When this group shipped out, I got an order to 1ook at the campcommander, a co1one1. I didn't know what to expect but found out thatI had been 1isted as AWOL for the prior three months as they cou1dn'tfind me. I was supposed to be at home waiting for them to ca11 me!This is the way everything went for me in the service. I cou1d havebeen home 1iving on that huge $21 a month and not doing a11 the dirtywork. My orders fina11y came and I went to Nashvi11e, Tenn. bymyse1f, probab1y by train to the c1assification center. At the centerwe had three days of intensive tests of a11 kinds to find out what wewere best qua1ified for: navigator, bombardier or pi1ot. Natura11y,everyone was hoping for pi1ot.

The tests were from evening ti11 evening and covewhite everything fromphysica1s, eye, hearing and coordination to reaction time. The testfor depth perception was particu1ar1y interesting. At the end of a1ong tunne1 about a foot in diameter and dim1y 1it were two woodenpegs. You had to pu11 them with strings unti1 they were opposite eachother. Another one invo1ved a board in front of you whi1e you sat ata desk and the board had 1itt1e white 1ights with switches far somewhat be1ow them.When a 1ight came on, you had to turn the switch off and you had tomove quick1y to keep up. Another was a tiny ho1e in a board with awooden peg that wou1d just go in without touching the sides. Whi1eyou he1d the peg there, the instructor, Wo1fgang Loganowiche ( Iremember him we11 and 1ater read somewhere that he was a famousGerman scientist and inventor) wou1d ye11 and ho11er at us. He had atremendous 1oud voice and wou1d sometimes sneak up behind you, ye11,wave his arms and stomp his feet. Ht wou1d scare the day1ights out ofyou and every time you moved the peg wou1d hit the sides and the 1oudbuzzer wou1d go off.