Donald V. Tappan

Marked “Wed. Noon” but was actually Thursday – based on the letter content and the postmark date.

Thursday (not Wed) Noon – August 3rd 1944
Good Afternoon Folks,

Well I have ruined this paper with sweat before I ever start by just laying my arm on it but you’ll bear with it. I hope. I don’t need to tell you that it’s a very hot day and that this afternoon will likely not be comfortable.

In my letter to you I wrote Tuesday I said we were supposed to have a hike that night. Well for some reason or other it was cancelled until yesterday afternoon. Yesterday morning we hiked for an hour each way out to and back from an area where we ran a problem so that wasn’t so bad but the hiking wasn’t so good.

With two hours of hiking in the morning and four in the afternoon we were walking for 6 hours yesterday. And the afternoon was about like today’s will likely be as far as heat goes. I needn’t tell you that we were ready to quit when we got in.

Besides that I was on table weather yesterday and had gotten up at 4 o’clock. So I had to spend my noon hour and my evening till 8PM in the kitchen. After we were through and I was back in the barracks cleaning up, the pay off came. Most of the fellows were out as they usually are in the evening (movies, Service Club, PX, town, etc.) and they needed someone to go on guard. They had already picked the guard but one of them had some sort of detail and they needed someone else.

As you can guess they took me, even in the condition I was and I walked 3 hours of guard last night. Well that brought up my total to 9 hours of walking yesterday. I was pretty well aggravated about it but that’s all the good it did me. 

But for being on guard we got the morning off today and so I brought up my total hours of sleep enough to equal a pretty good night’s rest. I don’t know what I’ll be doing this afternoon but no doubt there’ll be something.

I was pretty glad to get your weekend letter yesterday at noon. I was so busy I didn’t get to read it ‘till last night but the thought that I had a letter to read helped me through the afternoon. 

I am interested in knowing how Daddy’s job comes out and I was amused at Mr. May’s letter. I sure hope Dad gets the  job but like so many other things, I guess, it won’t be a life or death matter. Just do what you feel is right as best you can.

I was sorry to hear of Richard’s accident but it couldn’t be helped so just take care of it then forget the whole matter.

I can’t predict whether or not the motor cart will work but I do want to hear how it comes out. The idea of having no clutch and running it something like the railroad men do their put-put might be a good one. 

I doubt if the letter prediction about the end of the war will turn out to be anything other than wishful thinking but it did interest me.

Well if any more news turns up before night I’ll include it. Otherwise I’ll close with my best wishes in all your undertakings.

Lots of love,  Donald
Night
Well I sure had a break today. The company had gone out in the field this morning and didn’t come back at noon. So they told us (guards) to just keep busy around the barracks – cleaning our equipment, straightening up etc. That means I had an easy day today. Then I went to a show this evening to sort of spend the evening and it turned out to be real good. KP generally comes soon fter table waiter so I’ll probably get it Saturday so I won’t feel so bad. Love. Donald

Tuesday August 1, 1944
Hello Folks,

We have been half way promised a hike tonight so I’ll at least start this during my noon hour. And even now my time is very limited because I’ve got to fall out at 12:30 for some more radio school.

We went to radio school yesterday morning and then spent about an hour yesterday afternoon taking a test. Then I spent the rest of the afternoon working in the supply room.

This morning we were supposed to take another radio test but we spent most of the morning waiting for our turn to take it. The reason why we had to wait was because it was it was a test in the use of equipment rather than a written test. Only a few could use the equipment at a time so we had to wait  our turn.

I think there is some sort of a test coming up this afternoon but I don’t know much about it yet.

The shipping list or POR list as it is called (Port of Replacement) came up yesterday and my name wasn’t on it. About 2 out of 3 of those qualified took their physicals yesterday afternoon and I can’t quite understand how I missed it. It might have been chosen by lot for all I know. But I still could go in case someone doesn’t pass the examination or if they need more men but I doubt if I will this time. Now that they’ve started taking men I may go any time. So much for that.

