While Frank Stevens and his bride, the former Norma Flowers of New Lexington, Ohio, embark from his mother’s home in Chicago for their honeymoon trip to some undisclosed destination, we’ll take our own detour to catch up on another letter from Frank that I just found. Coming from Mexico and addressed—appropriately—from “Senior Francisco X. Stevens,” the letter fills in the details from the point in Frank’s life that seemed rather quiet: the time after his arrival home from military duty in the south Pacific during World War II, and before his father passed away in May, 1946.
Though not with any military program at this point, Frank’s medical network from his days in the Navy have stood him in good stead. Someone must have considered him a good worker and invited him to be part of a new project in Mexico.
It seems like Frank may have been an administrative part of the Bracero Program, assisting a doctor in medical screenings at several locations south of the border.
March 5th, 1946
Dear Mom, Dad & All
As last time this is going to be short but slightly longer an with a little more information. Really have been having a swell time and am picking up quite a few things that will help me when I start back to school in the fall, the Doc I am working for is a good joe and the fellows are tops.
As I told you before I left home our work down here consists of giving examinations to the workers that are going up to the states to work on the ranches and farms, all routine work and not too interesting but it does give experience and that I can use.
At this point in 1946, it looks like Frank’s plans are to finish some schooling in the fall. Whether that was to complete his high school diploma as he had once mentioned, or to go to the aviation medicine training he had recently applied for, I have never been able to discover. Perhaps once I fulfill one of my New Year’s goals and send for his full personnel file from both the Navy and the Air Force, I’ll know more.
I hope you can find out - I was wondering how often people shifted from one branch of the service to another like Frank did... I wouldn't have thought it was too common.
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