Donald V. Tappan

Sunday 18th (June 1944)
Hello Family,
I am writing with about an inch of pencil so you’ll excuse the writing, I hope.

Boy I struck a lucky break. The company went out on the range yesterday and will be out there most of the week. Any of the ones who came in since we were out before have to fire but everyone had to go. The rest of the company will pull details and do regular training the remainder of the time. But here’s where I was lucky. Those of us who are going to radio school stayed back here in camp so that we could go to school next week. You really appreciate the barracks and the conveniences of camp when you realize how most of the fellows are living. Back here we get today off but those out there will work this morning and get only half a day free; that also makes me feel glad to be back here. The one disadvantage of not being with the most men is that church services will be held out there this afternoon instead on here and I’ll not get to attend.

Our mail will be sent out there so we may not get mail all week but I can mail my letters from over at the service club and they’ll go out from there.

I wonder how Daddy is coming with his Remy [*see footnote] job by now. I haven’t heard anything except that he got the job so I’m anxious to hear a little about the job staff. I’m surprised that he found someone so close to home to ride with. In fact, I didn’t know that “Coffee” drove. As I remember it he left his car at the state road and went on the bus.

With everyone working I’ll bet you’ll find yourselves just going around in circles with the garden, bees, and other work. I just hope that you can get along alright. But I don’t know how I can help out much unless I could give suggestions.

I’m glad to hear that a little better arrangements have been made about the janitor job this year. I hope that they can get along (well) enough better (now) that it won’t be such a drag to them as it was before (his Carver Grandparents).

The variety of my work doesn’t change a whole lot so I don’t have very much news to tell you. As usual I’ll not finish this till evening and maybe I’ll think of a little more before then.

[*footnote –  In 1944, the General Motors Delco-Remy Division in Anderson, Indiana, was a massive wartime manufacturer employing roughly 20,000 people. The plants produced crucial electrical components for military equipment, including starters for trucks, aircraft generators, and aluminum castings for P-38 Lightning engines.]

Sun. Evening,
Well I have really got a few things done today. It’s a whole lot like studying. If you can go off and hide you can get something done but with a lot of people around you can’t accomplish anything. In the absence of the company here’s what I have got done: slept a whole lot later than usual, written four letters including this one, went to a pretty good show this afternoon, and done quite a bit of reading in the Sunday School papers and Science digest.

You don’t mind seeing evening come when you feel that the day hasn’t been a total loss.

I wonder if you could get something from the drug store and send me for my athletes foot. It is hard to keep it under control in this hot weather when your feet sweat so. Maybe Mr. Bailey would have some suggestion that would help me out. Don’t send too large an amount. Thanks.

Well so long with love,  Donald

June 15, 1944

Dear Parents,

This is a day for great celebration. Not only is it your wedding anniversary but we also get considerable time off because of Infantry day. No doubt I’ll have more time to really celebrate than you. We scrubbed up everything last night but they really got kind hearted today. We went to a lecture this morning for about an hour and then we get the rest of the day off except a couple hours this afternoon for a parade. I never expected anything like this to happen.

I also have some pretty good news to tell you about my ear. I went to the clinic yesterday afternoon and they gave a pretty thorough examination. Although he knew there had to be a hole there the doctor said he was unable to see it. When I first went to the dispensary the doctor there didn’t look very hard and he found it so you can see there is no need to further worry. I myself had noticed that the secretion had almost stopped in the last few days and this morning it seems not to be running at all. I am supposed to go back over there next Monday just for a check up.

I was sure glad to get a letter from you yesterday. I was very glad to get the pictures but there is only one of them that I am willing to claim. In most of them I look scared and my uniform looks messy. In the ones with Daddy and Mother I look like a skinny, drawed up rail. The one with Jim is alright because you can’t see me. The one with Richard and Mary isn’t too bad but the one I really like is the one with Richard. It was taken far enough away that you don’t notice too many faults in my uniform and then I don’t have that old poppy sticking out of my pocket. I think the way I am standing also helps out. That is the one I want you to have prints made of to give away. I’m going to send most of the rest home and they can be hidden as far as I’m concerned.

I’m glad to hear you are coming so well with the honey house. Maybe you can send me a picture of it one of these times. I wonder if Daddy has gone to the factory yet. 

