Thoughts From Bob

Reflections on the opportunity I had to serve my country.

Written by Bob Scott,  January 1997

Army Serial Number 17092199

When I had the good fortune to be able to visit David and Dana this winter David asked me if I would write down some of the war record as I saw and remembered it.  We talked some about our trip to Europe in 1969 and he recalled some of his memories about seeing places I had been during the war.

When the United States was thrust into the war on Dec 7, 1941 we were having a dinner at mom’s house.  A family dinner on those days was a big event, A.L. Scott was there and May Scott, my grandmother and grandfather, and uncle Andy, and some of the Aichelmans.  I was 15. 

We got word from the nursing home that Tatty, my mother’s mother had died so mom and dad left and went to town to begin some work on arranging Tatty’s funeral.  That left Frank Aichelman, uncle Andy and myself to visit and we all expected to wind up in the war.  Both Andy and Frank assured me it would all be over before I had to go.  Andy would be a dentist in the Army and Frank became a sergeant and was involved in procuring supplies for the army and Frank never left Denver.

The attitude of our people was galvanized into a united decision to work together for unconditional surrender.  The way that Japan began hostilities was certainly a strategic error because it did make all of us decide we would win and it was ultimately just that decision on the part of 200 million people united which strengthened our nation into becoming the most powerful nation on earth. 

We were certainly not that powerful on Dec 7, 1941.  If Japan had continued their invasion of Hawaii anytime in the next few weeks, we would live in a different world today. 

Dec 8, Monday 1941 saw the greatest recruiting action of any day in our history, men by the thousands descended on the recruiting offices throughout the land.  The draft boards didn’t have time to get started for some time and there wouldn’t have been time to handle the draftees because at the moment there were plenty of recruits. 

Our armed forces had a few regular army officers but the strength of the combined forces was not at all great.  Dwight D. Eisenhower who finally became commander in chief was a lieutenant colonel at the time.

I was in high school and most of our seniors began to leave as volunteers.  The teachers especially were very supportive and applauded the great power that would be ours.  I cannot remember any word or action on the part of anyone except to unite to win.

I guess because I lived thru the Korean conflict and the Vietnam mess and saw the difference in attitude of the people I felt it worth making note of why we won.  It was the will of the people and we decided that whatever it took was what we would do.

Our ability to manufacture arms was the reason we won.  I remember going to the movies and at that time there was no TV of course, and the Movie-Tone news was a great thing.  Today we expect news within the hour but then Movie-Tone news two weeks old was considered current news.  I saw Henry Ford meeting with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to report that he had been to see an assembly plant somewhere and he said that he could build airplanes with an assembly line just like he had been building cars.  The willow run plant was the result and the power of the skills of the auto assembly plants in Detroit began to create a war machine that would finally turn the tide. 

The initial entry into the war was a disaster for many in the army in the Pacific.  We lost battle after battle and our base at Subic bay in the Philippines fell to the Japs.  They conquered us and the death march to Bataan killed many American boys.  With every defeat, our resolve grew stronger.  We were already supplying England with a lend-lease program so we had some men in potential leadership positions who would begin to assemble the materials necessary to once again land in Europe. 

We first had to try to regain some strategic military positioning.  Hitler was in Africa, headed for a fuel supply in the oil rich Libya.  General Rommel had effectively conquered anything in his way and had to be defeated there first.  If you have seen the movie Patton, you know that George S. Patton was the single reason we won in Africa so completely and decisively.  George had all the fuel he needed and plenty of tanks and armor.  The Germans were defeated because they ran out of gas.  I guess you could put a period there and that would be the end of this story.

Meanwhile, back at Brighton High School we began to get boys back from the war to visit their friends and teachers.  Each visit was a great and wonderful chance for those of us who were still in school to see and hear how it was to be in the service.  Mrs. Mabel Guillette and Miss Ahlin were the favorite teachers to come and visit and we had many sessions with the heroes as the teachers called them.  It was a time of excitement and anticipation on the part of the those of us who were not yet old enough to serve. 

I graduated in 1943, and we were beginning to turn the tide of war and it looked like we could win.  Of course in my mind as a young man there was never any doubt.  The only question was when.

I was only sixteen when I graduated so mom started me in college at Colo. A&M in Fort Collins, where there was a vet school.  I enrolled in pre vet.  At the time all the vet students who were physically able were drafted into the army and became involved in the college training program.  The colleges also were mobilized and many of the scientific programs were producing doctors, dentists, engineers, veterinarians who would be in the armed forces.  It was a great program and a good idea.  As soon as I could I signed up to be inducted into the ASTP Army Specialized Training Program and fully expected to be in the vet school.  I couldn’t enlist until I was 17, I had mom’s permission because she was delighted to think I would be in the Army in college.

When I reported for duty and was inducted at Fort Logan on the west side of Denver, my orders were changed and I would be in the ASTRP, Army Specialized Training Reserve Program and

was sent to the University of Wyoming in the engineering school.  I had 24 quarter hours in that winter quarter and never studied so hard or so much before or since.   

In the spring of 1944 the tides of war changed and we invaded Europe and the need for the ASTP program looked like it was no longer the priority so all of the engineer students were put into the infantry.  We needed foot soldiers instead of scientists. 

My basic training was in camp Roberts, California.  I would have to say that I enjoyed the rigorous training, I was a crack shot with a rifle and enjoyed the outdoors and the camping and the marches and the drills and the challenge of wanting to be a good soldier.  But for some reason I can’t explain today I had a great fear of fighting the Japanese.  Maybe it was because I had many, many Japanese friends in Colorado and knew them to be clever, dedicated and skilled people.  I knew they would be good soldiers and I also heard the horror stories about how the Japs treated their prisoners of war.  I knew we could beat the Germans and I guess that motivated me to want to go the war in Europe instead of Japan.

At that time the troops who were graduated from Camp Roberts were headed to Fort Ord California and then to the west.  There was one way to avoid that direction.  If you volunteered for the paratroops, you would be sent to Ft. Benning, Georgia.

I rode a troop train from Camp Roberts to Fort Benning.  It took about 8 days.  We went south and at the siding in Los Angeles, the sergeant told us that we would not leave until after dark.  That meant we had about 8 hours in Los Angeles.  I am sure nobody gave us a leave or a pass, but most of the soldiers left the railroad siding and headed for the big city. 

We had a grand time in the city and several of us wound up in a tattoo parlor.  The quepie doll tattoo on my left arm reminds me that once I was young and foolish.

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