One Ordinary Person

One Ordinary Working for One Giant Leap for Man Kind

The words you are about to read are from a man far in the background of one of mankind’s greatest accomplishments; Putting a man on the moon. Everyone knows the outcome of the space race, but this story is a personal experience of a man, in the American workforce, who contributed to something more than just working to provide for his family, but for the American people, and ultimately people worldwide. This man, also happens to be my grandfather.

My grandfather, Jack White, was raised on the outskirts of Wilson County. His father was a farmer out of a children’s book, raising all sorts livestock and crops. My grandfather said “My father was a hard worker, he had me and my brother out there

working with him every day, even on holidays” my grandfather laughed at the memory. “My mother was a creamer in the town we lived in, she would travel around town and collect the milk from all the farmers and separate the cream from the milk for them.” Jack White, began to get sad look to his face, perhaps from it being so long since he had spoken or thought of his parents.
My grandfather never finished high school, He dropped out his junior year. I asked him “what did you go and do something like that for? ” My grandfather said, “I went to work”. I flashed back on the time frame my grandfather grew up in and it probably wasn’t odd of youth at that day and age, in the south to stop going to school and go to work for their farm, or go into the military. My Grandfather did both, once he got tired of the farming atmosphere he went and joined the army and they sent him to Germany.
“World War 2 was over, but the United States still had troops occupying Germany to keep peace. I was a sniper in the army.” My grandfather said. “I could hit the bullseye of a target 500 yards away” My Grandfather said this with confidence and smirk.” I never fired a single round in Germany but we were ready for anything.” We are still in Germany to this day keeping peace.” Jack White said this as if the war is still going on, but you are not going to argue with an 82 year old war veteran. Talking with a veteran you cannot help but feel grateful for what they have done for this Country, but talking with a veteran from your own family realm, makes a person feel a power of pride running through your veins atleast that’s how it made me feel. Already my grandfather in his 20’s has served his country gratifyingly, but his real service is just to come.
“After I got out of the service, I came home and jobs were hard to find. I met your grandmother on a blind date and about a year later we were married. We moved to a small two bedroom apartment in Nashville; the only way I could afford it was from the government offering Veteran loans.” Listening to my grandfather talk, I could tell he was always desperate to find a dollar. I would be to in his situation of not having a high school diploma and the only background is military service. Back then a guy with military background was cliché. My Grandparents, soon had three more mouths to feed on top of the bills, filling the car up with gas, and everything else that comes with being an adult. My grandfather got a job working for the Bridge Company of Nashville. “That job was probably the saving grace of my life, at the time.” “One of the engineers working on the job mentioned to me that if I wanted to keep a job I needed a trade skill he suggested welding and that Nashville Auto-Diesel College had some night classes I could take. I went to those classes, and by having that particular trade; it lead me to more jobs.”
Jack White, after working for The Bridge Company of Nashville, “I didn’t really want to be a welder.

So I gave up on that and went to work for the Colonial Bread company as a salesman for a couple years. I continued welding on the side just to make a couple more dollars. I got another job driving for, Archway Cookies driving all over the nation shipping cookies. After that I decided it was time to go back to welding and began to work for a company called, The Wright Industries.” This is where my grandfather made his greatest achievements from welding. “In about 65 or 64, I began working for the Wright Industries in Nashville. They contracted work for George C. Marshall Space Center, in Huntsville Alabama, and they also did work for Bowen Aircraft. I helped work on the Saturn Rocket. I worked on the landing gear for the rocket to be able to land securely and safely and to launch back to earth securely and safely. When they launched back the left the landing gear on the moon for some reason. I reckon it is still up there, I am not to certain. The rocket had legs set up on it like a tri-pod, made up of 6inch aluminum and brackets. The legs were to be able to support the landing and be able to launch from the moon back to Earth. The welds had to be very precise, all welds had to be dyepenatrated and died and X-rayed. The work had to be perfect!

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“I also worked on a piece that was to go around the fuel tank,” My Grandfather laughed as he said,” How would you like to pay to fill that thing up?” I laughed along with him as I denied it. My grandfather then said, “the piece I worked on went around the fuel tank, it was made up of some cheap metal. The box was made to prevent vibration”, with the “Saturn Rocket able to travel up to 6,100 miles per hour” (Ron Kurtis), you could say that keeping the jet fuel motionless was rather important! “I don’t remember the exact width and diameter, but It was rather large”, My grandfather said. I asked my grandfather, “how much did he get paid for working on all those builds?” he responded, “$3.25, and that was decent money back then.”
“I have worked on a lot of other things, besides the Saturn Rocket, in about 1971, I opened my own shop, Precision Welding Inc., I have worked or had something to do with anything around you. I have worked on the AT&T building in Nashville, the towers on it, I welded on those. I did work for Nissan, all the plastic pieces that are built for a car, I have made the presses for those machines to be able to form those plastic molds. I have even welded on the presses that have been used to make tupperware. The hood on a car, that muscle tone it has; I have built presses for those. I have also worked on helicopters, just basically, anything you can think of that has came from plastic to metal, I have worked with.” Jack then said, “I am still working to this day at 82 years old. I can not do as much as I used to, but I am still kicking.” My grandfather said with a smile.
My grandfather has come along way from being a farm boy on the outskirts of Wilson County. He has been able to serve his country not only in uniform over in Germany, but by being an average American worker; working to win the Space Race against the Russians. Jack White, also has three children Michelle, Bruce, and Jay; along with six grandchildren. He resides in Gladeville, Tennessee; here you can find him working in his shop every day. The man does not miss a beat. Except on Sunday, when he will be at Gladeville Baptist church in the back pew in the center. I admire my grandfather a lot, just knowing where he started in life. How he did the typical thing back then, come home from the war and start a family. My grandfather came from nothing but he turned his life into a remarkable story that only a few people get to know. He was raised to work hard for low pay; being a farmer’s son, but he went on to serve his country and then to being a simple factory worker with an incredible task to uphold. From
hearing this background story makes one contemplate on what other background stories are out there about the development and process of putting a man on the moon. This story is neat, but there probably are so many untold stories, just waiting to be unveiled.