Jim Manry, Willis Carmichael, Clyde Anandale
While at GA Tech, Willis Carmichael, Jim Manry and I joined the Georgia Air National Guard, which had a large base at Dobbins AFB in Marietta, GA and which had been involved in building planes during WW II in nearby Marietta.
I ended up in a radar repair unit.
We spent one weekend a month in training (and fun) at Dobbins. During summers we went to a two week training camp at an active Air Force base. One summer we went to Orlando, another two summers to Savannah. It was useful training and also fun and games being around airplanes, radar, etc.
The first summer I was assigned to be an MP because of my height (in spite of my being so skinny). Fortunately my radar unit called me back so I never got embarrassed…
I recall having a blind date in Savannah one night. After going to a movie and taking the girl home, we got in the middle of two cars shooting at one another! We got out of there as soon as we could. Needless to say that was one romance that never developed…
Our GA ANG days were rudely interrupted by the Korean War at the end of the first quarter of my senior year. Our unit was activated and we were to report in January. One of my life-changing, luckiest moments was going over to Tech and visiting 2nd quarter registration in early January. I dropped by the AirROTC desk to tell the AirROTC major about being called up. I had not been able to take Advanced ROTC my final two years because I failed the eye exam.
The major lit up when he saw me and showed me a telex he had received THAT morning from the Air Force. Because of a need for second lieutenants, senior students could take the last two quarters of ROTC and receive a commission! The eye qualifications had been relaxed. I asked the major what I should do. He told me that if I could get discharged from the ANG, he would sign me up. Being released from the Guard was my problem.
I called the ANG adjudent and was told that he would handle the paperwork but that i needed approval from the Governor. I drove to the State Capitol and went into Governor Herman Talmadge’s office and pleaded my case to his all-important secretary; she was confident that the Governor would support me. The next morning I had his signature, drove back to Dobbins and completed the discharge process. Back to GA Tech where I was most fortunate in getting all the classes I needed to graduate. I graduated that June but had to wait until my 21st birthday to get my commission, at which time I reported to Brookley AFB in Mobile, AL to start active duty as a commissioned officer.
In the meantime, Jim and Willis were transferred to an Air Force base in Tennessee. Jim served his two years as an enlisted man but Willis got himself accepted in flight school and later became a fighter pilot.
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