Donald V. Tappan

The 87th Division staged at Camp Kilmer, at Stelton (now Edison), New Jersey, on 10 October 1944 – placing this around Sept 15, 1944 based on letter

[Unclear Date – United States Army stationary – with mention of school – possibly written to Carver Grandparents]
Friday Night
Hello,

I got about half an hour so this can’t be very long. We have just finished scrubbing the barracks and getting everything cleaned up for inspection tomorrow.

I got the letter you sent out on Wednesday this evening. I also got a letter from the Mongomerys today. They sure are great folks. They said that they had the Lilly Creek ministry read my letter to the church. I suppose it was alright but it wasn’t a very fancy letter. Most of what they had to say was news about happenings that likely you know. I was glad to hear that Bob has taken up football and that Richard is helping him out a little.

They sent me the first news I have had about the Lilly Creek preacher, but I don’t quite get the whole story on him yet.

It seems to me I have heard of the new teacher but I just can’t place her now. No doubt I have seen her. It sounds like you’ll be able to get things straightened out and running in good order.

Down here we’ve been doing the usual kind of thing. It does seem that it may not be very long before we’ll move out of here. We took a physical examination today and they are packing up equipment all the time. Things like this don’t happen all at once though so we may be here for 3 or 4 more weeks.

I don’t have much news and maybe I’ll have time to write a decent letter Sunday. I sure hope so anyway. Good luck and God bless you.

Love,
Donald

June 14 (probably)
Wed
Dear Folks,
Well we fired our rifles for record today and I qualified as a marksman and would have been a sharpshooter with 2 more points. Several of the fellows made sharpshooter and expert but also several did worse than I did. Considering my experience with guns and my eyesight I am going to be satisfied.

I am sending some money for you to keep or spend for me. If Richard needs any money use it that way. Otherwise spend it on bonds or a watch.

My rifle is to clean so Goodnight
Love,
Donald
See how quick an airmail letter gets there

Thursday Evening
Hello Folks,
I had hoped to have plenty of time to write tonight but as usual by the time I got everything done time slipped away.

I got a package rounded up to send to you this evening. It is mostly stuff that I had been intending to send for a long time. Just like you find it when it comes to moving, anything that I can’t use or don’t need I might as well get rid of it. I’ll try to explain some of the stuff. 

The pants are “X” pants that I got when I was working in the supply room. They are getting so strict on extra stuff that I’d better send them home than have them taken away from me. If Richard can wear them go ahead if not I’ll be able to use them sometime.  The towels were all right till I got face towels but since I don’t even use the face towels except for inspections you might as well be using them. The handkerchief is one that’s not GI that I got back from the laundry – hope someone can use it.

I have a G.I. razor & shaving brush and so might as well use them. For sentimental reasons maybe you could keep my razor and brush for me. 

The books & glasses don’t need any explanation. If someone can use those frames, go right ahead. I kept the pictures I want to keep & you can keep the rest better than I can.

I thought you might be interested in my birthday cards. Dispose of everything in that bunch except Margaret’s announcements.

You can do whatever you wish with the toilet article apron. The apron served fine but the case I had when on furlough serves so much better and so much easier to take care of. The biggest trouble with the apron was that I was always losing things from it.

Today at radio school we learned about panel work. This is signaling to airplanes by stretching cloth panels on the ground.

I thought of something I’d like you to send me. That is 2 or 3 pr of light wool sox. We have to wear them now that our feet sweat in the hot weather. The g.i. Ones are like cotton ones only they are just a little heavier. They can be either (preferred) od., white or gray. If you can’t find anything like this some of those cotton sox (in these colors) like we used to get for work. I believe they were called Rockford Sox and had red heels. I think these would pass for gi if they were the right color. The advantage of having them look like issue sox is that I can salvage them if they do. Don’t forget the cigar box.

I was on KP till about 10:30 last night so I’m really tired now. It’s time for lights out anyway so good nite.

Love,
Donald

I’m sorry this had to be such a poor excuse for a letter. My ear has been behaving so nicely that I’m about out of the mood for fooling with the clinic anymore. I’ll try to do better about a letter on Sunday.

Written over a Saturday and Sunday, but there is no postmark on the envelope. Envelope was in box letters postmarked May 1 (written April 30) and

June 10, 1944 (probably)
Saturday Night
Dear Family,

I’ve been busy tonight but even at that I haven’t accomplished everything I’d like to. We went out yesterday at about noon on a problem that I said might be called off and got back from it this morning sometime around 10:00 I believe. We didn’t get much sleep but we didn’t have to do any extensive hiking and it wasn’t too hard on us.

The rest of the day has been spent doing details around the company, cleaning up our equipment, and trying to get a little rest between times. I have had fatigue clothes, sox, etc to wash from two problems this week so I have done quite a bit of laundry altogether.

I have spent most of my evening getting my stuff ready for an inspection  tomorrow morning. This is the inspection of all our equipment that was supposed to come off today if we hadn’t gone on the problem. It is the first of our inspections to get us ready for some movement. I can’t feature this outfit going over as a unit instead of as replacements as they have been doing but that’s what they are talking now.

