|
August I think of 1918, I decided to join the
Army. I went over to the University of Virginia to
join the Student Army Training Corps. What they
call the SATC. And I was turned down because of
heart trouble, but my momma, I went back to
Lynchburg and she got doctors to verify that it
wasn't my heart, I was just scarred.
So I went back to the university with those
papers and we got in the Army in August 1918, and
we were housed in one of the dormitories there at
the university. We had classes in the morning in
the college after we had our breakfast in the mess
hall and at twelve o'clock we had our midday mess
hall experience and then we were free until two
o'clock. Two o'clock we had to drop in army
regulations and march across the campus and by the
rotunda and over the railroad tracks to the
football field where we drilled from two o'clock
until four o'clock. They issued us these large
Russian rifles, which were no bullets. We had to
assemble them and clean them, keep them polished
just like the army has to do.
Then we marched back to the campus and at six
o'clock we had our evening meal, and after the
evening meal we were free to roam around the
campus, or go to the picture show, or do what ever
you want until ten o'clock when taps was sounded
and we had to be in, lights out, ready for the next
day. That went on until I think the first of
November, when a severe flu epidemic hit the area,
schools and churches in Lynchburg were closed for
several weeks. People were dying right and left,
due to the flu. And our army was quarantined to the
campus, we couldn't leave the campus. So we had to
move out of our dormitory and move into one of the
rooms on the west lawn campus of the university,
and there we stayed until we were dismissed.
Happy day came when November the eleventh
armistice was signed and we all filed our group
together, marched down to the public square and
heard a speech and marched back and we were
quarantined for the rest of the month. And we just
waited until we were discharged. My honorable
discharge came in December 15 and I was very happy
then to get back home to Lynchburg.
Our church in Lynchburg one summer hired a whole
railroad passenger car and brought the whole group
up to Roanoke and we caught the street cars and
went out to Mountain Park where they had a huge
pavilion and that mountain railroad. We would ride
that mountain railroad for twenty-five cents, up to
the top of Mill Mountain and back, and that was
quite a treat. Quite an unusual experience.
Street cars downtown, right in the middle of
Campbell Avenue and Jefferson Street, they had a
big wide turn. Street cars would come in there and
go back and forth, they go change in any direction
in that area right there. And some of them went
South Roanoke, some of them went Patterson Avenue,
some went Southeast.
Well I'd say trust in the lord, and he'll bring
everything to pass that's good for you. The lord
has blessed me all my life and crowned it all with
a loving wife, so why in the world should I
complain when I have everything to gain.
|
|
Can't hear this oral history?
Be sure you have the
RealAudio
Player plug-in.
Name: Glenwood Deacon, 97 years old
Presently resides: At his home in Roanoke
Born: Lynchburg, May 5, 1900
Moved to present hometown: Moved to
Roanoke in 1926
Type of work after the war: 60 years for
local architectural firm
Family: Raised 2 daughters with his late
wife, Ada
Branch of service: Army, Student Army
Training Corps
|