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2009-11-21

2009-11-18

2009-11-05

Agriculture

Lifestyles

Thursday, November 05, 2009 12:00 PM

Photo by Elliot J. Sutherland/The Ottawa Herald

Rolan Davis was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942 and spent more than three years serving his country. Davis now lives in Ottawa with his son and daughter-in-law.

World war II forced draftee to grow up fast

By RACHEL HAWKINS, Herald Staff Writer

Rolan Davis is 96 years old, and although he has some trouble walking, he is grateful he has all of his fingers and all of his toes.

Davis, who is the father of Franklin County Sheriff Craig Davis, is a veteran of World War II.

It was in 1941 when he got a letter asking him to come in for a physical for the Army.

“I got my ticket and went and took that physical,” he said.

Davis told those giving him the physical that if he were drafted into the war, he wouldn’t get married. They told him he would not ever get drafted, so he married his wife, Helen Davis, in 1941.

“When I got home from a trip to California, after our wedding, there was a letter waiting for me,” he said. “It said I needed to come back to take another physical.”

Davis walked out of that physical with a uniform in his hand.

“Back then, everyone knew about the draft and what it meant,” he said. “My dad got his notice to do World War I.”

Davis was part of the 531st Antiaircraft Artillery Automatic Weapons Battalion and began training at 6:30 a.m. July 16, 1942, at Fort Bliss, Texas.

Although Davis did not know anyone in his battalion on the first day, he said he quickly made friends.

“I was a loner all the way from the start,” he said. “I went to get on that bus in Topeka, and I was the only one on it. But I ended up making a lot of good friends. A lot of good buddies.”

Davis, who worked for Kansas City Power and Light before his time in the Army, used his work skills for his battalion. He strung telephone and other lines for the officers.

“The best part was the stove I had in the back of my truck,” he said. “The officers would always come over for coffee. I would always have coffee, and they really seemed to like that.”

Davis was a part of the war for three years, three months and 21 days, he said.

“The hardest part was Christmas,” he said. “Christmas was rough to spend over there.”

Davis said locals often would take pity on members of his battalion during the holiday season.

“One family brought us rabbit once,” he said. “One man brought us a bottle of wine. He said he had been saving it for people like us.”

Although the men spent their days working, they were able to celebrate, especially on their first anniversary of work.

The members of the battalion put on skits, listened to a live band and celebrated with beer and food.

Members of the armed services today can keep in touch with family and friends over Facebook, e-mail and even video. But when Davis was in the Army, the only way of communication was through the mail.

“We didn’t write too often,” he said. “Just because you had to be careful with what you sent.”

Davis’ granddaughter, Crystal Davis, said her grandfather still has some of the letters he received and sent while he was in the Army.

Davis sent a tablecloth, a fishing reel and a small typewriter to his wife while serving. They had been married almost 58 years when she died in February 1999.

“I just had to box it all up,” he said. “It had to get the OK first.”

When he returned to Ottawa after his tour, he returned to work at Kansas City Power and Light, where he worked until he retired.

“I retired in ’74,” he said. “I spent almost 30 years with them.”

At his age, Davis said he wishes he had the ability to walk better, but is grateful to have his family around him.

“Being drafted made me grow up pretty fast,” he said.

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World war II forced draftee to grow up fast

By RACHEL HAWKINS, Herald Staff Writer

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article | Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.

E-mail this story to a friend | Print this article |
Enjoy the convenience of home delivery of The Ottawa Herald.