Early Contributions to the War Effort
Late in high school, after the United States declared war on Japan and joined the war in Europe, Robert and four other boys dropped out to attend a welding school. The purpose of the school was to teach skills necessary for the industrial war effort, such as pipefitting and machinery. After a few weeks, Robert was sent down to the Mississippi Gulf Coast at the town of Pascagoula. Here, he worked on naval vessels at Ingalls Shipyard. It was during his time in Pascagoula, on January 19th, 1943, that Robert registered for the Draft.