William Rogers [bcrogers2@verizon.net] wrote:

I was fortunate to have spent from the Spring of 1957 through March of 1959 at the APC. There were a number of people you will know who were enlisted men and were among the small group of soldiers who would "fall in" early in the morning to police the parking lot and rest rooms, before going to our duty stations.

Jamie Farr (Klinger) stood in front of me and was a clerk typist in the Administration Bldg. William Randolph Hearst III was another PFC in the ranks. Also King Vidor's son and many who have gone on to do great things. Joseph Papin was the young lieutenant assigned to the Animation Branch, from Ohio who stayed in New York City and his drawings regularly appeared in Time Magazine. A number of guys were sent to Nevada to shoot footage of the Atomic testing that was going on at that time. I often wonder how their health is today. My wife and I were newlyweds and had a decent apartment in Astoria. Thanks to the USO, my wife and I saw many Broadway shows during our stay in New York.

When people ask me what I did in the service, I say I made "sleep inducing" films. (because in basic, I was the only one awake at the early morning screenings). I have very fond memories of the Pictorial Center. I worked in the Animation Branch for about 18 months, inking and painting cels, and finally got to move to the background department.

The post was so small, that I got to play touch football and baseball. Our football games were in the Autumn - on Governor's Island, and occasionally our baseball games was at a small diamond just outside Yankee Stadium.

Sorry to say, but I can't remember most of the names of the guys I played sports with, but they were all the cream of the crop, and America's finest.

(Posted August 14, 2006)