Young Man Finds Way Join WWII Air Corps

Some men might have rejoiced over a physical defect that would keep them out of World War II. Take Donald Michaels, the conscientious objector who was sentenced to three years in a Federal penitentiary for refusing to go to war. A minor physical deformity, like a crooked finger, could have saved him a lot of trouble.

Edward Killam from Jacksonville, IL, wanted to go to war, but the military wouldn’t take him. In 1942, when he tried to enlist in the United States Air Corps, he was rejected because his baby finger was misshapen due to a high school football injury. So what did Killam do?  He had his crooked finger removed. It sounds nonsensical, but it seems that a crooked finger was worse than no finger to the military.

You might wonder why Killam didn’t just have the finger re-broken and set straight. I wondered the same thing, but this either wasn’t an option, or he didn’t wish to waste time waiting around while his finger healed. And perhaps the repaired finger would have been considered unstable.

Killam’s decision might sound drastic and desperate to us today, but times were tough in 1942, and often the military was a good way to pull oneself out of poverty. Also, the government’s recruitment methods were very aggressive during this time, and many young men considered it an honor to serve their country. That sounds like a lot of young people today.

So, did Edward make it into the Air Corps? There was an Illinois resident named Edward L. Killam, Jr. who joined the Air Corps reserves as a private in June of 1943 for a term of “until the war ended plus six months.” It doesn’t look like he ever shipped out, and he ended up marrying and having children, passing away in 1993 at the age of 73. As he looked back on his life, I wonder what he thought of his decision. As he looked down at the place where his finger used to be, perhaps he was just happy to have lived a long life.

See below for the original newspaper article.

Has Finger Removed So He Can Join Air Corps

JACKSONVILLE, ILL.—There’s nothing quite like getting rid of a little thing like a little finger if it keeps you out of the air corps. At least, that is the happy reaction of Edward Killam, Jacksonville.

Attempting to volunteer several months ago, he was rejected because of a crooked little finger on his left hand—result of an injury while playing football for Jacksonville high in 1937. The amputation was performed in September, Killam was accepted, the wound is healed, and he is now awaiting a call to active service.

Ann Silverthorn is a blogger who also writes about a wide variety of topics in numerous genres, including non-fiction, fiction, poetry, travel, and grant writing. Twitter: @annsilverthorn  Instagram: ann_silverthorn