Evening
I got in just a little early this afternoon so I’ll try to get a little more of this written before retreat. I took another test that took about an hour in all this afternoon but it took about all afternoon waiting for it. These radio tests are a whole lot alike every time they give them but here’s why we get them so often: One time the regimental staff gives a test, then the division tests us, then the Corps officers, then a staff from the Second Army headquarters test us and then it is about time to start over again.

It’s been raining a good bit here for a couple of days and we have had several showers today. Yesterday evening we were having a Regimental parade and it began to rain. It looked as if the bottom dropped from something and it wasn’t a half minute till we were soaked clear through. Of course, we were in khakis and we were drowned rats when we got to the barracks.

Well I’ve got to start cleaning my rifle so if nothing else important happens I’ll seal this up and send it. Likely there won’t be any time to write anyway even if I did have something to say – so good luck.

Love,  Donald

Sunday 11:30 – July 30, 1944
Hello,

How are all you folks now? I wonder what you are doing today. Since I don’t have to be out in the sun, I can call this a beautiful day. It is not hard for me to see how people can like the South. Because if you can be inside and look out as I am today or if you can view it from such a place as a shady park, it does really look beautiful. But it is just too hot to enjoy when you must be out in the weather. I hope you are having nice weather too; or if you are still needing rain, I imagine rain would be about as welcome as sunshine.

After Dinner
I was stopped by chow call and then mail call but here I go again. At mail call I got a paper, the cookies from the Ladies Aid, and best of all a letter from you. It looks to me from your letter that some of my class are going to see action and just to be truthful it may not be long before I’ll be with them. There is a shipping list coming up shortly and I have as good a chance as the next one of being on it. I got my G.I. glasses yesterday and that fills all my requirements to make me eligible. But even those in the outfit who don’t go now will leave (I am pretty sure) soon after the maneuvers are over in October. Here’s my attitude towards it right now. The way we have been working lately it wouldn’t be a whole lot worse than it is right now, and with the exception of maneuvers I have had all my training and ought to be able to look out for myself as well as the rest. I may also be able to help get this over with sooner and if I do or don’t I’ll be filling my little spot. Also remember that “All things work together for them that love the Lord,” so I don’t want you to feel any different about it than I do. This is all I am going to say about this until I learn something more definite. Don’t be surprised when it happens and don’t worry about it.

The hike we had Friday night didn’t make me feel much worse after it was over than I did before I started. The blisters were a little larger but I worked on them yesterday evening and I can hardly tell I have them today. My right ankle was a little sore before I started but it got limbered up after a mile or two and it didn’t bother much after that. I went to radio school yesterday morning and we had a pretty easy afternoon yesterday so with an easy day yesterday and a vacation today I ought to be pretty well rested for next week.

I did my weekend washing last night so I didn’t have to get up to do that this morning and I slept till church time. I wouldn’t even have woke up then if one of my buddies who sleeps next to me hadn’t known I was in the habit of going to church and woke me up. By the way he himself is a Catholic. When he woke me up it was about three minutes till ten and I was going into the chapel at 6 minutes after. The chapel isn’t very far away but even at that I did some hurrying.

The chaplain, who I mentioned once before that I liked so well, spoke to us again this morning and I really enjoyed the service. THis fellow is so common acting and preaches so plainly that you can’t help from liking him. The other chaplain must be from  some church that has a very formal service and it is much harder for me to enjoy than one more like our own.

Well I’ll sign off now and maybe write a little more this evening. Thanks a lot for the needles.

7PM
When reading over my letter so far I see I have told you about one of my buddies and it reminds me that I have another buddy whom I have been intending to tell you about. He is the one who pitched his tent with me last week and I like him very well. He lives in Greenville, Ohio. If you remember when we took Mattie and Aunt Mary over into Ohio we went to Greenville. He is familiar with the territory over to about as far as Muncie so he and I have just a little in common. When you are stuck away like this it is good to find even so remote an “acquaintance.”

