Dad graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in Lebanon, TN at age 17 in the summer of 1942. He would not turn 18 until 11-21-42. With the war on, high school graduates from qualified military academies were allowed to become commissioned officers without going to college provided they successfully completed officer training AND were at least 18 years old. Dad graduated from infantry school on Sep 23rd and was accepted into paratrooper school the end of 1942 which was located at Ft Benning near Columbus, GA. Shortly after turning 18, he received his commission as a 2nd lieutenant becoming one of, if not the youngest commissioned officer in the US Army.
When Dad was 7, he wrote a love letter to one Evelyn Roland. In it he states that “you have such pretty gold hair. I like gold hair.”
Little wonder that he was so infatuated with Jean Roberts.
Jean Roberts.
My mother, Jean Roberts, grew up in Boyce, near Alexandria, LA. Her mother was a Laneheart from Woodville, MS. When she was 16, Jean visited her aunt in Woodville. One day, she was walking walking down a sidewalk in town in shorts with her long golden hair when she heard a wolf whistle, Jean turned to see a young man beaming at her. He told her he was Marshall Treppendahl and he asked her to go out with him. She snapped back that he was rude and turned around and huffed off. Further efforts by Marshall to get her to go out with him were rebuffed. A few days later, a nice fellow named Claude McLemore asked Jean to go out on a date with him and she accepted. Claude picked her up at Aunt Carrie’s house and drove to the end of the block where he stopped, got out of the car and his best friend, Marshall Treppendahl, jumped in and sped off with Jean. That was their first date.
Marshall Treppendahl (age 17)
While Dad dated quite a lot of different girls after that, Jean was the one who stole his heart. His diary is filled with compliments of and yearnings for her. Nov 8, 1942, Dad writes: “Now and then I crave for Jean Roberts – she will be mine someday I know – I must love her, and she will love me.” On Valentine’s Day in 1943, Dad asked her to marry him, and she said, “come back in 6 months”. (Mama was two days younger than Dad.) He was very frustrated by this and notes in his diary they would be married that year or never.
Six months later, on August 6, Jean accepted his proposal. Dad was elated. However, as the wedding day (Oct 10, 1943) approached, Dad became concerned that Mama would back out. And with good reason; she was getting cold feet. Jean told her parents that she felt she was just too young to get married; they assured her it was fine to postpone the wedding. So, she sent Dad a telegram on Oct 6 telling him she was not yet ready to get married. No response.
She sent a second telegram on the 8th. No response.
On the morning of the 9th she received a telegram from Marshall saying “I have not received any of your telegrams. Can’t wait to see you at the church tomorrow at 11:00 AM.” Mom showed up and they were married.
No doubt, my father was a man who had great confidence in himself and who once got something in his head, would not take “no” for an answer. This was a great strength in most situations. But, if he got into his head that boys could only become men by being exposed to and overcoming great risks and danger, it could be a weakness – a deadly weakness.