I'd like to recall and bring to the Campfire's Attention on this Memorial Day MSgt Jack Traynor.
I met Jack Traynor in 1982 at Brooks Army Medical Center at Ft Sam Houston in San Antonio. At the time, he was getting ready to celebrate his 98th birthday.
Jack Traynor was originally a farm boy from Pennsylvania. At 18 he joined the US Army to serve in what he saw as a last chance scenario, the US Army on the Western Frontier in the Cavalry. At the time, places like Arizona were still a territory, and that was where his first assignment was.
He served under General Pershing " Chasing Poncho Via from one end of Mexico to another" as he put it, while I was shaking him one morning.
World War One came, and even tho he requested to be sent to France, that was denied. He was kept stateside, serving as a Drill Sgt training troops, due to the combat experience he had serving in Mexico under General Pershing.
After WW One, he saw duty in Panama and Guatemala. As the Cavalry was being phased out, he saw an opportunity in the Army Air Corps. He trained to be a pilot.
He finished his career, in 1937 as an Enlisted Pilot on Marin B 10s and B12s, his last two duty stations being the Philippines and Alaska. He served our country from 1903 to 1937.
He retired to Texas as it was his favorite place he had served.
When WW 2 came, he offered his services once again, but was turned down due to having already served. Even attempts to just be a flight instructor were turned down.. always with respect, but turned down.
He ended up in San Antonio, due to wanting to be close to Brooks and Randolph Army Airfields.
MSG Traynor passed at 98 years old in San Antonio at Ft Sam.
