Interviews of Oscar (with Summaries) - Page 2 of 2

Randolph Field Strictness: Oscar reflects on his time stationed at Randolph Field (“West Point of the Air”) before WWII, noting its rigorous discipline, polished linoleum barracks, monthly foot-locker inspections, and requirement to wear Class A uniforms off-duty.
Base Amenities & Life: He highlights unique perks of the base, such as family-style mess halls with no KP duty (staffed by local civilian workers), a German mess sergeant who baked famous apple pies, and eventually earning a private room after reaching sergeant.
Maintenance & Guard Duties: Serving in the base squadron, he worked as a mechanic on diverse experimental observation and transit aircraft, checked Form 1 flight logs, and served one-month rotations like main gate guard duty.
Pre-War Social Life: Oscar recalls hitchhiking into San Antonio, attending church, enjoying a high ratio of local young women while driving a car his parents bought him, and attending NCO club events at places like the Gunter Hotel roof.

Enjoyment of Aircraft Maintenance: Oscar enjoyed working on airplanes because they were cleaner than cars or tractors and featured interesting mechanics.
Specialized Division of Labor: Mechanics like Oscar focused on general aircraft maintenance, while specialized technicians handled radios and flight instruments.

Cross-Country Flight: Oscar recalls taking a weeklong cross-country flight as crew chief on an A-17A attack plane at the request of his pilot.
Route & Stops: The trip included overnight stops at March Field, Moffett Field (where he visited the massive dirigible hangar), a leg up to Seattle, and a return flight back through Idaho.
San Francisco World’s Fair: While staying near San Francisco, Oscar spent a couple of days visiting the World’s Fair.

Postwar High & Disappointment: Returning from overseas on a high from his combat achievements, Oscar was assigned to a base in San Angelo where he was disappointed to be given a routine engineering role managing old aircraft and administrative tasks.
Combat Fatigue & Discharge: Struggling with unrecognized “combat fatigue” and growing disgusted with the assignment, he declined to sign papers for an indefinite stay in the Air Force.
Leaving the Service: Though he didn’t initially realize refusing the paperwork meant immediate separation, he chose not to reverse the decision and was discharged, ending his military career.

Oscar simply notes that he enjoyed the rest of his life following his military discharge.

Oscar reflects on his time near San Angelo and his transition out of the service:
Leaving San Angelo: He notes that while he was unsure how his career would have progressed had he stayed in the Air Force, he knew he did not want to remain stationed in San Angelo.
Family Connections: He recalls visiting relatives, John Melde and Lorraine, who were farming nearby in Eola, Texas, and taking John to the Officers’ Club a couple of times.

Oscar reflects on his life, noting that it was interesting and full of many ups and downs.

Tough Schedule: Oscar recalls a grueling three-year period in Bishop where he worked night shifts at a Celanese chemical plant while farming during the day.
Formaldehyde Exposure: He worked directly with 90% concentration formaldehyde—noting the strong fumes forced unaccustomed workers out, though it cured his athlete’s foot.
Chemical Production Process: The plant converted butane and propane via high-temperature furnaces, quenching the mixture in water to produce formaldehyde along with light alcohols like methanol and ethanol.
Maintenance Challenges: He describes operating distillation units and troubleshooting vacuum-jet centrifugal pumps under a cement cooling structure using steam turbine pumps to avoid electrical sparks.

Farm Recollections: Oscar and the interviewer discuss a flat, farm property located about a mile and a half from the local Lutheran school where his children attended during their lower elementary years.
Local Church & Cemetery: They recall the local stucco church with buttresses—where the children played—and note that while the old church building failed as a museum, the cemetery remains.
Dave’s Funeral: Oscar recalls that heavy rains flooded the site during Dave’s funeral, delaying the burial commitment for a few days until the water cleared.