Ben and Anne - by Anne

When World War I broke out, Ben was drafted and soon in the army. He sent a monthly allotment home to his dad. He trained at Camp Bowie in Fort Worth. It was where Arlington Heights is now. Uncle Jim Coleman was my Aunt Anne’s (Papa Gill’s youngest sister) husband. He took me and my three cousins Dora, Don (Donna), and Fred (Fredda) to see the soldier boys in a big parade. Of course Aunt Anne didn’t go. She was a proud butterfly and didn’t get out in crowds or the heat. It was our first train ride and we got to see Fort Worth too. As the boys were drafted, there was a shortage of workers. My girl cousins Dora, Don, Fred, Tid (Matilda), Adelle and me all started to Mr. Adams Business School. It was the patriotic thing to do. When the war was over, my heart wasn’t in it and I quit school, I said, “I won’t take a job that those soldier boys need.” The war was over. Ben was in the hospital because he had been gassed.