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Mr. Farmer:
Interviewer: Mr. Farmer:
You know where that's at...very good school. Well I wasn't smart enough...and I'll readily admit it because in high school...the little ole bitty high school...and everybody knew everybody...and I copied and cheated and all this and that and just got through, you know. They passed me more or less...that's one of the biggest mistakes that I've realized in life that I made! But it's...an old friend of mine would say, "Its done did," you know. But I worked at the railroad for about three years, I think, and then I could of been a travelling stenographer for one of the high officers, but I...I decided I didn't want that. So I went out here to Sinclair on...old Pasadena 225...old dirty looking plant, yeah, I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about. "We're not hiring, but I heard Shell is hiring" they said. So I go to Shell...and...I think downtown Houston by a fellow that was named Jesse Collins and they said once he heard you and interviewed you...your name and face...he never forgot you! And...excuse me (cough), and so I go out to Shell...well, I take a test there. It must have been awful easy on the test because they passed me. And I got on at Shell and I worked as...twenty-three years as an operator...which I really liked running these units. And I'm surprised at that whole ship channel hasn't blown up! You can't imagine...some of these guys
running some of these dangerous units that don't know nothing...it... it... man, it's absorb! Right. And then I have a handicap daughter. She's 54...told you that already here at home. And my wife was working as an interior decorator at the Black
The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Nels Farmer. He was born in Wortham, Texas 24 December 1924 and enlisted in the Navy in 1943. Completing boot camp at San Diego, California, he was sent to Farragut, Idaho as assistant gunnery instructor. After nine months he was assigned to the USS Willard A. Holbrook (AP-44) working in various capacities. After arriving at Hollandia, New Guniea he was assigned as a machine gunner to USS PT-146 in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 12. He served on board for nine months and saw no action during that time. He returned to the United States and was discharged March 1945.
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