Contents:
Induction into the Army Air Corps
Grounded and wounded, but alive
The
German, the White Russian and me
The Frankfurt
interrogation center
Eat, drink, smoke, and be
creative
The Experiences of an American Airman in German Stalags from April 1942 to July 1945.
By Edgar Moore
INDUCTION INTO THE ARMY AIR CORPS
In April, 1942, I received notification from the Selective Service draft board to report to the post office at Guthrie, Oklahoma for induction into the Army. I had already enlisted in the Coast Guard, a division of the Navy. But, since I hadn’t been called up yet, they said that I would be inducted into the Army. Having had prior ROTC training in high school, I was placed in charge of the contingent of 40 men going to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma for our physicals. During the physical exam, I was wandering around the building and met a United States Army Air Force (USAAF) Sergeant who invited me to join the Army Air Corps. I told him that I was in the Coast Guard, and he said, "That doesn’t matter. If you pass the examination that we give here, you'll be inducted immediately into the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. "I asked, "Why should I?"
He informed me that Coast Guard seamen got $28 per month and Air Corps officers received $262 per month. I said, "That's incentive enough."
I took the Air Corps entrance examination as did the entire room full of applicants. Eighteen of us passed it.
I was marched downstairs, inducted into the Army Air Force, and immediately placed on a six-month furlough. This was April 6, 1942.
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