We have been working for 6 days a week lately and haven’t got to go swimming for a good while so I decided this afternoon if I couldn’t get a tan one way I would try something else. I put on my bathing suit and layed out in the sun for about three quarters of an hour this afternoon. I see that my back and one shoulder is sort of pink now but it is entirely cool so it didn’t burn any.

I succeeded in getting a letter written to the Ladies Aid so maybe they won’t be bothering you with questions about whether or not I received the cookies this time. I find that most of the cookies have  to be eaten with a spoon (they have been crushed so) but they sure taste good.
You’ll have to admit this is a pretty good letter for me. I’ll read a little and then hit the hay pretty soon. It looks like we may get some rain tonight.

Lots of Love,  Donald
I sent for a stamp with my initial and last four serial numbers on it so you don’t need to worry about sending me this.

Friday Noon – July 28, 1944
Dear Folks,

Well we got back from our outing last evening but we were so busy cleaning up all our equipment etc. that there was no chance to write last night. We didn’t get to send out any laundry this week and I was so short of clothes that I also had to do a pretty big washing.

I went to radio school this morning and I think we go again tomorrow morning. We are just taking a little review on what we already had. But it has begun to look sort of useless to me, because so far we have had no practical use for it.

Unless something changes somebody’s mind we are going to have another one of our thrilling hikes. My feet are sure sore from the other hike and about four hours of it tonight really should fix me up.

It seems to me that this has been our hardest week so far. This will make three nights of work and we have had only that one morning off. It’s getting so that every time you go to bed you feel worse when it comes time to get up then you did the night before. You know how an extra hard days work effects you. Times like these are sure hard on the morale and it sure makes you want to be out of this mess.

Our mail has been irregular this week but I finally got your letter you wrote last weekend. I’ve not got time to hunt it up now to see what you wanted to know but I’ll don’t tonight it I have time or over the weekend.

Well if I don’t have time to write tonight I’ll put this in an envelope and send it as it is.

Love, Donald
I haven’t been able to get any chewing gum for a while and it sure helps keep from getting so thirsty  in the hot weather. How’s the supply up there

Night
Time is awfully short before we start on the hike but I just want to tell you I got a letter and the box from you tonight. Right now I am in no especial need for stationary but just getting something raised my spirits 500%. Thanks a million. The sox won’t come amiss but you don’t need to send anymore for a while. I’ll let you know if I get low again. I feel a whole lot more like hiking now in spirit even if I don’t in body.

DT

Sunday July 23, 1944
Dear Folks,

Well I suppose by now you think something has happened to me. But as I have told you so often, there are times when I just can’t get around to writing as often as I want to. I might have written a little letter to you on Thursday but I just was too lazy. I went to bed instead. I hope you’ll forgive me this time.

And I can’t promise how much writing I’ll get done next week. We are starting tomorrow at about 4AM on a four day problem. I understand that we have a twenty mile hike to make tomorrow so it sounds like it is getting off to a good start.

We have been doing about the usual kind of work this week. We take about an hour’s hike each morning out to our training area and then spend the rest of the day running problems. Yesterday we had a regular drill day instead of an inspection but we stayed close to the company area and had classes an hour long instead of running all day problems. We had an hour of bayonet drill, an hour of gas mask training, a period of map reading, an hour of physical training, etc. For our physical training we took a thirty minute run and even though we have been doing a lot of hiking, I see that the calves of my legs are sore this morning.

I didn’t hear them call breakfast this morning so I didn’t get up for that. But I did wake up about eight o’clock and start writing, which is a good bit earlier than I generally stir on Sunday mornings. I’ll have to do most of my today for next week.

Just about the time I get  ready to box up my watch and send it home it runs a little better. Then it quits again. Guess I’ll watch it a little longer. You needn’t send the box because I’ll send it with the bathing suit.

Richard didn’t have any ill effects over his little upset. I guess you’ll be able to watch the growth of the calf. Although I can see that there will be sentimental disadvantages of having it so close to home but the sentiment of it should be forgotten altogether.

