Dates served:  1942 to 1943

James Gregerson, age 22  was in the services but could not go to war. He said," In Salt Lake City the generals gave me several tests, and I qualified for everything." They gave him several choices to choose from, and he did all his schooling. He had several things that he wanted to do, but they needed him the most in communications. 

They then sent him to Scott Field Illinois, and that automatically put him in the Army Air force. He says they taught him to do Morse Code, and work on the radios that they used in the planes. He said that was a very good school and that they fed and treated him very well. 

They were out doing exercises, and that was when he got hurt. They were playing a game called rugby and as he went to kick the ball another guy kicked at the ball and accidentally kicked his heel and that broke his knee. That put him into the hospital and he then got put into another group in Georgia Hunter Field. 

He had also went to Denver and that was a very big difference to him because he had been around mountains all his life and this place had just flat grounds. He also said he got to ride in the planes while all the other people had to walk. He said that he got to a point where his leg was feeling so much better. He had to pass some physical tests, and one of them happened to be a six mile hike. On the hike he had all the muscles in his leg torn. He was looking forward to going and fighting for his country, but he no longer had a chance, because of this terrible accident. 

The next thing they told him was he was going home. They sent him to his home to help his sick dad take care of the farm. He came home at the age of 23, he only served for a year. He said  a few people who didn't like war,  tried to push down the militaries front gate. 

His wife Philis had tried out for the Woman's Air Core at the age of 16 and they would not let her because she was too young. Her parents were very disappointed. She says they used saving stamps, and they were cashed in for money to help the war efforts. So they both tried to support their country but did not get to. Phyllis said she had not found out about this until 1 year after she married him, and their children still do not know the whole story. So that is all that he got to do in the military.  I was the first to know the whole story. And I am very happy to have been able to spend a little bit of time with them and get to know them.