mr. fauntry, where are you from? >> washington, d.c. columbia hospital for women, where i was born. several years ago. [laughter] >> not too long ago. what was your inspiration when you first left home? >> we had an officer in the police department here. who was an all-american football and basketball player. you could see that i was interested in basketball. >> oh, no doubt. >> i idolized that gentleman. after my father, he was the greatest man i knew. he joined the tuskegee airmen shortly after the war started. graduated and was killed in an airplane accident in michigan. he was my inspiration. of course, i was just 15 years old when the war started. by the time i turned 17, i had decided i didn't want to go to the navy. i went to the bus station where they recruited in the army. with the permission of my mother, i asked if i could go into the army air corps. they give me a test. apparently, i passed it. to my mother's surprise. [laughter] i went off to bowling field to take physical, psychological psycho motive, and some other tests. on february 1, 1944, i was sworn in the army a