In 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt made all efforts to put this country on a war- time footing even though public opinion was against our becoming involved in the war raging in Europe. Finally, he was instrumental in having Congress mandate one year of military training for all able-bodied men.

I was newly married and had just completed my internship in late 1941. I joined the Army Medical Corps to fulfill my required one year of military service. This would, I hoped, avoid interrupting my plans for further training in surgery. The attack on Pearl Harbor had not yet occurred.

As a first lieutenant, my initial assignment was of dubious distinction. I was appointed chief of a venereal disease ward in a station hospital at Camp Stewart, Georgia.

Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7th 1941, Germany declared war on the U.S. Their Atlantic submarine fleet could now “legitimately” sink our ships that were surreptitiously sending supplies to Great Britain, under the title of “Lend Lease.”

I was soon transferred to Fort McPherson Atlanta, Georgia to become a member of a “Medical Induction Team.” The physical examinations of the new recruits were conducted like Henry Ford's assembly line. Conscripts found themselves in the army only moments after they passed the physical examination.

Holding up their britches with the right hand, they took an oath holding up their left hand, and obediently responded to, “sign here.” The old army sergeant at the desk enjoyed yelling “No! Your right hand!” as they embarrassingly switched hands to hold up their trousers.

We knew it was mean, but we physicians would go to the end of the line to get a chuckle at this amusing scene, during a free moment.

My team function on this “Mass Induction” line was checking hearts and lungs. We started at 7:30 AM, took 1/2 hour lunch break, and stopped at 5PM. At the end of the second day, I could barely tolerate the stethoscope ends in my ears. They were extremely tender. I recall telling my wife over the phone that night that, “as long I could hear the ‘thump thump’ of the heartbeat, the recruit was ‘in.’” So, I was transferred down the line to examine bellies for “masses, enlarged livers and spleens”. Following me, the doctor examined rectums and prostates. I decided not to complain about my position anymore.
After about three months I was transferred back to Camp Stewart and assigned directly to an anti-aircraft battalion as a “Battalion Surgeon”. (Euphemism for first-aid man)

I had yet to receive any military training, except for learning how to return a salute by watching other officers. Relative to my total military inadequacy, this incident occurred when I first appeared for duty. I was in uniform and assigned to the Station Hospital mentioned above. The guard at the door came to full attention with a rifle salute. I smiled, said, “Hi” and waved at him, friendly like. As I went through the door, I thought that I saw him shaking his head in disbelief. Well, I didn't know that he was saluting me.

The next ten days I lived in a tent, slept on a canvas cot, and was jump-started to consciousness every morning, just before daylight by a bugle (which I swear was just outside my tent).

We took long marches during which the captain instructed me to stay in step at the end of the column, and in front of my ambulance. He assured me that I would be just fine. Well, I soon learned how to do “an about face, yell cadence, eyes right” and similar soldier stuff. But, I never heard a gun fired until the crew of the Queen Mary practiced firing the anti-aircraft guns mounted on its bow.

At the end of ten days, we were alerted that we were “shipping out.” Early that morning the wives who lived nearby were permitted to come into camp to say good-bye. Perhaps I better not try to describe that short moment. I know that I tried very hard to show my bride that I was not frightened.

I never imagined that I would not see my wife again for three long years.