Robert E. Irion, Sandy, Utah: an interview by Benjamin Bahlmann, September 20, 2002: Saving the legacy tape no. 537, 538, and 539

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Robert E. Irion eptember 20'h, 2002 so we could be there at 8:00a.m. go through all the physicals written test v rything they had and do the whole enlistment bit and get me back to work that afternoon. BEN: How many days did you say you worked? ROB: Seven days a week. We had no days off in those days in that type of job. It was before the days of the five-day work week. And so anyhow- BEN: Was this just a general physical or was it actually Army Air Corps? ROB: It was an Army Air Corps physical for aviation cadet training. BEN: And your two other buddies, same thing? They wanted to look into the same field? ROB: Yes. The fellow who had been to school with me over in Axtell, he passed. And the one that was the clerk in the railroad there, didn't pass the eye exam, so he went back and joined the Civil Air Patrol training program. He later became a pilot. In fact, after the war he was in a crop duster and was killed while he was crop dusting. But anyhow, the three of us went down there and took the tests, and I'm anxious to get back to w~xk in time to get to work at 4:00 that afternoon. BEN: Do you recall any of those tests? Depth perception, all that kind of thing? ROB: I don't recall the particular tests. Frankly, I can't recall all of it, but one thing I can remember in the tests was in the physical. And the doctor checked us and had us do different things, and one of the things he said was, "Okay, everybody squat down." We squatted down, and when I squatted down my cartilage in my right knee popped out, which when I was in a squat position, it did pop out. I knew how to get it back, but I was going to have to stand up and pull my heel up toward my hip and push in on it to get it done. 17