Read Online Yes I Can: The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. by Sammy Davis, Jane Boyar, Burt - Free Book Online

totally involved in being “the young man about to leave his loved ones,” and the ride to Times Square was a montage of movie scenes: I was marching with thousands of men singing “You’re A Grand Old Flag.” Pat O’Brien was my Captain and Spencer Tracy was the chaplain in our outfit. Between 125th and 42nd streets I won my wings in the Army Air Force, and I saw myself zooming off on dangerous missions, bombing enemy ships and dog-fighting with Zeros. As we stood outside the recruiting office at the end of a long line, I pictured myself coming home on leave to show Mama my Army Air Force uniform with the peaked cap, the glamorous one that everyone knew was worn only by flyers because it had soft edges for ear phones to be worn over it….
    The Master Sergeant said, “You’re too young. Come back in two years.” He told my father, “Overage. Sorry. Next man….”
    We were playing the Fortune Club in Reno when I was ordered to report to the Presidio of Monterey, the Induction Center for the San Francisco area. I showed the notice to my father. He sat down on the bed and didn’t even try to smile. “Well, Poppa, I guess this is it.” Will was shaking his head, as though unable to believe it was really happening. “We’re splitting up the act.”
    All in all it had been sixteen happy years of sometime-eating but always thinking and working together as a unit. Now we were breaking with a way of life we loved. Certainly show business had not chosen us or held out its arms and lavishly rewarded our love, but even the hard times had been good times, at least in retrospect, and there was never a moment when one of us regretted that we chose to stick it out.
    The rent didn’t get paid but Will and my father spent $150 on a gold wrist watch for me, with a stop-watch built into it, a chronograph, the kind the Air Force was using. I’d been dying to own one for a year and they must have borrowed the money to buy it. Will said, “We always had the name of the best-dressed colored act in show business. Can’t let ‘em think different about us in the Army.”
    At six o’clock Saturday morning the three of us were standing outside the induction center making our awkwardly manly goodbyes. My father said, “Now, Poppa, you’re goin’ in a boy but you’ll come out a man. You’ll meet all kinds of people but just do your job like you’re supposed to and nobody can bother you. That’s all I got to say ‘cept I know you’ll do good and we’ll be waitin’ for you when you come back.”
    A whistle sounded. Will said, “Okay, Mose Gastin, you’re on. Just treat it like show business. Give ‘em the best you got”
    It was like I had two fathers. I hugged and kissed Will and turned to my dad. I grabbed him with all my strength and kissed him goodbye. “So long, Poppa. I’m proud of my boy.” He tried to smile. “Don’t forget about when the other guy’s dealin’ the cards. Ain’t no one can fool you if you’re watchin’. I taught you all the tricks….”
    I grinned and gave him a shot in the arm. Reluctant to go, yet for the lack of knowing what else to say that might keep me there a few more minutes, I checked the time on my wrist watch which I’d polished almost every hour in the last few days. The dial was a blur. I kept telling myself I’m a man going into the army and I’m going tofly a plane. I’d looked forward to this day but now it struck me how much I didn’t want to leave my father and Will, that it was going to be the first night in my life I hadn’t been with either them or Mama.
    “Hey, Poppa? Betcha I c’n make y’laugh.”
    There was his old poker-face, dead serious, not moving a muscle, with two big tears rolling down his cheeks. The whistle blew again, impatiently. I walked away from them, forcing myself not to look back.

5
    A PFC was sitting on the steps of a barracks, sewing an emblem onto a shirt. I walked over to him. “Excuse me, buddy. I’m a little lost. Can you tell me