All records for recruiting for the Officer's Reserve Corps in this country since Congress declared war on Germany, were broken in New York City yesterday when more than 1,300 men made applications to attend the training camp at Plattsburgh. The camp will be officially organized on May 8. So great was the rush that the offices of the Military Training Camps Associations of the United States on the eleventh floor of 19 West Forty-four Street, were kept open until 11 o'clock last night to clear up the opening days rush.
I am now guessing that Fred Judson is a former classmate at Syracuse who perhaps helped Herb get the job with Case, Pomeroy & Company; this is still just a guess.
Tuesday – date unknown, perhaps April 1917
Dear Family,
I arrived here all right as per schedule.
I know I promised not to do anything rash, Mother, but I have done something. To-morrow I am going to apply in the Officer’s Reserve Corps to go up to Plattsburgh and go in training for several months to be able to train the men who are to be drafted. I may not be accepted of course and won’t know until May 8th. I talked it over with Fred Judson very thoroughly this morning and while he didn’t urge me at all he said that he thought that I’d be doing the right thing. He himself is trying to go as a seaman on a submarine chaser. We figured it out this way. I’ve got brains, some education + good health and as a private I’d be an awful waste of good raw material. As an Officer I can be of a lot more service. So I had him call up his dentist and make an appointment for me and I spent two hours in the chair this afternoon until my teeth were put in good shape. There were four holes, one a rather bad one. He is also making me a plate, the one I have is loose and he said a plate would be better than a bridge and would get by the physical examination all right. He refused to tell me what the bill would be and told me not to worry about it anyway because he admired me for doing what I’m doing. Don’t worry more than you can help. If I’m accepted (and it’s not at all sure that I will be) I’ll be just as safe as I would be if I waited to be drafted and I’ll be a lot better off other ways. The point is this – in a time of peace our business is legitimate, even necessary, but just now when all industries are running full blast speculation doesn’t serve any purpose at all. About an hour after I talked with Fred he came in to tell me that the firm would be very glad to make up the difference between whatever pay I may get in Plattsburgh and what I’m getting right now. I thought that was pretty nice.
I was in to see Charlie yesterday. I told him I was thinking of making application for some branch of the service.
This is not permanent you know. It’s only for the duration of the war, and if the firm of Case, Pomeroy is still in existence, I’ll get my job back all O.K. I don’t know what Friedman thinks. He didn’t say. But if the firm approves I guess I don’t need worry about what he thinks any way.
Don’t please think that I’ve done anything horribly rash. I haven’t. I’ve merely anticipated what was sure to come, anyway. And I feel a lot happier because I know that I’m doing all I can. If I’m rejected I shan’t feel disgraced because I know I’ve done my best. The job end of it will be all right anyway. I’m positive of that. I’ll write again along the last of the week and of course I’ll let you know at once if I’m called. And please don’t worry. I’ll be all right. And I’ll be a sure enough statistician yet.
Love,
Herb
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