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Nile Kinnick correspondence, August-December 1940
1940-06: Page 03
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Nile C. Kinnick 5024 Hamilton Omaha, Nebraska Monday july 7 1941 Dear Bob: [Hobbs] When last I wrote you I was leisurely sojourning at the Phi Psi house in Iowa City. Since then I have meandered my way out to Omaha arriving on last Monday, On the day that I left Ia. City I drove down to Fairfield and played a round of golf with Tom Loudon a fellow law-student and formerly a Sigma Nu, then stayed all night with him. On the following day I drove to Chariton and repeated the performance with Billy Stuart. The third day found me at Adel where I stayed out the weekend and finally I took the road for home. Since then I have played golf twice and done quite a bit of reading. At present I am engrossed in a biography of Andrew Jackson by Marquis James which is highly interesting. "What a turbulent career Old Hickory had. I, als am re-reading a volume by a Methodist minister by the name of J.H. Allen. It is called Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright and deals with his interpretation of Bible history and prophecy. It is somewhat involved but to me intensely fascinating and quite plausible for the most part. You might be interested in looking at it sometime. This morning I went down to the Naval Recruiting office in the Federal building to make inquiry concerning the Air Corps and, also, the Naval Officer Training program by which in four months, or so, a man can get a commission. On the way back I stopped to see your mother and spent a fine half hour conversing with her. Already she is beginning to quiver with exceitement at the prospect of seeing her estimable son the latter part of July. This brief foreword brings me to the guts of this letter, to wit, a discussion of what I may do regarding my military service in the next few weeks. My draft number as drawn in Washington in October was 3 thousand and some which turned out to be 1866 in my local draft district. From the way things have been going and not taking into consideration the effect the new registrants on July 1st may have I should say that my number would come up during August sometime. Toward the end of the month, however, would be my guess. It might even be that I could get back in law school before being called and hence, possibly could get a deferment to the end of the year(rather remote likelihood) but which course I do not want to follow. When called I would prefer going immediately. Therefore, I am not planning on going back to school in the fall which leaves me the alternative of awaiting my number or making some effort of getting a commission in the navy or navy air corps--or the army air corps. The argument against the commission plan is, of course, t fact that you have to sign up for four years regardless of the duration of the emergency. It is my candid opinion that the emergency will last that long or so nearly that long that it won't make much difference. From the standpoint o safety, if there is such a thing in military affairs, I suspect that the navy and navy air corps will see more action than any other service. However, a commission in either of those would mean a good education and good pay. The Navy Reserve Officer gets 183 a month after commissioning and the naval Air Corps pays 245 a month after commission. I find that the Naval R. Off requirements include a year of college math and a semester of Trig either in high school or afterwards. The former I have not had and the latter I have. How about you? The Air Corps requires neither of those buy the physical is plenty tough I guess. My other possibility would be in the Phys. Ed end of th Navy program which they indicated they could get me into alright. I have two objections to that.....first, I don't like giving exercises and laying out athletic fields, etc., and second, the main reason they would want me in that division is the publicity angle which would be ok if I thought I was qualified which I do not believe that Iam--having had no phys. ed., etc. Those reasons don't really add up, I am afraid. What I really mean is that I would prefer some other branch.even the they would involve active participation which a phys. ed. job would net, I suppose. New in letters past you have said three things upon which I wish to comment. First, you have said that you
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Nile C. Kinnick 5024 Hamilton Omaha, Nebraska Monday july 7 1941 Dear Bob: [Hobbs] When last I wrote you I was leisurely sojourning at the Phi Psi house in Iowa City. Since then I have meandered my way out to Omaha arriving on last Monday, On the day that I left Ia. City I drove down to Fairfield and played a round of golf with Tom Loudon a fellow law-student and formerly a Sigma Nu, then stayed all night with him. On the following day I drove to Chariton and repeated the performance with Billy Stuart. The third day found me at Adel where I stayed out the weekend and finally I took the road for home. Since then I have played golf twice and done quite a bit of reading. At present I am engrossed in a biography of Andrew Jackson by Marquis James which is highly interesting. "What a turbulent career Old Hickory had. I, als am re-reading a volume by a Methodist minister by the name of J.H. Allen. It is called Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright and deals with his interpretation of Bible history and prophecy. It is somewhat involved but to me intensely fascinating and quite plausible for the most part. You might be interested in looking at it sometime. This morning I went down to the Naval Recruiting office in the Federal building to make inquiry concerning the Air Corps and, also, the Naval Officer Training program by which in four months, or so, a man can get a commission. On the way back I stopped to see your mother and spent a fine half hour conversing with her. Already she is beginning to quiver with exceitement at the prospect of seeing her estimable son the latter part of July. This brief foreword brings me to the guts of this letter, to wit, a discussion of what I may do regarding my military service in the next few weeks. My draft number as drawn in Washington in October was 3 thousand and some which turned out to be 1866 in my local draft district. From the way things have been going and not taking into consideration the effect the new registrants on July 1st may have I should say that my number would come up during August sometime. Toward the end of the month, however, would be my guess. It might even be that I could get back in law school before being called and hence, possibly could get a deferment to the end of the year(rather remote likelihood) but which course I do not want to follow. When called I would prefer going immediately. Therefore, I am not planning on going back to school in the fall which leaves me the alternative of awaiting my number or making some effort of getting a commission in the navy or navy air corps--or the army air corps. The argument against the commission plan is, of course, t fact that you have to sign up for four years regardless of the duration of the emergency. It is my candid opinion that the emergency will last that long or so nearly that long that it won't make much difference. From the standpoint o safety, if there is such a thing in military affairs, I suspect that the navy and navy air corps will see more action than any other service. However, a commission in either of those would mean a good education and good pay. The Navy Reserve Officer gets 183 a month after commissioning and the naval Air Corps pays 245 a month after commission. I find that the Naval R. Off requirements include a year of college math and a semester of Trig either in high school or afterwards. The former I have not had and the latter I have. How about you? The Air Corps requires neither of those buy the physical is plenty tough I guess. My other possibility would be in the Phys. Ed end of th Navy program which they indicated they could get me into alright. I have two objections to that.....first, I don't like giving exercises and laying out athletic fields, etc., and second, the main reason they would want me in that division is the publicity angle which would be ok if I thought I was qualified which I do not believe that Iam--having had no phys. ed., etc. Those reasons don't really add up, I am afraid. What I really mean is that I would prefer some other branch.even the they would involve active participation which a phys. ed. job would net, I suppose. New in letters past you have said three things upon which I wish to comment. First, you have said that you
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