Well it’s only about 20 minutes now till church time so I’ll sign off and finish later.

1:30PM
Since I stopped writing, I went to church, ate dinner and about have my pack rolled for tomorrow morning. I also attended mail call and received a letter from you which had been written on Friday. 

If Richard can get a ride and other details taken care of I hope and expect that he will find day work a little easier and more enjoyable than night work. You asked about the athlete’s foot stuff and I can truthfully say that it has helped a lot. The athlete’s foot between my toes is practically  gone and now I am trying to kill that ring worm on top of my feet (I expect you remember it).

Before I forget it I would like to ask you to drop a needle or two into one of your letters, if you can spare them. I have lost or broken all of the 3 or 4 I started with; but when I remember that they have lasted me for over 10 months, I can’t kick too much.

We had communication service at church this morning and I believe it is the first communion I have attended since I have been here.

Evening
I have done a little writing and a good bit of sleeping this afternoon. I’m going to the show this evening just to be doing something. It will cut my night a little but I’m going to do it anyway. I’ve not got enough news to start a new sheet.

Love, Donald

Tuesday Night – July 18, 1944
Dear Folks,

It’s all but time for lights out but I’ll write as long as they’ll let me. I don’t know hardly how the time has slipped by tonight because I haven’t got anything done but odd jobs. I got a pair of pants from the cleaners, turned some stuff in for salvage, cleaned my rifle and just things like that and the time is gone.

Do you know how your tongue feels when you eat an Indian turnip? Well that is just how my body feels only not quite so intense of course. I have broken out with heat rash almost all over. I guess it must be what you call prickly heat because it sure prickles. I got it yesterday when I was on K.P. That is about all I can say about my day on KP because there was nothing outstanding about it. We worked hard but got off before too late in the night. Oh yes, we did get up at 3:45 to go on because the company was going out on the range to fire a combat problem and they had to eat early. So we did put in pretty long hours at that.

This morning we went on our usual hike out to our training area and spent the day digging fox holes and studying tactics. The lights are going out now so I’ll have to close. Won’t promise when I’ll get this finished.

Wed Noon
I don’t know how much time I have but maybe I can get a letter more written. We went out to run problems this morning and I put this into my pocket but I didn…

(Well that’s how much time I had. Now I’ll try again. 8:00PM)

As I was saying when we were called out we were going out to the range to run a problem with live ammunition. The truck came for us just as I was in the middle of a word – and I’m not even going to try to remember what I was thinking. Our squad didn’t get to run the problem because only one squad can run it at a time and they didn’t have time for everyone. But of course we were working even though we weren’t going through the problem. So therefore we are going out again tomorrow and try it again.

Tonight just as we were climbing on the trucks it began to rain. And boy was I glad the truck had canvass over it. It really was quite a rain – it almost seemed that the rain was being poured out of buckets.

I got your week-end letter today. I was getting pretty anxious to hear from you so I was very glad to get a letter. I hated to hear that Daddy’s back has started giving trouble and I sure hope that it can get straightened up soon.

I am pretty disgusted with my watch. I may decide to get it wrapped up tonight and get it sent off tomorrow if I get a chance. I feel like Leo had better fix it – he charged us enough to do a good job. Today it ran from 7AM to 6PM but that’s not working right sometimes it will only run 4 or 5 hours. This watch has enough disadvantages that if I could get the right price for it I would consider selling it and buying another one. The next time there would be certain conditions that would have to be met and I wouldn’t be in such a crazy hurry as I was last time. I wouldn’t want anything that didn’t suit exactly or almost so.

It might not even be possible to get enough from it to make me consider it but here are a few points on how I feel about the watch. I would like for it to be a little smaller and therefore less conspicuous than this one. I would like for it to be a standard enough model that it could be repaired. It doesn’t matter if there aren’t so many jewels – seven would do. I would like for it to have removable pins so a new strap could be put on. Of course it should have a luminous dial and a sweep second hand is nice but not at all necessary.

