We don’t always know what motivates us to do what we do, but it is often influenced by what is happening in our environment. I was a young boy during the Second World War, and I remember listening to the radio about what was going on in the European front, the Pacific front and hearing about the number of casualties. As young boys, my friends and I would play war and refer to those dirty Nazis and Japs as our enemy because they were our country’s enemy. When we could find the nickel or dime to see a Saturday Matinee at the downtown movie theater, we would see popular war movies; many were double featured. Between movies they would show newsreels taken by actual war correspondents of the real action going on at one front or the other. Often, the daily newspaper would tell the number of casualties, and sometimes it was so many that the hatred for the enemy would be expressed around the dinner table. Mother had four of her brothers in the service, two in the Navy and two in the Army. She was always worried about them being wounded or killed. The war was over in 1945, and we and our allies had won it. It was a wonderful and happy time. I was eleven at the time, selling newspapers on the street corners in downtown Spokane, Washington. Shortly thereafter, we moved to Pullman Washington about 80 miles South where Dad had purchased a tailor shop. The little town of Pullman, Washington, was the home of Washington State Agricultural College, later changed to Washington State University. Two years later, in August of 1947, there was a National Guard Company starting up in our town, and a recruiter was encouraging men to join up, they were trying to get 160 men to make it a full company. A man had to be 17 years old or older to be eligible to join. My older brother Rodney was seventeen, and he decided to join. He shortly thereafter joined the Navy and was gone for three years. I usually hung around with friends who were older than I was. The recruiter was obviously getting paid by the head, so he didn’t really care how old I was. I talked mother into lying my age and signing the papers for me so that I could join, it was August of 1947, I wouldn’t even be fourteen for another 6 months. She agreed for one reason, she said, “Well, I’ll at least know where he is one night a week.” Was I afraid that I wouldn’t be able to keep up and to do everything required of a soldier, those who were seventeen or older who were my fellow guardsman? Though I wasn’t a good student in school I had never felt intimidated by those in my grade who were good students. I just never studied or tried in school, I was more interested in working and making money. After I joined the Guard, I was very able to do all that any of the others did, in fact, I was the first one to make PFC (Private first class) and then corporal. We had regular training meetings every Wednesday night and convoyed to Fort Lewis for two week basic training every summer. The training was the same that full time army recruits were getting at Fort Lewis. I was honorably discharged after three full years of service in the autumn of 1950. I had fulfilled my obligation and I was four or five months shy of being seventeen.
Was I a confident youth? The thought never even crossed my mind back then. Looking back now, from my current point of view, it sure looks like I must have been pretty darn confident. When I see the newspaper clipping of our company B unit shortly after we were organized, there was this little boy in the front row standing at attention just as if he belonged there. That was pretty cocky, or was it confidence? Three years and a few months later, the Korean war was going on and while I was an apprentice bricklayer in Bakersfield, California building an elementary school, I had turned nineteen, and I got my draft notice to appear May 19th, 1953 for military service, which I did. At the end of 8 weeks of basic training, I was one of three, out of several hundred men, in the whole Battalion who graduated with high honors. My orders after basic were to go to another eight-week training program to become a Military Policeman at Fort Baker near Sausalito, California. At the end of that eight week training period, I again graduated in the top four of that graduation class. I was beginning to feel pretty confident that I could do a lot of things, as well or better than many others. But, I never did let any of my success go to my head because I knew I had always worked hard to accomplish the things I did well. My unspoken motto was: ‘Get in there and do what you have to.’
I was watching an advertisement on TV one night, and it was a young man, 14 years old, who said; “I am going to complete school and then go on to college and become a lawyer. Then I am going to come back here and work hard and become successful and one day become the mayor of the city, etc. He was confident. Years ago, there were several famous singing groups Not only did they have great harmony, but they had interesting lyrics. One such group was Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. They had a song titled “Big Man In Town.”
Big Man in Town
Each day as I grow older The nights are getting colder Some day the sun will shine on me Money, I don’t have any
I’m down to my last penny
But darlin’ don’t cry over me
I’ll be a big man in town, honest honey
I’ll be a big man in town, promise darlin’
I’ll be a big man in town, just you wait and see You’ll be proud of me
Big man in town
They think that I’m a rover
But my rovin’ days are over
Some day your folks will welcome me
I went away a small man
But I’ll come home a tall man Then what a pretty bride you’ll be
I’ll be a big man in town, honest honey
I’ll be a big man in town, promise darlin’
I’ll be a big man in town, just you wait and see You’ll be proud of me
I’m gonna make it, just wait and see
Oh, I’m gonna make it, just wait and see
Girl I’m gonna make it, just wait and see
That was a song sung with confidence, and Frankie Valli did become a big man in town.
There is a humorous story about a big man in a small town:
Joe grew up in a small town, then moved away to attend college and law school. He decided to come back to the small town because he could be a big man in this small town. He really wanted to impress everyone. He opened his new law office, but business was very slow at first.
One day, he saw a man coming up the sidewalk. He decided to make a big impression on this new client when he arrived. As the man came to the door, Joe picked up the phone. He motioned the man in, all the while he was talking. “No, Absolutely not. You tell those clowns in New York that I won’t settle this case for less than one million. Yes. The Appeals Court has agreed to hear that case next week. I’ll be handling the primary argument and the other members of my team will provide support. Okay. Tell the DA that I will meet with him next week to discuss the details.”
This sort of thing went on for almost five minutes. All the while the man sat patiently as Joe rattled instructions. Finally, Joe put the phone down and turned to the man. I’m sorry for the delay, but as you can see, I’m very busy. What I can I do for you?” The man replied, “I’m from the phone company. I came to hook up your phone.”
In life we are all given a picture puzzle. It’s up to us to study the pieces, then to put it together to make the picture. So that we can become a big man in town!