The Power of Testimony

RAY AND BETTY WHIPPS
the tasks of the present, of asking God’s help in days
to come. We need His guidance that this people may
be humble in spirit but strong in the conviction of
the right; steadfast to endure sacrifice, and brave to
achieve a victory of liberty and peace.
When the draft had first been approved in September
1940—​ the first in peacetime during the history of the
United States—​ the age range was set between twenty-​ one
and forty-​five. Bud and Glenn had both been old enough,
but I was only nineteen. However, in the days following the
attack on Pearl Harbor, legislation was passed to expand
the selective service system to cover all men between the
ages of eighteen and sixty-​ four. Overnight I became eligible
to fight.
A few days after Christmas, on a Sunday afternoon, I
picked up Mom and made the journey to the draft office
that had been set up in a museum on the Ohio State
campus. Having worked at Western Electric for the better
part of a year, I’d finally been able to save enough money to
buy my own car. I’d ended up with a Chevy sedan, similar
to Forrest’s but a little older. I was intent on keeping it pristine
and shining like a black beetle, and it felt good to be
able to take Mom out like this, especially since my parents
had never had a car of their own.
I was just as well groomed as my car, wearing a dark,
double-​ breasted suit and tie, and having taken extra care to
slick my hair back to complete the Bing Crosby and Sam
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