This is my father, James Edward McCall. Born to sharecropper parents, he and his 8 siblings had to work the fields during the Great Depression. Excitement back then for Dad was going to the local theater to see a Tex Ritter or Roy Rogers movie on a Saturday in Abbeville, Georgia. For 10 cents, he could watch a movie and get some candy. His family would hitch a mule to a wagon and make the 10+ miles into town on those Saturdays when Abbeville was crawling with shoppers, even though a depression was in full mode. When WW II broke out, dad was kept on the farm due to an older brother already serving in Asia and his older sister serving in the U.S. Navy. Young male farm workers were almost as indispensable as those eligible for military service, so grandpa kept dad deferred from the draft. However, chaffing at the bit and tired of grandpa's authoritarian rule, but not wanting to leave grandpa in a bind, dad demanded to be registered as draft-eligible or he would enlist ASAP. Dad got his wish and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944 and spent boot camp at Camp Wheeler, just outside of Macon, Georgia. Dad arrived in the European Theater in early 1945, but he was mostly relegated to guarding German POWs, so he didn't see much combat action. After the war, dad returned to Abbeville but soon became bored and re-enlisted in the U.S. Army around 1947. Dad was assigned to Trieste United States Troops (TRUST), stationed in Opicina, Italy in 1950 where his unit guarded the border with Yugoslavia. Around 1952, dad was sent to Korea where he served until the truce was signed. Dad did see combat in Korea and recounted the gongs and whistles the Chinese troops would activate prior to attacking the American lines. He stated that it was a rough time, but he didn't elaborate, so I didn't push for more info. Dad met my mom in Trieste, Italy and they were married in 1955. Dad ultimately retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years active duty in 1966 as a SFC (E-7), Combat Engineers. Dad liked fishing, reading about History, watching Nashville Network, and Columbo. Dad must have disliked farming so much as a young man that I never saw him grow much more than a lawn, and we boys would have to cut it as well as pull weeds between the chain link fence. We thought it was rough work, but we didn't know squat. Dad is missed and remembered. We love you, dad.
** A special "Thank You" to Caprice for sponsoring my father's memorial.
** A special "Thank You" to Caprice for sponsoring my father's memorial.
This is my father, James Edward McCall. Born to sharecropper parents, he and his 8 siblings had to work the fields during the Great Depression. Excitement back then for Dad was going to the local theater to see a Tex Ritter or Roy Rogers movie on a Saturday in Abbeville, Georgia. For 10 cents, he could watch a movie and get some candy. His family would hitch a mule to a wagon and make the 10+ miles into town on those Saturdays when Abbeville was crawling with shoppers, even though a depression was in full mode. When WW II broke out, dad was kept on the farm due to an older brother already serving in Asia and his older sister serving in the U.S. Navy. Young male farm workers were almost as indispensable as those eligible for military service, so grandpa kept dad deferred from the draft. However, chaffing at the bit and tired of grandpa's authoritarian rule, but not wanting to leave grandpa in a bind, dad demanded to be registered as draft-eligible or he would enlist ASAP. Dad got his wish and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944 and spent boot camp at Camp Wheeler, just outside of Macon, Georgia. Dad arrived in the European Theater in early 1945, but he was mostly relegated to guarding German POWs, so he didn't see much combat action. After the war, dad returned to Abbeville but soon became bored and re-enlisted in the U.S. Army around 1947. Dad was assigned to Trieste United States Troops (TRUST), stationed in Opicina, Italy in 1950 where his unit guarded the border with Yugoslavia. Around 1952, dad was sent to Korea where he served until the truce was signed. Dad did see combat in Korea and recounted the gongs and whistles the Chinese troops would activate prior to attacking the American lines. He stated that it was a rough time, but he didn't elaborate, so I didn't push for more info. Dad met my mom in Trieste, Italy and they were married in 1955. Dad ultimately retired from the U.S. Army after 22 years active duty in 1966 as a SFC (E-7), Combat Engineers. Dad liked fishing, reading about History, watching Nashville Network, and Columbo. Dad must have disliked farming so much as a young man that I never saw him grow much more than a lawn, and we boys would have to cut it as well as pull weeds between the chain link fence. We thought it was rough work, but we didn't know squat. Dad is missed and remembered. We love you, dad.
** A special "Thank You" to Caprice for sponsoring my father's memorial.
** A special "Thank You" to Caprice for sponsoring my father's memorial.
Inscription
McCall, James Edward, 1924-2006; McCall, Ersilia Garbin, 1924-2004
Gravesite Details
My father's ashes are now resting under a granite slab and a headstone with his and my mother's names inscribed at Antioch Baptist Church, Abbeville, Wilcox County, Georgia. My mother's birth year is not 1924. My mother's actual birth year is 1926
Family Members
Siblings
Children
