Letters and Memoirs of a World War II Glidertrooper
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Chapter I - I joined the Navy and the Army
I joined the Navy and the Army and when the war ended I was discharged from the Navy and the Army.
It happened this way. I expected to be giving up my teaching job at Alexander Central School in order to be drafted. I was the right age and my eyesight, blood pressure, etc. were all. o.k. I therefore said to my draft board: "Take me, I'm ready to go." They said, "Hold your horses, fellow, we are a little overbooked, but we will get you in as soon as possible, perhaps in two or three months." Shortly after this I learned that the Navy was enrolling a selected group of men for a program which became known as V7. I then signed the application and took several trips to Buffalo for various tests that I proceeded to pass. However, I was discouraged by my family from doing this, perhaps because so many allied ships had been sunk in the North Atlantic. At this time I asked the draft board and the Navy to "Give me a discharge from the Navy and I have decided that the Army is my thing: they obliged me!"
As I lived in Western New York at the time, I was sent to very cold and snowy Fort Niagara where I started my long trip to warm Camp Mackall in North Carolina. What a difference in temperature! It almost made the trip worthwhile.
I can recall asking someone a few questions such as: "Where are we going? What kind of outfit will we be in, etc.?" They replied: "You are in the 17th Airborne Division and heading toward Camp Mackall." This was a little startling, as I hadn't planned to ride planes and gliders. Rather I had expected to be sent to officers' training school just as my brother-in-law, Leonard Marafioti, who retired as a major had been assigned. However, there seemed to be a compensating factor in my assignment. Since my test scores were fairly high, they assigned me to Division Headquarters (Military Intelligence). This meant that I would be able to get a jeep occasionally and wouldn't have to "pull" C.Q. I believed, unless I volunteered to do so.
Over At Last
By George Charlesworth
My tour of duty which had begun almost three years earlier in Fort Niagara, New York, was finally over. It ended on a "high note:" I had been given permission to visit relatives in several places in England before meeting the rest of the 11,000 fellows in South Hampton for the ride home on the Queen Mary.
Unlike our trip to England, we were not worried about U. boats and their lethal torpedoes. There was, however, another problem that I might mention. Half way across we ran into a major storm that caused the captain to slow the great ship down to a crawl for part of a day. For no reason at all I decided to take a walk to the bow of the ship. I didn't stay very long. The bow seemed to be going up and down and I decided that the most pleasant place to be was in the center of the ship where my bunk was located.
This great ship was built, served its country well, and was scheduled for destruction. This never happened. The Mary was painted and repaired and now serves as a museum, a motel, three excellent restaurants and several shops and is docked at Long Beach, California.
If you visit the Mary today you will hear a taped message which says: "This is your Captain speaking, welcome aboard. All ticketed passengers will go directly to their staterooms to wait for their luggage. Have a happy voyage." This taped message was intoned continuously as Velma and I and friends rode the long escalator from the dock to the promenade deck of the Queen Mary. My thoughts went back many decades to early in January of 1946 when I had to walk up a long inclined gangplank to reach the ship. I was wearing a full uniform including the heavy G.I. overcoat and carrying a large duffel bag including letters received. Times had changed and this day I was wearing a sport shirt and carried only a camera.
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About the Book
This book is the compilation of the writings, letters and life of George Charlesworth in the 17th and 82nd Airborne Divisions and later on in his life. Part I of the book includes chapters which George had written before an accident occurred which led to his death. Also included are brief chapters of his life in the service. Chapters 6 and 7 are about his philosophy and religious beliefs. Part II is George’s letters to Velma, his college sweetheart and later his wife. His letters, pictures and memorabilia from his induction on April 13, 1943 until his discharge on January 18, 1946 read like a diary. They have been called "superb and ardent correspondence."
About the Author
A.B. Houghton College, M.A. U.C.LA., Ed.D. in 5 fields, George Washington University. H.S. English teacher prior to Army - Alexander Center School. N.Y. State. Guidance Counselor, Upper Marlboro, Maryland. 2 years before promotion to Staff of Board of Education as pupil personnel worker for 10 years. Director of Guidance in Stratford School System and later Research and Statistics added to the title (21 years); Board of Director of Housatonic Federal Teachers' Credit Union (25 years); Member of Phi Delta Kappa (40 years). Won College-wide literary contest and published in Lanthorn, 1938.
About the Editor: Velma Charlesworth
A.B. Houghton College; MS.L.S. from SUNY at Geneseo and other work at University of Maryland and S.C.S.C. and worked 6 years full-time in University of Maryland Library (catalog dept.); taught L.S. I and L.S. II at this time. 1946-1953
Attended: International Women's Conferences in '90, '91, '92, '93 and '94 and UMW Assemblies in '63, '86, '90, and '94
Honors: Wrote Bibliography for school publication in Bicentennial year, 1976
Who's Who of American Women, 1991-1992, 17th Ed.
The World Who's Who of Women, March, 1992
Who's Who in American Education, 1992-3
Teacher of English and Social Studies and librarian in N.Y. State high schools, 1941-44; IBM - Engineering Dept. February '44 - August 1, '46; building and inspecting retroflector gunsight for B-29; U.C.L.A., Library assistant in catalog department '46-'47. Active member of church (chair and U.M.W.). American Association of University Women 1963-2001; (Member of 3 groups including book group). Square and rounding dancing with George. Travels with George include (30 years) trips to Australia, New Zealand, China, and Japan, Israel, Europe, England, Norway and Denmark, Canada and Alaska, Mexico, Bermuda, Eastern and Western Caribbean Islands and every state in the U.S.
About Artist: Robert N. Blair
He is one of the Western N.Y.'s most accomplished living watercolor painters. He has received more than 20 awards and honors including two Guggenheim fellowships. His work has been featured in countless group exhibitions and over 30 solo exhibitions in museums such as the former Albright Art Gallery and Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural site in Buffalo and Museum of Art, in Utica, N.Y. In 1985 the then-named Burchfield Art Center presented a solo exhibition of his World War II works, photos of which will be in Part I of this book. Later the artist donated a large number of these works to this center, which they said was an extremely generous gift. Many prominent corporations and museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Butler Institute of American Art have acquired Blair's paintings. The Burchfield - Penny Art Center published a book with his life and some of his watercolor art in 2000.