We’ve got to get up at the regular time tomorrow and it will be a regular work day till the inspection is over. But by the time everyone is inspected I expect most of the day will be gone. I’ll close now and just hope for some time to finish tomorrow. D.T.

Sunday Evening
This hasn’t been much like Sunday and consequently I won’t be able to write such a long letter as usual. We got up at 6:00 and cleaned up the barracks as we do on any working day. Then we spent all morning waiting with our equipment and clothes displayed out in the sun. By the time they got around to inspecting us it was about noon.

So consequently I didn’t get to go to church this morning. Then this afternoon although I wasn’t in the mood for going to the movies there was a show on I didn’t want to miss so I went. It was Pearl S. Buck’s “Dragon Seed” about which I had studied in literature classes. It was a modern Chinese story about the war and it turned out to be a very good movie. After I got back I intended to write but I fell asleep instead and almost missed supper by not waking up. I have managed to do a little reading in between times but outside of that this has been almost a wasted day.

I was very glad to get your letter today but the package hasn’t arrived yet. I don’t know what we’ll be doing tomorrow but I haven’t heard any rumors so I expect we’ll be here tomorrow noon. A box will come in just as enjoyable then as it would have today.

From the looks of things now we will be pulling out but it won’t be for a few weeks yet. Anything is guess though and we’ll just have to wait to see what develops. I have several things I’ll have to send home and I thinkI’ll fix a box in the near future. I have several pairs of cotton sox that I don’t use now since we have to wear heavy sox to work in. I also have a pair of wool pants that I got while in the supply room at Benning. I was going to use them to wear under my fatigues if we went on winter maneuvers but it looks as if I won’t need them for that. They might come in handy for some similar use around home. If I get started I may find a good bit to send and what I don’t send now will have to be got rid of before we move as we can take only issue clothing and equipment. You are allowed 5 lbs of excess equipment though and I think I’ll keep my civilian shoes. I get a great kick out of wearing them.

A little incident happened last Monday that shows how much kids even a bunch of soldiers can be. We were out on a problem and we were attacked by a bunch of tanks. After the “battle” the tanks stopped and several of the fellows were climbing around over them getting a good look inside. They talked one of the drivers into taking them on a ride and they were hanging all over the thing. Well I was in that bunch and I rode astraddle of the cannon. We got as big a thrill out of that as if we had done something big.

Well I hope everything is going OK with you.

Love,
Donald

(Addressed to sister Mary)

June 4, 1944
Sunday Eve.
Hello Mary,

And of course all the rest. I believe you said that I had never addressed a letter to you so you may consider this one yours. I was very glad to get two letters from home yesterday – one postmarked the 31st and the other on the 1st.

I have just been back here a week this evening. That time doesn’t seem so long but it seems like a long time since I was home. And speaking of things seeming like a long time agao it sure seems like a long time since a year ago last Friday (June 2). I can sure remember what I was doing a year ago now.

It had rained a little last Sunday evening when I got in and it rained a nice little shower while we were eating supper tonight. At least I suppose it will make it more pleasant sleeping tonight. It has been so hot lately that the sweat just pours off you whether you are even moving around or not. It was hot when I left here for home but it sure did get a whole lot hotter during those two weeks.

Boy a little wind sure can play havoc down here. On Friday evening a wind came up that would hardly have thought about at home but it sure caused a sand storm here. The sand filled the air till you  could see only about as far as you could in the hardest snow storm I can remember. That may give you some idea of how the sand blew for 15 or 20 minutes.

I went to chapel this morning and of course wished I could have been home for more than one Sunday but am thankful for the one I was there. I wonder if you had a preacher for this Sunday.

This afternoon I went to a movie and then came back and laid down. You can guess just about what happened. I went almost immediately to sleep. The next thing I knew they were calling us for supper.

My ear hasn’t hurt very much this week but it is still running. My appointment at the ear clinic comes up tomorrow so if nothing comes up to prevent it I hope to have something done about it by this time tomorrow.

While I was straightening up on Friday evening I found two or three pieces of Mother’s divinity that I has stuck away when I got back. It is impossible to express how good that tasted to me. I guess I just had too many good things to really appreciate any of them thoroughly enough when I was home.

I hope everything is ok with you people. I wonder if Jim has found his old setting’ hen yet. How’s the bee house coming?

Your brother,
Donald
I wonder if any of you can figure out where the letter that  contained my dog tag was postmarked from.

May 30, 1944
Tuesday Evening
Dear Folks, 

Well I’ve got a little news to tell you about my ear. It wasn’t bothering me any worse than it had but I felt something should be done so I went on sick call today. They didn’t do a thing to it so I sure am glad that it isn’t too bad. They did give me some drops for it and sent me to the ear, nose and throat clinic. They were so busy over there that they could only give me an appointment for June 5.

I suppose my ear will be well by then and they won’t do anything about my throat but at least it will put it in their records so that it will impress it on their minds if any more trouble comes up. I have made up my mind though that if either ear or throat gives any trouble before the 5th I’m going to just drop everything else and go on a sick call.

