19. Civilian Life

Royal G. Jackson: Did you go to Valsetz?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes, one time. And then the Mill City I went there twice, I guess it was. Tell me to go today and I wouldn't find it, I don't think, but I went. [Laughter]

19. Civilian Life

Royal G. Jackson: Let's return once again to your wife. Was it common practice to meet young ladies at the skating rink and get to know them there? Was that usual at that time?

Edward Sekermestrovich: I think so, yes. That's just like you going to the dance.

Royal G. Jackson: Would you ask them to skate with you, or how did you get to know them, if you saw them and were interested? What would you do?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Well, I. . . how in the hell was it, I was the kind of fellow that didn't give a hoot about them anyway. [Laughter] I'd just go dancing and do my stuff. I used to like to twirl around. I fell a lot but that's all right, that's beside the point. Yes, a show off -- okay, I was a show off.

Royal G. Jackson: Did you actually skate with girls when you were there, or did you just show off in front of them, or how did you make contact?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Well, you see when you go skating now for instance, lot's of time they put a record on and they say all right, now couples. Or else you can pick your couples. And it got to the point there when nobody was skating with a gal and they finally said, the gals can go out and pick up a fellow, see? And that started more of them to going. But she never picked me up, I picked her up.

Royal G. Jackson: But you didn't actually get to know each other very much until you were out of the 3-C program?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Oh, that's right. I'd seen her before and everything else.

Royal G. Jackson: Had you decided to stay in Corvallis anyway, or what were you doing when you got out?

Edward Sekermestrovich: I just got sick of it one day, and said, "Well, heck. I want to do something else." So I asked my commanding officer. "Yes," he said, "You can quit anytime you want to. We're supposed to send you home. But you can stay if you can get a job, and a guy will sign for you and make sure you have a good job, or he'll look out for you." Mr. Russell signed for me that he would guarantee me a job. That was Russell Hatchery.

Royal G. Jackson: Mr. Russell who owned Russell's Hatchery.

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes. So that's the way I got to get out of there. All you had to do then was go to the office and they make out your discharge and as long as you got a job it was all right with the government.

Royal G. Jackson: Now you didn't think about going back to Ohio?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Right away, no. I was thinking on making some money and driving back there or something like that, which I never did.

Royal G. Jackson: And that was the period when you got to know your wife?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes, I met my wife after I was working on construction a little bit, east of the river there; I painted the bridge. A man fell in one day, and I went over and took his job. And then I bought a used car and went back to E.P. Brands and I argued with them about this used car. It was a wreck, this and that, and they asked me what was the matter with it. I told them, "You couldn't fix anything any better than that," I says, "I don't know what the hell you're selling used cars for." So he says, "You're all that good how about working for us." So I says, "Well, great." So I started working in a garage.

Royal G. Jackson: What was the name of that company?

Edward Sekermestrovich: E.P. Brands Chevrolet Garage.

Royal G. Jackson: You started working there then as a mechanic and salesman?

Edward Sekermestrovich: No, used car repair. You take a used car in and make it look like new.

Royal G. Jackson: That must have been near the outbreak of World War II?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes, pretty close coming up.

Royal G. Jackson: What happened then? Did you go in the service?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Well, I just decided I'd better get married first. [Laughter] So we got married.

Royal G. Jackson: In 1940? Somewhere in there?

Edward Sekermestrovich: February 1942.

Royal G. Jackson: The war had already started, though in December of 1941.

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes.

Royal G. Jackson: But you didn't go into the military at all?

Edward Sekermestrovich: Yes, I went in 1942 and came back in 1946.