war (didn’t call it WWI back then /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif ) winding down there was a more pressing need for troops so – the Army activated him & his fellow students and put them on a train for debarkation in New York to Europe. But as my Grandpa always liked to say – “But before the train arrived in New York the Kaiser gave up while he had the chance - because he knew he & his fellow Tennesseans were coming”.
The second document is a letter with a photo of my granddad with some of my mother’s cousins (mom wouldn’t be born for some time yet). The letter is addressed to my great grand father some years after the end of the war and seems to support the story my grand father told above. I did find it interesting that my Great Grandfather & the Kaiser shared the same birthday.
BTW my Grandpa never made it to Europe with the Army and after seminary school & meeting my grand mother and having my mom – became a Presbyterian minister. In fact he moved to Pasadena and gave his first sermon as an associate minister on December 7th 1941. In fact due to my grandfather’s prior service (albeit short lived) and his age by this time he was classified as “4H” & I have his selective service card to prove it.
Now my Grandfather went on to live a very fulfilling life and community leader in his own right. But I feel extremely fortunate to find these little pieces of history and insight into his early years.
To vets & family members everywhere God Bless.
Semper Fi!
Bret
While sifting through some old photos and documents from my grandfather I discovered these two little gems. Special significance for me this Veterans Day.
The first is a my Grandpa’s Discharge Certificate. Interesting in that it shows that he was inducted in the Army from the Students’ Army Training Corps (Think ROTC) in October 1918 and was discharged on Dec. 7th (yet another interesting date) that same year.
Granddad always liked to tell the story of how he & his fellow classmates in the training corps at Vanderbilt had plans to become officers. But with the war (didn’t call it WWI back then /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif ) winding down there was a more pressing need for troops so – the Army activated him & his fellow students and put them on a train for debarkation in New York to Europe. But as my Grandpa always liked to say – “But before the train arrived in New York the Kaiser gave up while he had the chance - because he knew he & his fellow Tennesseans were coming”.
The second document is a letter with a photo of my granddad with some of my mother’s cousins (mom wouldn’t be born for some time yet). The letter is addressed to my great grand father some years after the end of the war and seems to support the story my grand father told above. I did find it interesting that my Great Grandfather & the Kaiser shared the same birthday.
BTW my Grandpa never made it to Europe with the Army and after seminary school & meeting my grand mother and having my mom – became a Presbyterian minister. In fact he moved to Pasadena and gave his first sermon as an associate minister on December 7th 1941. In fact due to my grandfather’s prior service (albeit short lived) and his age by this time he was classified as “4H” & I have his selective service card to prove it.
Now my Grandfather went on to live a very fulfilling life and community leader in his own right. But I feel extremely fortunate to find these little pieces of history and insight into his early years.
To vets & family members everywhere God Bless.
Semper Fi!
Bret
