MY GRANDPA ABBOTT

MY GRANDPA ABBOTT
Charles Bela Abbott was born in Barrington Illinois on June 30 1865. His middle name came from his Father, Bela Abbott. My first name came from my Grandpa Abbott. His Father died in an accident when my Grandpa was just a boy. His Mother, whom I never knew, was born in Canada as Sarah Moorhouse Dearlove. After her husband’s death she married a fellow named Otis.Grandpa married my Grandma, Nora Straight, at Grandpa’s Mother’s home on the 26th day of May 1904.
When we went to live with my grandparents Grandpa was the postmaster in Imogene, Iowa. At that time postmaster was a political appointment so when the Republicans were in office he was postmaster and when they were out so was he. When he was out he sold insurance for a living.
Grandpa’s great passions were, trains, the Civil War and the circus. He smoked cigars and chewed Sweet Mist tobacco. He accompanied my Great Grandpa Straight to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the 75th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg June 29th to July 6th 1938.
Grandpa was known as Charlie or C.B. I never saw him wearing anything other than a suit, shirt and tie. He had several idiocsyncrasies indigenous to him. If we had company and his bed time at 10 PM arrived he would get up and go to bed.
He would sit in the car when he thought it was time to go home and periodically honk the horn.
He wouldn’t eat green jello because he thought it might be poison.
He would always give me the same advice. “Listen to your Grandmother ane you’ll never go wrong. I should have taken this advice more to heart.
Grandpa died on July 12 1954 in a nursing home in Shenandoah Iowa. I was in the Air Force in Japan at the time, so could not attend his funeral.

MY FIRST JOB IN THE MILITARY

After joining the Army Air Force in February of 1948 I was sent to Lackland Air Base in San Antonio Texas for basic training. I remember I was assigned to Squadron BN 7, Flight 2815. Basic training was 13 weeks.
After basic training I was to report to Camp Stoneman, California after a delay in route at home.
I reported to Camp Stoneman and was assigned to the Far East Air Force un-assigned which meant I was going overseas but didn’t know where or what I would be doing.
I shipped out of San Francisco on a troop ship and 13 days later found myself in a replacement depot on the island of Guam.
I watched the bulletin board often to see where I was going and what I was going to do.
I learned I was going to Harmon Air Base and my job classification would be 970-C. No one at the depot knew what 970-C meant. I was taken up to Harmon Air Base where I learned I would be an instsructor in the Link Trainer.
The Link Trainer was used to teach pilots instrument flying and to keep them proficient in instrument flying . The trainer consisted of what looked like a small airplane for the pilot and a desk with a device that tracked on a map the progress of the pilot on a particular mission.
The trainer in use at the time was designated ANT-18. I instructed on this trainer during my 15 months on Guam and then on a newer Link Trainer when I returned toi the States.