Ervin was working on a farm when he enlisted in 1942 and his first posting was at Marana Army Air Base near Tuscon. In May 1944 he crossed the Atlantic on the 'Mauretania' to eventually join the 20th FG where part of his job was with the recovery crew. He recalled the day when a P-38 took off, failed to gain altitude, caught fire and crashed. 'The pilot got out and was in the chow line with us the next morning'. He also spent time serving in French Morocco and in Germany as part of the Occupation forces until March 1946. He was afterwards a rural mail carrier with the US Postal Service.