Even with the patriotic fervor that was gripping Lamar and the United States in February 1941, no one held parades to honor the second man drafted into military service.
(Photo: Ione and Richard Chancellor during World War II.)
Only a day earlier Richard Freeman Chancellor, the 24-year-old son of Travelers Hotel owner H. C. Chancellor and his wife Pearl, watched as the first draftee was saluted by the community, complete with a gathering on the square and music from the Lamar High School Band.
Things did not work out as planned for the number one draftee, who flunked his physical when he reached Fort Leavenworth.
So draftee number two was summoned and had to get there by the next day.
Instead of crowds and stirring music sending him on his way, Richard Chancellor waited with his mother as the clock neared 3 a.m. for the bus to arrive at the Travelers Hotel.
Chancellor boarded the bus at 2:58 a.m., a time that remained forever etched in his mind.
When he arrived at Leavenworth, one of the first people he encountered was Captain B. L. Roberts, the former Lamar High School principal and coach.
After he passed his physical and made it through basic training, Chancellor, despite his dream of flying, was placed in an armored unit at Fort Knox in Kentucky that had a mix of old timers and the new draftees.
The old timers did not like having us in their outfit. At all formations we were required to line up separately from the regulars and instead of bunking in the nice brick barracks, we were out on the porches, which were used for calisthenics, drill and instruction during inclement weather.
That location caused problems for Chancellor and the other draftees.
Chancellor was promoted to corporal and was assigned to accompany the battery commander at all times.
Chancellor and the First Armored Unit were sent along with other units to conduct field maneuvers during the first part of July 1941, first in Louisiana, then southern Arkansas and finally in the Carolinas.
The men in the unit knew the score.
“It was quite evident,” Chancellor wrote years later, “that the government was of the belief that we would soon become involved in the war in Europe and they were preparing us as fast as they could with the equipment that was available which at that time was very outdated and scarce.”
After months of maneuvers, the unit returned to Fort Knox December 7, 1941 and began unloading their trucks and taking their personal gear into the barracks.
“Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese,” someone called out. During the rest of that day, as the men continued to unload the trucks, they listened to news accounts of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt described as “a day that would live in infamy.”
“We were moved out of the barracks and into tents and new equipment started arriving and security was tightened.”
Shortly after that, a notice was placed on the bulletin board that had a profound impact on Chancellor’s life.
“The Army Air Corps would be coming through conducting interviews and testing for those who wanted to become members of combat crews.”
Richard Chancellor would finally get his chance to fly.
Only a day earlier Richard Freeman Chancellor, the 24-year-old son of Travelers Hotel owner H. C. Chancellor and his wife Pearl, watched as the first draftee was saluted by the community, complete with a gathering on the square and music from the Lamar High School Band.
Things did not work out as planned for the number one draftee, who flunked his physical when he reached Fort Leavenworth.
So draftee number two was summoned and had to get there by the next day.
Instead of crowds and stirring music sending him on his way, Richard Chancellor waited with his mother as the clock neared 3 a.m. for the bus to arrive at the Travelers Hotel.
Chancellor boarded the bus at 2:58 a.m., a time that remained forever etched in his mind.
When he arrived at Leavenworth, one of the first people he encountered was Captain B. L. Roberts, the former Lamar High School principal and coach.
After he passed his physical and made it through basic training, Chancellor, despite his dream of flying, was placed in an armored unit at Fort Knox in Kentucky that had a mix of old timers and the new draftees.
The old timers did not like having us in their outfit. At all formations we were required to line up separately from the regulars and instead of bunking in the nice brick barracks, we were out on the porches, which were used for calisthenics, drill and instruction during inclement weather.
That location caused problems for Chancellor and the other draftees.
It was not long before Chancellor and some of the others who had college backgrounds gained the respect of the regulars with their technical expertise.
Being on the outside, it was impossible to keep the dust off our beds and equipment and as a result, we rarely passed inspection.
Chancellor was promoted to corporal and was assigned to accompany the battery commander at all times.
Chancellor and the First Armored Unit were sent along with other units to conduct field maneuvers during the first part of July 1941, first in Louisiana, then southern Arkansas and finally in the Carolinas.
The men in the unit knew the score.
“It was quite evident,” Chancellor wrote years later, “that the government was of the belief that we would soon become involved in the war in Europe and they were preparing us as fast as they could with the equipment that was available which at that time was very outdated and scarce.”
After months of maneuvers, the unit returned to Fort Knox December 7, 1941 and began unloading their trucks and taking their personal gear into the barracks.
“Pearl Harbor has been bombed by the Japanese,” someone called out. During the rest of that day, as the men continued to unload the trucks, they listened to news accounts of what President Franklin D. Roosevelt described as “a day that would live in infamy.”
It was a shock to all of us and especially to those of us who were draftees as we were nearing the end of our mandatory year of service and were looking forward to getting out.After Pearl Harbor, Chancellor recalled, all leaves were canceled and training intensified.
As we learned, we had a lot more time to serve, but now we knew why.
“We were moved out of the barracks and into tents and new equipment started arriving and security was tightened.”
Shortly after that, a notice was placed on the bulletin board that had a profound impact on Chancellor’s life.
“The Army Air Corps would be coming through conducting interviews and testing for those who wanted to become members of combat crews.”
Richard Chancellor would finally get his chance to fly.
***
The first Joplin signing for The Buck Starts Here: Harry S. Truman and the City of Lamar will be held Saturday, December 14, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Always Buying Books in Joplin. The book is also available at the Truman Birthplace and Lamar Democrat in Lamar, Changing Hands Book Shoppe and The Book Guy in Joplin and in paperback and e-book from Amazon at the links below.
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