DA Civilian Family Story: Shirley Womack

By CH(COL)-Retired Sam Boone

My Shirley Womack story follows … circa February 1984…

Receive a call from my new Endorser (the late Vince McMinemy) … “Sam we have never met but after reviewing your file … want you to get your paperwork in ASAP as we need to get you to the Basic Course in June!”   First I had to turn over the Tennessee National Guard Unit I was Commander for !!!  Get my paperwork from Tennessee Headquarters to Guard Bureau in DC … to RCPAC in St Louis … NO RUSH … but suggest you hand carry thru the system … so I drove to DC back to Nashville … to St Louis … and met Chaplain Charlie Clanton … explained my situation … he called in Mr Charles Blake (GS 16 Admin Guru)  1) Transfer him from Infantry Branch … to the Chaplain Corps … 2) he needs to be placed in the USAR from NG … 3) Branch Training (Chaplain) with follow-on as Battalion Chaplain on AD.  NO PROBLEM

On or about 15 April I get orders of a Branch Transfer from Infantry to Aviation with orders for the Black Hawk Transition Course at Fort Rucker … I had been an Infantry/Aviator since 1975 since the Aviation Branch did not exist … I called Chaplain Clanton in a panic!!!

He said wait until he talked to the Chief’s Office … in the meantime I called and told my Endorser what was going on … He said wait until he talked to the Chief’s Office ‍↕️

After three days Endorser called and told me to call such and such phone number and ONLY speak to Ms Shirley Womack.  Within an hour I received the same instructions from Chaplain Clanton.  Both told me the Chaplain in charge of bringing new chaplains on Active Duty had been the job for less than a month!  ONLY listen to Miss Shirley!!!

Called her … “I have been expecting your call” … we have a problem she said … NO ONE can find your records … not in St Louis … not at Guard Bureau … not at Fort

Rucker. I told her I had a copy of all of my records … My Drill Sergeant told me in Basic Training “If it has your name on it … keep a copy … I even have a copy of my Article 15 as a PFC in Germany!”  Wonderful she said … you are to proceed to Fort Monmouth, NJ and report to the CECOM building and see Mrs. Jones BEFORE you sign into the School … I am sending you a letter that by direction of the Chief of Chaplains I am giving you ‘VOCO” orders to report to the Basic Course … It may take a while but we will get your orders straight.

Having already served in Korea as an Aviator … I knew the motto “Land of Almost Right!”

I get to Monmouth and find Mrs. Jones … she said she was expecting me … please have a seat … she called Miss Shirley … there were no speakerphones then so she held the phone away from her head so I could hear the jest of what Miss Shirley said … “We are still searching for his official file … so Sam (we are now on first name basis) you need to put on 1st LT rank to report we will work to square everything away … OBTW you will be paid as a 1LT over 0 vice a Captain over 14 … but you will get your back pay …

Fast forward to Ft Gordon … there about 5 months when my Commander called me in and handed me Captain bars and said put them on … with a smile …

folks have been speculating how a 1LT with no time in grade could be wearing Aviator Wings, et al?  But there is a lady in Chief of Chaplains Office who has been moving mountains to get your records straight … you are to make an appointment with Mrs White at the AG office and go in with ALL your records and she will document everything you need AND get you some BACK PAY … (did I mention that my ORB was blanK) I don’t know this Mrs Shirley Womack … but you need to send her a dozen roses and buy her dinner …

When I came out on the Majors list … I drove to DA to see if I could work a deal to get to the Advanced Course (Chief of Per and CH Jerry Reynolds — explained my desire to get training to be a BDE Chaplain Before I became one … they called Miss Shirley in and asked ‘is this the problem child you told us about?’)  She reminded them of my story … they smiled and said “looks like we have our volunteer for Korea ;-)”

Miss Shirley and I enjoyed a wonderful time at dinner that night and she thanked me for the roses !!!  I later met Chaplain John Flaska who was the newbie Chaplain who knew my story … “did you ever find your records?  Nope but my ‘true copies’ are still my possession