He entered the service on 06 November 1942 from Evansville, Indiana. He enlisted as a Private; he had two years of high school education, was separated, with dependents and his civilian occupation was listed as: "Semiskilled chauffeurs and drivers, bus, taxi, truck, and tractor".

We have Sergeant Austin listed on the 437th TCG Special Orders #195, dated 27 December 1943. These were the orders generated at Pope Field (Fort Bragg, NC) for the first phase of movement by air and by rail of the 437th personnel to their eventual overseas deployment.

He was listed as a passenger (with an incorrect Service Number) on the 12 July 1944 Operation DRAGOON movement orders. He was also listed in Frank Guild's book: "Journey to the Far Shore" as being a member of the 84th TCS as of July 1945, with a home address of Evansville, Indiana