In this first of three interviews, Floyd "Chunk" Simmons describes growing up during the Great Depression in Charlotte, North Carolina in a wealthy family that owned a construction company. Mr. Simmons talks about the consequences of the Great Depression, including his father losing his business and the family relocating. He recalls many other interesting details about the Great Depression from his perspective as a child. Mr. Simmons goes on to speak about his high school experience as an athlete during the late 1930s and his subsequent enlistment in the US Army. He describes the Staunton Military Academy that he attended in Staunton, Virginia and his training for the 10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale in Colorado. Mr. Simmons begins to talk about being drafted and his deployment during World War II as the interview closes.