Mayer, Frank

Frank Mayer was born January 22, 1927 in Pittsburgh’s 27th Ward.  His father was a First World War veteran who died when Frank was just seven, so Frank grew up in the care of his mother, grandparents and uncles.  He remembers growing up against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the early years of the war, learning to make ends meet.  Pearl Harbor took place just as Frank was starting high school, but he remembers the day:  like so many Americans he had been at church that morning.  He spent his high school years following the news of the war, and wondering if it would still be going on when he was of age.  It was of course, and when he turned 18 the draft board came for Frank.  In short order he was off to training, and by March 1945 he was on his way overseas to the Philippines.  The war was in its final stages by then, and Frank was assigned to an orderly room, eventually reaching the rank of supply sergeant.  As such it was his job to keep the men outfitted and with the necessary equipment to get the job done; as was the case with many supply personnel he traded and did what he had to do to make that happen.  He returned to the US in October 1946, and while at Fort Dix Frank made the decision to go into the reserve forces and to extend his stay in the army by three years.  At the same time he took advantage of the GI Bill, and studied accounting and started his career.  Frank Mayer was interviewed over zoom by Crestwood students in early May 2023.