Induction Paper
What this document records is a clearly defined sequence in my father’s entry into military service during World War II, set within the structured and highly organized process of Army induction in 1942.
On August 4, 1942, my father, Roger E. Watson, was among a group of men processed through the induction center in Clarksburg, West Virginia. During this period, the United States was rapidly expanding the military forces following its entry in the war in December 1941. Induction stations were responsible for examining, classifying and formally bringing men into the Army through the Selective Service system.
The document states that my father was inducted into the Army of the United States on August 4, 1942. At that moment, he was assigned the number 3390143, which is his Army Service Number. This number became his official identifier, within the Army and was used for all records, orders, and administrative tracking. The structure of the number indicates that he was inducted as a draftee through the Selective Service system and process within the regional command that included West Virginia.
The document states that effective August 18, 1942, each of the men listed was recalled to active duty. At that point, my father was required to report at 9:15 a.m. to the Local Board at the B & O Railroad Station.
My father saved this document – because it provides a clear record of his induction to the army of the United States during World War II.
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Every birth certificate marks the beginning of a life, but this one also tells the story of two families whose histories had already begun to intertwine. My father, Roger Edward Watson, was born on December 16, 1920, in Martinsburg, West Virginia. His father, Roger Edward Watson, was a West Virginian and an attorney. His mother, […]
