Part Three, The Changing 50s

Alvene, as you know, our mother died in October 1948. She was an elegant lady from Alabama and it was through her efforts that kept the Brewton family well fed and clean throughout the depression years when most of us were born. She was a miracle worker.

Daddy remarried less than a year later and it was our sister Earline (Lena) that kept most of the family together. Daddy gave some heavy responsibilities to her at age 17. All of us are indebted to her.

I was in my senior year at Washington Technical and due to graduate in June of 1950 when Cookie and I had many arguments with our stepmother and the son she brought into our family. One of the things that caused me to join the Air Force was was the woman wrapped our refrigerator with a chain and padlock. She claimed we ate too much food. Bubba and daddy talked in the living room regarding the chain and lock and it was removed. I was too young to understand that level of greed, still can't. I decided to leave home on graduation and join the Air Force. Daddy had to sign for me to enter the service on June 27th, 1950, because I was seventeen at the time. Daddy gave me a ten-word lecture on life, "Don't mess with any girl you don't plan to marry" and off I went. I left St. Louis a private in the Air Force and headed for Lackland Air Force Base for basic training. President Harry S. Truman ended segregation in the armed forces with executive order 9981 in 1948.

It was there, at Lackland while marching down the road, that I saw a column of new recruits headed in our direction, still dressed in civilian clothes. Among them, out front of the second squad, was Bubba.

"Bubba!" I yelled. "Big Shot!" was his reply. Talking while in ranks was forbidden in the military, but here, hundreds of miles from home, was my brother. "Bubba" I yelled again, "when did you join?" As our columns grew closer, Sergeant Brown my drill instructor and his little mean corporal, were both running in my direction. I was expecting the worst of the worst when sergeant Brown asked me, "Is that your brother?" "Yes sir" I said. "Did you know he was in the Air Force?" "No, Sir" I said. "You want to see him tonight?" Yes, Sir!"

Sergeant Brown took me in his jeep to see Bubba and said that he would be back before lights out (9 p.m.). Bubba and I had a lot to catch up on. He told me that he had failed the Air Force test for pilots by two points and crashed his airplane. That's why he joined the service, July 17, 1950.