My grand dad didn't get a foot shot off in the Argonne, but he picked up a large piece of metal in his butt. And was to old for the next one. He still did his part in the Civil Defense. And was a Journeyman Steamfitter. He did a lot of work on Swan Island for government construction.
"You are what you do when it counts."
As his birthday was December 7th he was more than a bit ****ed off when we entered WWII.
"You are what you do when it counts."
When asked if he was in the Army, my granddaddy would say, "Yeah, the Salvation Army," and chuckle. He was too young for WWI and too old for WWII. He was a tool and die maker, and basically worked at one place for his entire career. That one place was the Fulton Sylphon division of Robertshaw Controls, where he made the production tools to make sylphons, those bellows used in various kinds of mechanical thermostats. There were millions used in the vehicles and aircraft during the war. That was a big need during WWII, but he was laid off during the depression and moved to Washington DC where he did the same for the Navy Yard. I think it was about 1938 that he was called back to Robertshaw/Fulton when work ramped up for war contracts. Here is a pic of one of his tool crib tokens. Any tool you didn't have in your personal or workstation kit had to be checked out. You left your token and it was hung where the tool was normally kept until you returned the tool.
Bob
"It is said, 'Go not to the elves for counsel for they will say both no and yes.' "
Frodo Baggins to Gildor Inglorion, The Fellowship of the Ring