With seven brothers and sisters at home, it was Waddie's job to
mostly work around the house and in the fields. Only on occassion did he work at the Tomahawk Grist Mill with his father.
When his two sisters, Augusta (Cootsie) and Hettie got married it
became his job to help with the cooking, sewing, cleaning and washing clothes. He got kidded a lot about this by his brothers and friends. They would call him "Wash Woman Waddie". If you called him this and didn't run fast enough, you were in for a real beating.
His major ambition in life was to become a big league baseball
player. He would play ball every chance he could get and when he was older, he played, "Farm League" baseball in Lynchburg. He had an excellant chance to fufill his dreams, but World War II broke out and he joined the U.S. Army.
Transcript from enlisted record: Salmon, Jr. Waddie B. - Serial #33-132-634 / Grade T/3 * Componant AUS. Organazation, Detachment - Medical Department SCU, 1977th.
Place of seperation: Bushnell General Hospital in Brigham City,
Utah. Date of seperation: 06 October 1945. Color of eyes: Blue. Hair: Brown Height: 5' 2". Weight: 158. Civilian Occupation and number: Miner. 5-21.010. Date of induction: 14 February 1942. Date of entry into active service: 14 February 1942 at Camp Lee, Virginia. Military Occupation: Cook-060 and Medical Aide Man.
Decorations and citations: Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Good Conduct Medal. Reason and authority for discharge: Convience of Goverment. Demobilization - 15 December 1944.
After the War he used his G.I. Bill and took a course in plumbing
and heating. Getting a job with Marvin Mosley Plumbing and Heating. After many years he changed companies and began working for Bill Mosley Plumbing and Heating until his death in 1976.
In 1954 or 1955, Waddie and Lora bought a parcel of land on Airport Road in Campbell County, outside Lynchburg, Virginia and built a three bedroom ranch style house. At the time they were living in a section of Lynchburg called, "Vetville". It was a series of "row houses" quickly built for returning vets from World War II. About 1955 they didn't have a lot of choice but to move as the row houses were being cut up into single dwellings and moved away.
Waddie built 90% of the house on Airport Road himself in order to
save money. Basically only the footing and electrical work were done by someone else. The house wasn't even half finished when they moved in! The had to live in the basement for months. Problem was the basement leaked on on side and always did for the entire 23 years they lived there.
Exact date is unknown, but sometime in the 1950's, Waddie was driving his car on Leesville Road in Campbell County when he ran off the road near Marsh Memorial Methodist Church, striking a telephone pole and overturned. He sustained a very severe head injury and was taken to Lynchburg General Hospital where doctors operated on him for many hours. Upon completion they stated that it was unlikely that he would live through the night. But against all odds, he did live through it.
From his obituary in Lynchburg newspaper, January 1976 - Born:
Campbell County, Virginia. Employed by Bill Mosley Plumbing and Heating. U.S. Army during WW II. Charter member of American Legion, Post in Rustburg, Virginia. Member of Diabled American Veterans-Chapter 8 and a member of Shiloh United Methodist Church in Forest, Virginia.
MARRIAGE RECORDS: Information obtained from - City of Lynchburg,
Virginia. Marriage Register #9. Page 310 and Marriage Certificate, Commonwealth of Virginia, dated 05 April 1947. Records show he was 30 and Lora was 22 years of age. Both listed as single. His occupation, Sign Painter at Allen-Morrison Sign Company in Lynchburg, Virginia. His address was RFD #1, Box 216 (Old Graves Mill Road) Lynchburg, Virginia. Lora's address was 202-B, 2nd Lane, Lynchburg, Virginia. They were married by Bernard E. Bain at the Old Quaker Meeting house in Lynchburg,
Virginia.
THEIR CHILDREN:
