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Show Thursday, May 1, 2008 NORTH COUNTY NEWSPAPERS Page 13 Harsh conditions f op new enlistees . V veterans Editor's note: This is the first in a series about Jonathan Chamberlain of Orem, who served in the U.S. Air Force during the period of the Ko rean War. He used his skills as a journeyman carpenter on his LDS mission and worked as a career counselor in his military service in England. This is his story in his own words. m y twin brother and I graduated gradu-ated from Kanab High School in 1946. World War II had just ended, and several thousand returning veterans enrolled at the University of Utah when we did. They were given priority in their choice of classes, so my brother and I couldn't get any of the classes that aimed in the direction of dentistry. Our parents had determined that my brother and I were to become "twin dentists" at the University. At age 17, both my brother and I were considered journeyman journey-man carpenters by the local carpenters' union, because we had built, or helped build, barns, sheds, a chicken coop and a house on our farm. After Af-ter our first year of college, we worked building houses in Mesa, Ariz., and then later in the Los Angeles area. In February 1948, 1 was attacked at-tacked by our Jersey bull and spent weeks in the hospital. Two days after I returned from the clinic, I was interviewed inter-viewed for an LDS mission call at our stake conference, even though I was still very thin and looked as emaciated and weak as I felt. After more recuperation, recupera-tion, I reported in December 1948 to the North Central States Mission. I spent much of my mission building a "house chapel" and remodeling many members' homes that had been damaged by a flood. I also met my future fu-ture wife on my mission. Immediately upon returning return-ing home in December 1950, I was informed by the draft board that I must either be drafted into the U.S. Army or enlist in a branch of the service ser-vice of my choice. I was told by a recruiter in Kanab that if I enlisted at Fort Douglas in January, I could return home and wait two or three months to be called up. Contrary to that promise, about 50 of us spent the night at Fort Douglas and early the next morning, instead at returning home, we were shipped to Denver by ' ; train. After an hour-long wait, we and many more enlistees , were sent to Lackland AFB, A San Antonio, Texas. ' V A serious mistake had been made. The base was definitely not ready to receive us. After a few days, a fellow enlistee from Glendale, Utah, , contracted pneumonia from overexposure and the poor housing conditions. He was diagnosed with spinal meningitis meningi-tis and was paralyzed for two weeks and not expected to live. He was sent home and honorably honor-ably discharged. We were still wearing only the clothes we had been wearing when we enlisted. We slept in them, wrapping our blankets around us. For 17 days our flight group was sworn at, marched and drilled. We served KP duty in our civilian shoes and clothes. We were forbidden to use established estab-lished latrines to wash or to use the toilets, so we were all cold, hungry and dirty. I was fortunate to have my Sunday wool suit and overcoat, having just arrived from Winnipeg, Canada. Still, after the ordeal I was greasy and filthy. Finally because so many enlistees had died and dozens more were seriously ill from the adverse conditions in the Benefit Controls i o m r a f r s Wl. 1)1 I IVI.R KIKAll (Sir til M l II KI.Sl I IS1 Large and Small Employer Groups (fully-insured and self-insured plans) Individual Plans & Family Plans Medical Disability Hospital Income Prescription (LTDSTD) Benefits Dental HSAHRAFSA Long Term Care Vision Cancer (LTC) Life Medicare Accident U- January cold and wind, a congressional con-gressional investigation got underway. Our tents were stricken down and we were ordered or-dered into warm barracks with wooden floors, heaters and cots with mattresses. On Jaa 19 we were issued regulation shoes and Air Force uniforms, and for the first time a change of underwear and the privilege to wash our civilian clothes. A day or two later, we were awakened from sleep in the middle of the night, told to gather our gear and were taken tak-en to the airport. We boarded an airliner and were flown to Scott Field, 111. all this before our basic training was complete. Might we have been shipped out before the congressional congres-sional investigation began? After training (and much church activity) at Scott Field and Lowry AFB in Denver, Jonathan is assigned to Germany Ger-many but he ends up in England. Some veterans may wish, on their own, to tape or digital record their memories of military service. These will be transcribed and archived. For instructions on how to do this, e-mail Don Norton, at donnortonbyu.edu. ''LkOiiV A'AYAY1 ! 1 I'M 1 1 U I 1 UL 1 1 1 Family fPdltflgf Qmmtilc EiliiiiUliii VP JVlosf Insurance accepted. fmw Ittfi d fdf mi Teeth Whitening with new patient mm, wayi, m cleaning. iiEtIII13II-I AwfiF8R Eternal Aeeiai8n Q)A' 1 IK "AfUl- II j WE HAVE ALL YOUR TRUCK HEEDS! 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