Another story in which my dad is the main character

My dad was petrified that he wouldn't graduate from high school in time to go and fight in Korea. Luckily for him the war (conflict) lasted longer than anyone thought it would. Dad loved airplanes. He wanted to be an airplane mechanic. My uncle, Dad's brother, is eight years older and had been in the Navy during World War II. Dad decided that he didn't want to enlist in the Navy because he wanted to be his own man (at 18). So he set his sights on the Air Force.

Every day Dad went to the recruiting station and walked up to the Air Force table to see if they were signing people up. And every day, when the Air Force recruiter told him that the Air Force was still not enlisting, the Army recruiter would come over and talk to Dad. He'd tell him that if my dad enlisted in the Army instead of waiting to be drafted, Dad could do anything he wanted to do. But the glamour of the Air Force was just too much for my father and he decided to hold out for that.

Finally it was just a few days before my dad's draft number would be called. Dad frantically went to the recruitment station but , alas, the Air Force still wasn't signing men up. Once again the Army recruiter talked to my father.

This is the conversation Dad had with my grandparents when he came home from the recruitment station that day.

Dad: Well I did it. I enlisted in the Army.

Grandpa: I thought you were waiting for the Air Force.

Dad: If I waited a few more days I would be drafted into the Army anyway. This way I got to pick what I'm going to do in the Army.

Grandpa: Are you going to be an airplane mechanic?

Dad: No, this is even better. I'm going to be an airborne paratrooper.

Grandma: (Crying uncontrollably)

Grandpa: And what exactly do you think airborne paratroopers do?

Dad: I'm not sure, but the recruiter said I'll be doing something in airplanes.

Grandpa: YOU IDIOT! You won't be 'doing something IN airplanes," you'll be jumping OUT OF airplanes!!!

Dad: Oh no!! That's not what I want. That's not what I want at all.

The next day Dad went back to the recruitment station. To make things worse, for the first time in months the Air Force was signing people up. He desperately tried to get out of the Army, but the recruiter said that that was impossible. He did let Dad out of being an airborne paratrooper though. Much to my father's despair (and my grandparents great joy) Dad spent the Korean War (Conflict) in Alaska.