Cooking skills spared WWII vet from death

When you like to cook, preparing three meals a day for 900 soldiers doesn't feel like work. That's precisely what Rupert “Frank” East did during his 18 months in the U.S. Army during World War II.

And his passion for cooking likely saved his life.

East, now 90 and living in Ocoee, had quit high school and was working on his family farm in Kentucky when he was drafted into the military in January 1945. After basic training at Camp Wolters, Texas, and then reporting to Fort Sheridan Army base in Illinois, East, ranked a technician fifth grade, was headed to Seattle.

“Next thing I knew I was on a ship to Pearl Harbor,” East said. “I thought I was going to enjoy that trip on the ship; it was a big, big boat. I went through the mess hall and got my cup of coffee and took my first swig. At that moment the ship hit its first wave. I felt sick to my stomach, pushed back my food, and I was sick for 11 days.

“I survived on O'Henry candy bars for 11 days,” he said.

LIFESAVING KITCHEN DUTY

Upon landing on Hawaii's island of Oahu, the 18-year-old East and his fellow shipmates were tasked with learning advanced jungle training in the Philippines.

“I was with a 13th Replacement Depot, and we'd all fall out in the morning, and they'd call about 20 names, give them their gear, put them on the plane and fly them right into the Philippines,” East said. “They'd get killed yesterday, and they'd send more today. I was an 18-year-old boy from a farm, and I was scared to death.”

This was the Battle of the Philippines, when the Americans and Filipinos fought to remove the Imperial Japanese forces occupying the Southeast Asian country.

On a day that East will never forget, a skin problem forced him to see a doctor, who told him that he would likely develop jungle rot if he was sent to the Philippines. So he was sent to cooking school instead.

That day, however, all of the young men who boarded the plane for jungle training were killed, including many East had gone to high school with in Kentucky.

East attended the Quartermasters Corps School for Bakers and Cooks at Schofield Barracks on the island of Oahu, and he graduated as a First Cook.

“I was in the kitchen all day; I could eat all I wanted,” he said. “I cooked a lot of pancakes.”

The suppers he prepared consisted of meats such as roast beef with sides of mashed potatoes.

After 18 months of cooking on Oahu, East was discharged with the rank of Technician Fifth Grade (T/5) and he went home to Kentucky. He attempted to finish high school, but that plan didn't last. Before long, he was again working on the farm with his father, plowing the ground, feeding the hogs and handling other chores.

He left the farm life for Chicago when he was about 22 to follow a young woman he had fallen in love with. They married and had a son and a daughter, and East embarked on a 20-year career with Alcoa Aluminum Co. in Indiana.

He became an evangelist after his retirement in 1989, and he still shares God's Word today with his second wife, Sharon. Originally, they lived in Kentucky and spent the winters at Tabernacle Pentecostal, formerly a church on Wurst Road in Ocoee.

A few years ago, they decided they were tired of the cold weather and moved permanently to Ocoee.

A SETBACK

Last October, East came down with bronchitis, had a bad reaction to the antibiotics and ended up in the hospital, bedridden for nearly a month.

“They thought I wasn't ever going to be able to come out of it,” he said. “My feet and legs were swollen so bad. I almost died.”

In the end, East was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and he is halfway through his chemotherapy treatments. A doctor’s visit last week indicated the cancer cells are diminishing.

A MOVE FORWARD

East finally is using his GI Bill of Rights benefits to buy a home in Apopka. He has been pre-approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; closing costs are $3,000.

A group of friends has organized a fundraiser from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Hugh T. Gregory American Legion Post 63, 271 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. Ocoee Café is preparing the spaghetti dinner. Scheduled to perform are Bob and Darlene Puffer (The Puffers), Tom and Marie Barnhill (New Beginnings) and gospel evangelist Gary Buck.

A raffle is planned, as well, with items such as a flat-screen television, gift cards and gift baskets.

Entry fee is $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and younger. Raffle tickets are $1 apiece or six for $5.

For information or to inquire about donating a raffle item, call Pastor Tom Barnhill at (407) 864-7455.

“This is a worthy community cause for a noteworthy individual who has paid to keep the country safe, and it’s our time to give back,” Barnhill said.

Contact Amy Quesinberry at [email protected].