Mike Fornino recalled the following
story about Rotary's impact on World War II as told to him by
Dr. Harold (Hank) Garrity Sr. in a letter sent to the Asbury
Park Press in 2005.
How the war was won (one version)
With the passing of the recent Veterans Day, I was reminded of a
story related to members of the Rotary Club of Asbury Park by
the late Harold (Hank) Garrity Sr., a prominent dentist in our
area for many years. Asbury Park is famous for many
things, but I am sure few are aware that Amos Kraybill of Asbury
Park may have been singularly responsible for the United States
and its allies winning World War II.
It
seems that Kraybill was the head of the local draft board and
could not understand why nearly a full third of the draftees
from Asbury Park and elsewhere were being rejected by the Army
because they did not have all their teeth. He asked his friend
Dr. Harold Garrity if he had any idea and when told him no he
questioned the Army authorities. He was told it was a result of
an Army regulation and there was no way around it. Those of us
who have been in the Army know that military regulations don't
have to make sense, they just must be followed.
Kraybill was not to be denied, and pursued the matter through
other governmental agencies including Congress. Getting no
satisfaction and the Army standing fast on its regulation, he
decided to do his own research; there must be a logical answer.
His research revealed that the regulation dated back to the
Civil War when soldiers firing cannons were required to put
their fingers in their ears and pull the lanyard with their
teeth. If they didn't have all their teeth, the lanyard would
slip through the gaps of the missing teeth.
Kraybill presented his findings to Army authorities and the
regulation was abolished. If it had not been for Kraybill, the
United States may not have been able to supply the necessary
manpower for a successful war effort. Thanks to Amos Kraybill
and those who fought and died in all our wars, today we enjoy
living in the greatest country in the world.
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