I drilled with the company Monday and like everyone else felt the effects of furlough. I went to sick call this AM and the clinic this PM so today wasn’t very hard. Tomorrow promises to be a full day. I have table waiter and also we go to mine school where we study booby traps, mines and such explosives. It’s just a period of training which each company must go through. I don’t know about the radio but I think I’ll get back to it.

Pardon this scribbly little letter but I want to go to bed as soon as possible.

Love,
Donald
Hope to hear from you tomorrow. I got my dogtags Mon. noon – No one even knew I didn’t have them.

Just returning from furlough. Mentions arriving by train

May 28, 1944
Sunday 8:00pm
Hi,
I’ve got more to do than I dare think about but I must take time to write. Maybe some of the work will just have to go and be done some other time. Everything has to be hunted up from all over the place and then be straightened up and cleaned up.

We got here at almost on time this eve (5:15PM) so that worry is over. My ear just ran and ran and I all but ran out of cotton wadding. I bought some more as soon as I got here.

My ear doesn’t and hasn’t felt too bad so I may wait till things get running normal again before I see about it. Of course if it gives much trouble tonight I’ll get to attention. So don’t worry.

I slept an awfully lot on the train so I have been tireder than I am now. But I want to get around and get to bed pretty soon.

Love,
Donald

May 11, 1944
Thursday afternoon
Dear Folks,

While I am off duty a little while this afternoon I’ll get my letter written so I can hit the hay early this evening. The reason I am off is that I have a nasty detail coming up tomorrow. Twelve of us from this company are on a prisoner guarding detail. Since some of the prisoners are held for pretty serious crimes this is a very responsible job and there is some larger danger connected with it. It is a very serious offense to let a prisoner escape. The last bunch from our company that were on this detail were on it for two or three days so I don’t know just when I’ll get off. We report at the guard house at 0610 in the morning so that will mean getting up pretty early.

I went to the radio school this morning and it seems that this will be over before much longer. They are going to start giving us tests Monday and so we’ll come back to drilling with the company about the middle of the week. I don’t know what we’ll do except just go ahead training with the company as we did before. There is no need for radio communication in the type work the company is doing now. If they don’t forget they’ve got radio men I suppose that we’ll go back to that whenever maneuvering time comes.

I wonder what kind of weather it is up there now. It’s pretty hot down here and I can just about guess what it’ll be like when summer comes. I wonder if you could get me a pair of sun glasses that fit over regular glasses. All I have been able to get is a pair of regular sun glasses. Since the glasses I am wearing now fit pretty close to the face and the sun glasses are sort of loose I can get by but it isn’t  too satisfactory. I didn’t notice it so much at home but down here the sun shining on the sand almost blinds you to be out in it.

I am getting along as well as usual and hope you are doing the same. Don’t know any more news about when I’ll get to be home. Regiment has announced though that when furloughs start we’ll be allowed 8 days at home. That doesn’t include traveling time.

I’ve made up my mind to send my watch home so you’ll be getting that one of these days. I’m afraid that by the way things are looking, if it takes 5 or 6 weeks to fix it we might be moved out of here for maneuvers when it is ready. Of course, all of this is supposition but I’ve a hunch and a lot can happen in that many weeks. I’ve two or three things I’ll put in this letter that you can put away for me and they’ll stand less chance of getting lost if I hold onto them any longer. Thanks.

Your son & brother,
Donald
Hope I get a letter from you tonight.

May 9, 1944

Tuesday Eve
Hello Folks,
As usual I haven’t much news but if you feel any ways near the same as I do you will be glad to just get a letter. I got your Sunday letter this evening.

I hope Richard is able to get on at Remy’s for the summer and that he likes the work better than that of his fuzz factory (this makes me think of Linda’s fozzy blankets- ha ha)

It looks like the inspector is really going into the bees right this summer. At least feeding his bees and buying more colonies makes it look suspiciously in that direction. I don’t see any reason why there shouldn’t be a good market for honey this year so I wish the bee business all the luck in the world. I know another thing too – that gardening at home will be a whole lot more pleasant than it has in the past.

Sunday will be Mother’s Day and I certainly would like to be home for it. But since I can’t, I certainly want to wish my Mother and very happy Mother’s Day. Even though I don’t express it I  certainly am thankful for all that mother has done and still is doing for me. Thanks a whole lot.

Richard wanted to know a little about the walkie-talkie business and by this time I may have explained  what he wanted to know. At least I have talked about the broadcasting so now I’ll tell you the purpose of ever having these dinky little radios.

A radio and its operator are assigned to each platoon and we are taken right with it to its offensive or defensive area. Then since the company commander also has a radio, he and the platoon leaders can keep in touch with each other. Orders may be sent out, information of the enemy may be sent back or any other important communication may be made. When necessary a radio may be sent out with any smaller unit on patrol, outpost or any other duty.

I hope everything is still OK with you. Thanks a lot of times for the stamps.

Donald