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Show WILLIAM M. SANDERLIN 27 June 2002 to help me, and he was called the bucker. He bucked the rivets as I drove 'em in. So I stayed there for about a year and a half or two years. Uncle Sam says "I need you," so I went. WE: Even though you were working in the defense industry, they figured- WS: Well, I had asked them-! had been on nights for about almost two years. And I had asked them to put me on days. They said no, they needed me on nights. They couldn't put me on days. I said "Well then fill out my termination form, I'm going into the service." And I did. WE: So you decided it was better to go in the service than work nights. Did you have a choice as to which branch of service you went in? WS: Well, I'd say yes. There used to be a place down close to Long Beach, I can't remember what the name of it was now. But it was the cavalry, and they still had the horses and all that kind of stuff. For some reason or other, that ended up being where I spent my first three or four days. I don't know why, but I did. Well, in those first three or four days you went through physicals and interviews for what you'd like to do. They asked me what I liked to do. I said "Well, I'd like to go to the air force." I said "I've been doing aircraft repair work." "No problem." I had just heard that everybody was going with the infantry, so that relieved me. I didn't have to go to the infantry. So that's what I did. I went in there, and then from there they shipped me to Amarillo, Texas. I got off the ... I can't remember, train or plane or ... anyhow, I got to Amarillo. Two feet of snow. Did my basic training. Then I went to Laredo, Texas-which, by the way, I had a grandmother in Laredo, and that worked out fine. A grandmother and an aunt on my dad's side. And from Laredo, Texas, I took my aerial gunnery, teaching how to fire 11 |
