Oral History Interview with John Skirvin, February 17, 2007 Page: 2

                                
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Mr. Skirvin:
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Mr. Cox:
Mr. Skirvin:
Mr. Cox:
Mr. Skirvin:
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Mr. Skirvin:
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Well, how did a farm boy from your part of the country feel about that basic training?
I felt good. I wanted to be a soldier. I had the idea I was gonna go out and win the war.
And I wanted to be, I wanted to go in as soon as Pearl Harbor happened, but I still was
under age and didn't get my parents' consent. They said,"Oh no, maybe you won't have
to go." So I didn't volunteer, and they drafted me finally in October of '42.
Now after you finished basic training, did you go on any other schools?
No, I just went from there to Fort Bliss, Texas, to the First Cavalry Division. I was in
Troop G, Twelfth Cavalry Regiment.
Well tell me a little bit about what it was like when you went up there.
In the First Cavalry?
Right, First Cav.
Well, I got there on the day before Christmas, 1942, and I was pretty disappointed
because I thought they won't sent horses overseas, and I wanted to go overseas. We rode
the horses from then until some time in February. They took the horses away from us
and made Infantry out of us. We already used Infantry weapons, so all they had to do
was make us walk instead of riding horses.
So they trained you on horses even in 1942?
Yeah, early '43.
And then they finally took them away from you and you trained as Infantrymen?
Yeah.
What were you, a rifleman or machine gunner, or . . .

I had an automatic rifle, they called it a BAR, Browning automatic rifle.
Very effective, very effective. In fact, they usually put the best shooter on the BAR, did
they not?
Oh, they picked me because I was the biggest man in the squad and that was the biggest
weapon that we had, so they thought I would be more able to carry it, I guess.
Do you remember how many rounds a minute that that thing fired?