A Birthday Greeting

[dusty]

Gene, May I Wish You a Very Happy Birthday and Many More To Come.

[Gene Howe]

Thanks, Dusty.
How's the new house and shop working out for you?

[wa2crk]

Congrats Gene!!! You caught up with me.
Bill V

[Gene Howe]

Congrats Gene!!! You caught up with me.
Bill V

Thanks, Bill. 78 for me, too. Hey, we weren't war babies.

[dusty]

Thanks, Dusty.
How's the new house and shop working out for you?

The house and shop. The house is great; exactly what we needed. The shop is OK. It provides everything that I really need but I miss the open spaces that I enjoyed in the other shop.

The sacrifice is that I must place all of the inactive SPT out of the way (against the side walls). That is OK for items like the scroll saw and the 2nd bandsaw.

But I am not complaining. I am content with what I have and will probably never get back into woodworking like I was.

[JPG]

Congrats Gene!!! You caught up with me.
Bill V

Thanks, Bill. 78 for me, too. Hey, we weren't war babies.

Not POST war anyway.

[Gene Howe]

Congrats Gene!!! You caught up with me.
Bill V

Thanks, Bill. 78 for me, too. Hey, we weren't war babies.

Not POST war anyway.

Smewheres twixt WWl and WWll. But, who's counting?

[robinson46176]

I was born about 5 months in during WW-II but was in the development stage before it started.
My father was never in the military, not many in my family were. Mostly just how times worked out. That and most of us have been farmers. My father said that he tried to enlist before the war but they wouldn't take him then. By the time things got going he was testing aircraft engines and farming and did for the duration of the war. I was never in just from timing. I was too young for Korea and by the time Vietnam got really heated up and the draft got heavy I was married with 3 kids and was in an executive position in a data processing firm. I wasn't about to enlist... My son is now 47 so he is past going. I do have 3 grandsons in their 20's but none are likely to enlist.
My paternal grandfather was 42 by the time WW-I started and dead by 1943.
My maternal grandfather enlisted in WW-I as soon as he was old enough but he was only in for 30 days when the war ended and they sent him home and discharged him.
Going on back most were either too young or too old for the Civil War. I did have a gg-grandfather that served from 1862 until 1865 when it ended.
Now when you get back to the Revolutionary War I had a whole bunch on both sides...

There was a funny bit about my data processing job. I was not told until later but my immediate superior told me one day that the top brass of the company had met with the local draft board and told the board that I was essential to the survival of the company. I didn't even know that they could do that or had. No one else ever mentioned it. We were a fairly small company, around 30-40 people. We had a few guys drafted, one didn't make it back...


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[jsburger]

I was born about 5 months in during WW-II but was in the development stage before it started.
My father was never in the military, not many in my family were. Mostly just how times worked out. That and most of us have been farmers. My father said that he tried to enlist before the war but they wouldn't take him then. By the time things got going he was testing aircraft engines and farming and did for the duration of the war. I was never in just from timing. I was too young for Korea and by the time Vietnam got really heated up and the draft got heavy I was married with 3 kids and was in an executive position in a data processing firm. I wasn't about to enlist... My son is now 47 so he is past going. I do have 3 grandsons in their 20's but none are likely to enlist.
My paternal grandfather was 42 by the time WW-I started and dead by 1943.
My maternal grandfather enlisted in WW-I as soon as he was old enough but he was only in for 30 days when the war ended and they sent him home and discharged him.
Going on back most were either too young or too old for the Civil War. I did have a gg-grandfather that served from 1862 until 1865 when it ended.
Now when you get back to the Revolutionary War I had a whole bunch on both sides...

There was a funny bit about my data processing job. I was not told until later but my immediate superior told me one day that the top brass of the company had met with the local draft board and told the board that I was essential to the survival of the company. I didn't even know that they could do that or had. No one else ever mentioned it. We were a fairly small company, around 30-40 people. We had a few guys drafted, one didn't make it back...


.

Sometimes it happens that way.

As for the Vietnam draft, it was a lottery and you had to be classified 1A to be drafted. If you were married WITH children you were classified 3A (I think). I was the same with 2 children. At the beginning of the draft I was in college and classified 2S. If you didn't get drafted in the first year you signed up for the draft the chances of being drafted were nill. They had to go through all the people in subsequent years to get to your year.

I volunteered in 1972 when I was classified 3A. My recruiter said I would have to be reclassified 1A to enlist. I said I didn't want to wait so he just signed me up. He said once I took the oath of enlistment it wouldn't matter. I still have my Selective Service Registration card issued in 1965.

[robinson46176]

I should have mentioned that since I didn't have to go I think it makes me even more grateful of the service of those that did...
I am truly grateful for the sacrifices of those that went...


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