You can mention this to Leo if you want to if you want to but I expect it would be better to do it after he has fixed it. But use your own judgement. I don’t care whether it was traded with him or anyone else. But I think it shouldn’t go for any less than $35. If the right person was known it might even be possible to sell it directly. Write and tell me your ideas on this situation. 

Well I hope everything is alright with you. Lots of love,  Donald

Sunday July 16, 1944
Hello Folks (letter to Carver Grandparents),

Hello Folks, I won’t promise you a very long letter tonight but I at least want to let you hear from me. It’s not too far from bed time and I’ll have to get up early in the morning so I’ll have to hurry a little with this.

I have spent most of my time today resting up from a hard week last week and sort of preparing for next week. It may sound funny to you but most of my time has been spent reading Sunday School papers which Mother had sent  to me. I also went to chapel this morning.

I never can let a week go by without wondering how things are coming back there. I suppose you saw my folks at some point or other today. How do you like the new preacher by this time. I believe someone told me that they had dinner with you last Sunday. I suppose you had a chance to get a little acquainted with them and I hope you like them.

How’s the school house coming by this time? It seems like the summer is going awfully fast to me and I’m sure it’s going a good bit faster for you. It seems that with my folks all so busy in the factory that they won’t be able to give you much help this summer but we hope they won’t have any experience this winter such as the moving around they had to do last. If they are in Orestes it should be possible tor some of them (at least Jim) to help out some on the school house.

I wonder how the weather is back there now. I wish you could be getting some of the rain that you need so badly. We have been getting a good bit of rain but it sort of gives things a sultry effect and makes it seem hotter than ever. Right now I am writing without a shirt on and the sweat is standing in great drops all over my back.

Well I hope you are coming along as well as can be expected. Let us keep looking to God for help and strength.

Your loving grandson,

Donald

Sunday – July 16, 1944
Dear Folks,

I was pleased and just  a little surprised to get a letter from you today. I thought that I had just about got my share of letters from you this week. But I am generally so rushed through the week that I have to almost rush through your letters and that takes part of the thrill out of reading them. You can bet that I made the enjoyment of reading this one last as long as possible. One of the reasons why I forget so much of the news that you mention is that I just have to go on to something else as soon as I have finished the letter and hardly even have time to think of what you have said.

I was sure glad to hear that you have had a little rain. It rained every once in a while here last week but it didn’t help the heat situation very much. Before the rain the temperature is just a little cooler but after the rain it just seems that the ground and wet clothing are steaming. The radio today is forecasting storms along the coast so I suppose we’ll have more rain before tomorrow.

I didn’t get up for breakfast this morning but I did get up in time for church. Last night and this morning I have been reading the S.S. papers that I received from you yesterday. I was about out of reading material so I have them about read through except for the continued story. And I expect to have that consumed before evening.

Oh yes. I forgot to thank you or Margaret or whoever is responsible for the picture. Although there is nothing outstanding about it, it is a very good picture of us all. I hope you can get hold of another one because I’d like to hang on to this one.

I’ve got K.P. tomorrow  but except for the longer hours it can’t be much harder than the work we have been doing lately. So I don’t dread it as much as I do sometimes and I was sure happy that it came tomorrow instead of today. I’ll stop now and write a letter to Uncle Floyd’s and maybe by that time I’ll have thought of something more to say.

7:30PM
Well about all I have done this afternoon is finish reading the Sunday School papers and done some straightening up that I would ordinarily do in the morning if I were not on K.P.

I wonder what you did today. Hope you had a good time. Aunt Freda said she had invited you there and I wonder if you went. By the way, I think I’m going to have to send my watch back to Leo to fix right. It started losing about 20 minutes a day as soon as I got it and now it runs for 3 or 4 hours and stops. I’ll give it another day or two of watching & if it doesn’t straighten up he’s going to get a chance to make it right. 

Here’s wishing you all the best wishes in the world. 
Donald