Bitten by love bug
The beach took on a new aura. Tom wanted to get to know her and he was
trying to impress her. Polly and Tom went to different places together.
Trying to make things happen
Tom got a job at a bank in Philadelphia but again it was just a holding
spot until the draft board did its thing. A good job was not a realistic
probability and the draft board was not calling many candidates. Tom
and high school friend, Ralph von Glahn (graduate of Penn State), took
tests to be accepted into the Naval Air Cadet program of the Navy. The
pay would be great.
Finally a notice from the draft board
Before Tom was notified that he passed those tests, he was ordered to
report to the Armory in Philadelphia, PA to take a physical exam to
be drafted into the Army. An inflamed scar in his right eardrum from
an operation he had when he had scarlet fever was noticed. He and a
guy without a trigger finger walked out of the Armory as the only two
guys who did not pass their Army physicals that day.
Decision time
Tom was not anxious to go into the military. Since he did not pass his
Army physical, he thought he would not pass the Navy physical so he
notified them he would not take it for the Naval Air Cadet program.
Because the Army classified him 4-A instead of 4-F, he had to go back
for an Army physical every six months.
The next time he went to be examined,
he looked in the folder he was carrying that contained his papers. One
sheet of paper had a handwritten note saying, "Told Navy to go
to hell." That was not what he did when he discontinued his Naval
Air Cadet application. Someone recorded it that way. His Army physical
exam seemed to be the quickest ever. He was classified
1-A. Tom was perfectly fit. What eardrum? What scar?
|
He developed a very strong respect and love for
her. She was skilled as an artist and interested in cultural areas that
he had never experienced. She had high standards and ambitious goals.
She was determined to do well in her chosen field. One of her standards was a guy should be gainfully employed to be the kind to marry. |
