Keith Tillotson
Siging Up (1934)
Kenneth graduated from high school in 1934 – he was 19. So he joined the Navy. I was thinkin' about the same thing, and he says, "Well, you gotta have a eighth grade diploma. You can't join unless you have eighth grade." So, I decided I'd get an eighth grade diploma. So I bought books, and I just studied all summer. Took the examination and got my diploma. Then Kenneth says, "You should join the Army. It's too tough – you can't make it in the Navy." Well, I was bound to get in the Navy. So, I signed up. I'm 17, but I didn't get in the Navy 'til I'm 18. I got my diploma, but I guess I was 18 before I went down to join up. I think I was – you had to be 18. I hitchhiked down there, on a dime. I had ten cents – it was about a hundred miles to Des Moines. I didn't spend that dime. But I got hungry after I went through my examination – this is when I was 18, sometime in the spring. I forgot when, but it was after I was 18, anyway. So, I got hungry, and said "What am I gonna do?" I've only got a dime, so I went to the Salvation Army. And they fed me, gave me a bunk to sleep in all night, gave me breakfast. And then I hitchhiked home. Still had my dime. Everybody'd pick you up on the road those days. After I got in the Navy, I bought a self-taught high school book, and I studied that for a while.
After Kenneth graduated from high school we got a job up in northern Iowa picking corn for a big farmer. Also, our cousin went with us up there. So we picked corn. While we were there, Kenneth had to report to the Navy. 'Cause he'd already taken the exam, you know – the physical and all that stuff. And that's where he met Ida, his wife. They were living on one of the farmer's houses. This guy had a lot of farms. So we all left, and I can't even remember how I got back. I think maybe I rode with 'em, 'cause they took Kenneth to Des Moines to join the Navy. That's where he had to report. Yeah – I think that I rode with them back, I'm pretty sure.
The job up in northern Iowa was the first time I ever drove a tractor. This guy had a tractor. Their cousin – his dad was fairly well off. They had tractors, you know. So we went to plow some ground. I had the Farmall, and he had the one with four wheels. That was easy, 'cause you could follow the furrow with the four-wheel. But the Farmall has two wheels up front like this – a tricycle – and it's hard to see how far over you are. Remember there was a lot of rocks in that field, and the one where we lived was no rocks. That was the first time I ever drove a tractor. Anyway, we picked corn, and he joined the Navy, and that's when we went back home.
Speaking of rocks, we didn't have any rocks. But, there was a rock out in the timber 'bout yay big. And somebody come to visit, us kids would take him out and show him that rock. Can you imagine? Rocks like here in Delaware – it's nothin' but rocks. And there we had this rock. Kenneth could pick it up, I couldn't. I don't know how it ever got there. We didn't have rocks.
The next year after I came back with Kenneth when Kenneth had to report to the Navy I just worked around on farms. I worked for my cousin, and the last one I worked for was Hoyt Teague. Bill Teague, his son, was up in northern Iowa with us too, to work. But his father was a fairly big farmer – he had a tractor. He was right close to the school – caddy corner across from the school was where Hoyt Teague had his farm. 'Course they all went to school there when I was young. And the sheriff, George Jensen, lived right beside the school. So he knew everybody by their name – first name.
Hoyt Teague was the last guy – I was pickin' corn for him when they called me in November to go in the Navy. However, I decided I wanted to go see Dad again. He was living in Orleans Nebraska, which is up the river from Alma ten miles. I think I had a friend take me to Omaha. His name was Perry something. He married one of Perry's nieces. One of these guys that never liked to work. Oh yeah, I got a story about him later. I think he took me to Omaha, and then I hitchhiked out to Nebraska – to Alma. Had to get off at – I think it's Hastings, I think that's the name of the town. But the guy that took me out there said, "I'm going to be back in about a couple of months or so. I'll pick you up and take you on back to Iowa." And he did.
I took this branch line which went right by old Cleve Batton's farm that I worked for – he owned the grainery there. I hopped on this train, right behind the tender. Now I had a hat – a Dick Tracy hat. Everybody had a hat like Dick Tracy, and I had one. You'd look cool with one of those hats. The only problem I had there – the smoke came right over the top of that thing and landed all of it I think on top of my head. But they knew I was back there – they didn't care. The train didn't make over about – it was a slow train – maybe 20 miles an hour. It went right on up to Orleans.