May 13, 1943 - Navy Officer Candidate School Letter

My father must have really been reaching out to see what his options were regarding enlistment and training.  The Navy V-12 program was offered at his new alma mater : Millsaps College.  This would have initially kept him close to home and would be a nice option for the future.

Had he been accepted, he might have rubbed elbows with Johnny Carson.  The famous comedian and host of The Tonight Show joined the Navy in June of 1943 and received his V-12 training at both Colombia University and Millsaps College.

It was not to be, however, as Daddy got his first denial letter.  They do not detail the reason(s) for the denial, but I'm sure Daddy still felt like he could join the Air Corps.

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May 6, 1943 - Third Letter of Recommendation

This is the last of three letters of recommendation we found in Daddy's files with his scrapbook.  It appears that he was also interested in the Navy V-12 program; I will post the letter he received from the Navy V-12 in a week.

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If not on the radio on May 6, then I'm sure the news spread rapidly via newspaper that the Philippines had fallen.  Daddy's connection to the Philippines, while distant, would be part of his experience to come.

May 3, 1943 - Another Letter of Recommendation

World War II was still churning across both oceans east and west of Jackson, MS.  My father was nearly through is freshman year at Millsaps College.  Now that he was past the limitation of being 18 years old, he was making plans to join the Army Air Corps and be a pilot.