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aFollette, TN
Ira Ayers married Helen Derrie in LaFollette, TN on 2 January, 1942, less than one month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter WWII. He was drafted in the Spring of 1942 and went to Georgia for induction into the Army. He probably traveled by bus to Georgia. He didn’t know that he had left behind a pregnant wife who would bear a son by the end of 1942.-
Fort Olgethorpe, GA
Ira was inducted at Fort Olgethorpe, GA on 13 April 1942 “for the duration of the war 
plus 6 months”. He was 5 ft 10 in tall and weighed 140 Lbs. His group was asked to volunteer to go over to the Army Air Forces. Not knowing what the best move would be, Ira decided to wait and see what most of the other soldiers would choose. To his dismay, his name was called first in alphabetical order. Without knowing what the others would do, he decided to step out and volunteer. This single decision may have saved his life as he spent the remainder of the war out of the infantry and mostly out of harms way.-
Wichita Falls, TX
Ira was then sent to Sheppard Air Field in Wichita Falls, TX for Basic Training in the Summer of 1942. This is where many Army Air Forces personnel went for training. He traveled to this station and others in the US by troop train.
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Brookley Field, Mobile, AL
After Basic Training, Pvt Ayers was assigned to the 7th Air Depot Group, a maintenance unit at Brookley Field in Mobile, AL. This assignment may have been the result of his prewar job being listed as “Gas and Oil Man”. This is where Helen went on a bus to visit him. Then his unit received orders to go overseas.
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New York, NY
Pvt Ayers sailed on a troop transport ship which left New York City on 6 August 1942. It was most probably the West Point pictured above which sailed on that day and later joined a convoy of ships from Nova Scotia to England. On the ship, the men slept in hammocks which were spaced only 2 feet apart.-
Avonmouth, Bristol, UK
His troop transport ship arrived at Avonmouth on 18 August 1942. His 7th Air Depot Group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force on 26 August 1942. From this location and others in England, the Eight Air Force ran countless bombing raids over German held territory.-
Belfast, Ireland
The 7th Air Depot Group was temporarily assigned to the airfield at Langford Lodge in Ireland for just a few months in late 1942. Ira mentioned Belfast, Ireland on several occasions when remembering back.-
Warton, Lancashire, UK
The 7th Air Depot Group moved back to England in Lancashire around 29 December 1942. I remember him telling me that he was stationed near Blackpool. A post card he wrote home not long after being assigned there indicated he was in the Repair Squadron. However, he was soon assigned as an orderly in the Officers Dining Hall. The officers really liked him and he remained in this position for the remainder of the war. In the Dining Hall photo, he is standing at the far right side. It was during this period that he was promoted to Corporal.-
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eave in London
On one occasion Ira went to London on a pass, but he didn’t stay long since the city was being bombed regularly and no place was safe.
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Three-Day Pass in Scotland
After the Allied invasion of Europe in 1944, three-day passes were given to the men remaining in England. Only four men at a time from a squadron were allowed to go and most headed to Edinburgh, Scotland. Many of the men had their picture taken at a studio in a Scottish kilt such as Dad is wearing here. The town was peaceful during this time, and it had a big dance hall with bands playing every night.
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Southampton, England
After the victory in Europe in May 1945 (VE Day), he left Southampton, England on 17 November 1945 and was transported back by ship to New York. The return ship was probably the Queen Mary, shown below, which carried 11,683 troops back on that trip. It arrived in New York on 27 November 1945. Ira was glad to be back stateside.
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Fort McPherson, GA
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fter return to stateside, Ira was temporarily sent to Fort McPherson, GA where he was separated from the service on 2 December 1945. In addition to his Honorable Discharge Papers, he was given a Certificate of Appreciation from Commanding General Hap Arnold of the Army Air Corps, and a Thank You Letter from President Truman.-
Return to LaFollette, TN
Ira didn’t arrive back home until the first week of December of 1945, but it was in time for Christmas, and he had returned unharmed! He had been away for 3 years and 9 months. A country boy had traveled overseas, had seen part of the world, and had participated in a glorious victory for the USA.
Aileen remembers the first time the family saw Ira,Helen,and Dennis after the war. Lafollette remained clear, but there was a big snow on the mountain and Ira had to park the car at the base of the mountain and walk up the steep mountainside in deep snow. They had to leave the duffel bag they’d brought-Helen couldn’t drag it and Ira was carrying young Dennis. Arriving, exhausted,wet,and frozen, Helen was so frozen, she was shivering so was put to bed with all the quilts and blankets available and on top of that ,grandma heated up her irons in the fire and put them to her feet! The next day, Bill went down to retrieve the duffel, and all were overjoyed to see him safe at home from the war with his son and thankful that Helen thawed out and was better the next day!
I believe the opportunity for Ira to transfer from the Army to the Army Air Force was due to a timely break. Toward the end of his training at Fort Olgethorpe, Congress issued revisions to the Selective Service Act to permit all married men deferment from Class I-A draft classification. However, married men who had already been officially inducted into the armed forces were ineligible for a deferment. So, although soldiers like Ira could not leave the service, they were perhaps given opportunities for assignment to less dangerous units.