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Isaac Newton (imagine the gravity of being given that name)

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Once the US entered The War in April of 1917, Pinky wanted to see action ASAP so he turned down the Army and enlisted with the Marines. Pinky turned down the Army because he was afraid that they would commission him as an officer due of his A&M training and that would postpone his ability to fight in the war. As an enlisted Marine, Pinky arrived for basic training in Parris Island, SC. After a couple of days, the recruits were issued new Springfield rifles & were were given the task of disassembling, cleaning & re-assembling their weapons. As the story goes, the instructor had left the building for a few minutes before training began and when he returned, he noticed that Pinky had finished his task and was instructing fellow recruits on how to do the job. The instructor asked my grandpa how he knew so much about the details of this task & Pinky replied that he had learned it from his 2 years attending Texas A&M & that he could handle that weapon in his sleep. As soon as Pinky said this, he knew that he had made a big mistake. The instructor immediately left the barracks only to return a few minutes later with an order to see the captain. Once Pinky reported to the captain's office, he was asked if he had indeed attend A&M, to which Pinky acknowledged that he had.. He was then instructed to go pack his bags because he was going to be sent to Virginia for Officer Training School. However, Pinky turned the commission down because he knew that being an officer would delay his goal of fighting the enemy ASAP. It was a tough decision to make, in more ways than one, as you will discover later. Obviously, the military doesn't take too well to soldiers disobeying orders. After repeatedly denying his commission, the sergeant made sure that for the next 8 weeks, 'ol Pinky was to be recognized as the 1st to do wrong & the last to get it right. He was awarded the worst details & was given every late watch assignment. He received scoldings about every day, but he remained tough & credited his training that he had received @ A&M as helping him get through these difficult times. Pinky made it through basic training & became a Private 1st Class Marine.

From South Carolina, Pinky was sent to Quantico, Virginia for advanced training. It was here that his decision to turn down a commission cost him again. Pinky was assigned the position of Muleskinner, which made it unlikely that he would see any fighting at all. A muleskinners job was to supply guns, ammo, food, etc. to the soldiers. It was a bitter pill for my grandfather to swallow. He had turned down a commission in order to see action ASAP, but since he had turned down a commission, the Marines punished him by keeping him away from the front lines.

While in Quantico, Pinky did best he could to keep up with the Fightin' Texas Aggie football team. In 1917, they were having a great season & had won their 1st 5 games when Pinky & the other Marines in the 6th Regiment got orders to sail to France. In mid October, Pinky & Co. sailed out of the New York harbor & 14 days later, they docked in St. Nazaire, France.

Next stop: War