I hope the preacher you had Sunday can be hired and that he proves to be satisfactory.

I have run across a couple of new stamps. I think there are a couple of more new ones out – maybe you’ll run across them.

I hope to get some reading done today – especially in the Sunday School papers. I’ve not had hardly any time to read at all for a couple of weeks. We go out on the range again this Sunday so I’ll have to rest hard today to make up for time both past and future.

Maybe I’ll think of something else before night.

Lots of love,  Donald

Evening,
Well I got a letter from you this evening. I hope Daddy gets along alright with his job. I want to hear more about it.

We had our parade this evening and it just about fixed us. We stood for about an hour in the boiling sun and several men passed out from the heat. I was going to go to a show tonight but I feel so shot that I am hitting the hay. You can see from the way this paper is wrinkled how I I am sweating. I had a letter started to Uncle Floyd but I’m not even going to finish it tonight. 

I like it quite well for you to paper my cigar boxes and I did get the box from the Ladies aid but I haven’t even got letters written to my relation let alone to them.

Goodnight with love,   Donald

June 13, 1944
Tuesday Evening
Dear Folks,

In my last letter I told you that I was to be on some kind of detail yesterday but I didn’t know what it was. Well little did I dream what it was. About a dozen of us were sent over to the dental clinic to get our teeth fixed. I guess they knew we needed work done because of the records that were made from the physicals we were given when we first got here.

I had two teeth filled. They were some of those teeth that already had fillings in them. Those big fillings had to be taken out and it made quite a lot of drilling. They were pretty rough with the work and I was sort of mad about it last night but I feel better about it now. At least that is over with now and my teeth should be in pretty good shape once again.

Last night we went out (in the trucks thank goodness) and spent the night with the company on the problem. I spent a pretty restful night on the bare ground with nothing but a raincoat between me and the sky. 

This morning our position was attacked by a regiment of tanks. And since our anti-tank weapons could only simulate firing at them they were not stopped and we were theoretically captured. There was so much make believe in it that it turned out to be almost a farce. 

We came in about noon and have spent the entire rest of the day getting ready for an inspection which is supposed to come either tomorrow or the next day. We should have got the afternoon off since most of the fellows were up about all night on the problem but of course they couldn’t possibly give us any time.

Maybe you have read that Thursday is Infantry day. We are going to celebrate it by scrubbing, scrubbing on Wed night and then parading for the public on Thursday. We’re doing all the work for something supposed to be in honor of us. Ha.

I was going to tell you a little about the church service we had Sunday in my last letter but I forgot about it. There was a new chaplain, a sort of young fellow, and he sure suited me. In the first place he sang songs that I was familiar with and that made it more enjoyable to me. Then he preached a sermon that really contained something and was still easy to follow. I got more good from the service than any I have here in a long time.

I was reading in the paper today about Harold Swain’s wedding. Boy there sure are very few weddings now that are anyways near that much like weddings in normal times. It was a peace time wedding even down to the last detail of “The couple will reside on a farm northwest of the city.”

By the way I saw about the marriage the other day of Alva Thurston of Summitwille. I suppose it is “our boy” isn’t it?

It will be quite alright for mother to send me my shoe trees if they are still around. 

Well, I’ll sign off now and maybe think of a little more before I go to bed. Hope to hear from you soon.

Love, Donald

June 11, 1944

Sunday
Hello Folks,

Well today might be a whole lot worse but it isn’t exactly a day of rest. The reason is that I am on guard. We went on at 5 o’clock yesterday evening and get off about that time this evening. I walked from 8 till 10 and from 2 till 4. That would make me walk from 8 to 10 this morning and from 2 till 4 this afternoon. But since there are twice as many posts at night as there are in the day-time there are twice as many men  as they need in the daytime so they gave one post to 2 men and let each man walk one of the shifts.

I got the afternoon shift and so since this is Sunday they gave those of us, who don’t walk till this PM, the morning off. I won’t get much resting done because we have to go back at 11:30 but at least I’ll get my Sunday letter written and get to go to church. I appreciate this because I was afraid that I wasn’t going to get to go.

My night consisted of only from 10 till 2 and from 4 till 6:30 but I think I’ll clean up and hit the hay as soon as I get in tonight so maybe I can make up for it.

