Title: Jack H. McCall, Sr. Biography

Date/Date Range :   1998

Extent: 0.1 linear feet

Abstract:

This collection consists of a biography of Jack H. McCall Sr. entitled "Pogiebait's War: The Life of a Tennessee Marine in World War II" written by his son, Jack H. "Nick" McCall Jr. It deals primarily with McCall Sr.'s time in the Marine Corps during World War II.

Call number: MS-2582

Repository: University of Tennessee Special Collections Library, Knoxville, TN

Aquisition Information:

Jack H. Nick McCall Jr. donated this manuscript to the Special Collections Library in January of 1999.

Access Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Copyright:

The copyright interests in this collection remain with the creator. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library.

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of Item], Jack H. McCall, Sr. Biography, MS-2582. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Special Collections Library.

Collection consists of a single folder.

Jack H. McCall Sr. was born on May 1, 1922 and grew up in Franklin, Tennessee. After graduating from high school in 1941, he had planned to attend the University of Tennessee. He changed his mind after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps instead. McCall was assigned to the 9th Defense Battalion, where he was quickly nicknamed "Pogiebait" due to his lifelong love of candy (known as "pogey bait" in the Marine Corps). The unit deployed to Cuba in February of 1942 and moved to Guadalcanal in September. They remained there until June of 1943, when they were assigned to the Rendova/New Georgia campaign (operation TOENAILS). They were given light duty in the Russell Islands from January to mid-summer 1944, and then assigned to the invasion and occupation of Guam (operation FORAGER) in June of 1944. McCall Sr. was rotated home in December of 1944, and then assigned to work with rocket artillery in Norfolk, Virginia. His impending deployment to Japan was halted by V.J. day, and he was discharged at Oceanside, California, on October 2, 1945. He died on May 31, 1997.

This collection consists of a bound 452-page biography of Jack H. McCall Sr. entitled "Pogiebait's War: The Life of a Tennessee Marine in World War II" written by his son, Jack H. "Nick" McCall Jr. The manuscript is heavily footnoted and includes a glossary and suggestions for further reading. It also includes direct quotes from Jack McCall Sr. and other men who served in his unit and transcriptions of V-mail that McCall Sr. wrote home.

The bulk of the manuscript is devoted to chronicling Jack McCall Sr.'s time with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Second World War. This portrayal begins with his time in basic training, including its associated chants, songs, slang, and vicious hazing. The account of the unit's time in active service consists primarily of descriptions of various landscapes and battles, including kamikaze pilots, friendly fire incidents, self-inflicted wounds, and suicides. Interestingly, the manuscript also portrays Marine attitudes toward women, German POWs, enemy soldiers (both German and Japanese), and homosexuality. McCall Sr. also shares his thoughts on the atomic bomb, mentioning that he was positive that he would have been killed if the invasion of Japan had taken place.

• McCall, John H. Sr., 1922-1997.
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, American.
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Area.
• World War, 1939-1945 -- Veterans.
• United States. Marine Corps.