Joining the War
In late 1942, Robert’s older brother Franklin survived the sinking of the USS Northampton in the Coral Sea, staying in the water for a whole night and day before rescue. This inspired Robert to get out of the shipyard and join the Navy himself. However, when he went to the recruitment center in Pascagoula, he was rejected on the grounds that he was too underweight. Nevertheless, by that time Robert was eighteen years old and had registered for the Draft. He subsequently was notified to go to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for basic training in 1943, where he was examined by more doctors. There, a doctor approved Robert to go into the Navy on the grounds that he was otherwise healthy and that the meals provided would help him gain weight.
After Camp Shelby, Robert was sent to Jackson, Mississippi, and from the bus depot there he was shipped to Ellyson Field at Pensacola, Florida. After being tasked with duties like airplane refueling, he was then sent by train to amphibious training at Norfolk, Virginia. After training there, he was finally sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, where he boarded a troop ship and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. His destination was Oran, French Algeria, a port on the Mediterranean Sea.
After Camp Shelby, Robert was sent to Jackson, Mississippi, and from the bus depot there he was shipped to Ellyson Field at Pensacola, Florida. After being tasked with duties like airplane refueling, he was then sent by train to amphibious training at Norfolk, Virginia. After training there, he was finally sent to Hoboken, New Jersey, where he boarded a troop ship and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. His destination was Oran, French Algeria, a port on the Mediterranean Sea.