The company gets up at 2AM tomorrow morning to start on a two-day problem. My name is on the detail list for some kind of detail tomorrow but I don’t fall out till 7:30. I may be stuck for two days but at least I won’t have such a short night tonight. There is always a bright side to everything I guess.

There was a general around inspecting yesterday and he wanted to see us working so we didn’t have our regular Saturday inspection. I went over to the radio school as usual. We studied radio yesterday for the first time in two or three days.

Friday afternoon we had quite a strenuous but interesting job at communication school. THey wanted to give us practice  in using a compass so they set up a compass course for us to run. And what a course it was! We each started out alone and were supposed to follow certain azimuths (magnetic degrees) for so many yards. We had no way to tell distance except by our paces. We followed one azimuth for 2200 yds, another for 2000 yds and a third for 1200yds and were supposed to end up where we started from. It was all up and down hill and through thick woods. If you can see a hundred or so yds in front of you and walk towards certain object this is a fairly easy task, but through woods you have to look at the compass about 25 or thirty yds and this makes it very easy to get off your course. Then through brush, etc. you really have to concentrate to keep track of your paces.

I got back at just about the exact point I was supposed to and by the map we had to keep I had reached the points we were supposed to so I got through the course all right. Some of them even got lost on the course. And come to think of it this wouldn’t have been so hard to do. It would have been pretty easy t o get 2 or 3 degrees off your course when going up and down hill for a mile and a half in one direction. That much off can make a lot of difference when going that far. 

I was sure glad for the letters I got from you this week. That surely must have been a horrible train accident… [folded sentence]. I have been out in there but I just don’t remember having seen the crossing. Is it just west of that power station on the Riverview road?

How was the circus? What color and kind is Old Corie? How is she coming by now?

As you can see by the things I sent home you can see how strict they are getting about having extra things. In connection with this I have a request I want to make. When you send me packages I would like for you to send them so that they will be here between Saturday evening and about Wednesday evening. If you could do this it will give me time to have it taken care of before Saturday inspection. Of course, Sunday is always the best day to get packages.

Well I’ll sign off now and put on a tie for church. I’ll write soon more tonight it I have any more news.

Love

Donald

Evening

Well I have a little to tell you. I got your package and letter today; you timed it just right. Thanks for everything. Please send another cigar box like that some of these times. That is sure good candy. I suppose it’s home made? 

I have a request for the next package. I’d like for you to send me a pair of swimming trunks. Any kind. I suppose 30” waist will work. On Saturday afternoons we sometimes are allowed to go swimming for our exercise if we have trunks. Maybe I could learn to swim this summer. The simpler the better on these.

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.

June 6, 1944
Tuesday Evening.
Hello Folks,

Don’t get excited about the air mail stamp because I just feel like getting a letter to you in a hurry tonight. For no special reason either that I can think of.

I do have just a little news about my ear though. I kept my appointment  yesterday and went over to the clinic. But I waited all afternoon and they didn’t get around to me. All they did was give me another appointment for the 14th. Well this just disgusted me to the very end. You don’t need to think I’m trying to keep anything from you but fully truth – it hasn’t been hurting me. I just didn’t want to go for another whole week without being looked at so I went on sick call this morning. Since the clinic wasn’t doing anything they at least looked at it, gave me some different drops for it and said to come back Saturday. The doctor said it was a whole lot better than it was last week but he still wanted me to go to the clinic next week. Even though he didn’t do much he at least took enough interest to make me feel a whole lot better. So much for that.

I have begun to get back into the radio work again. Only now, instead of just working on radio we are learning about the other types of communication. We started learning about telephone yesterday. We learned to use tree pole climbers and a little bit about splicing wire. Like everything else I’ll just have to wait and see how deep we get into this.

We saw an air demonstration this afternoon (the entire post went to see it). I guess the purpose of it was so that we would realize the necessity of learning to protect ourselves from the attack. The thing that impressed me most was the power of the bombs. They were dropped on a hill 3 or 4 miles from us and you could just feel the ground shake that far away.

Well K.P. has finally caught up with me. I must hit the hay so I’ll be ready for it tomorrow.

Love
Donald
Good to get a letter from you this evening.

Letter 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 had 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.