Month: January 1944

[Date unclear – probably January 29, 1944]
Saturday Night
Dear Folks,

I expected to be out somewhere where I couldn’t write a letter if I wanted to tonight but it jusst goes to show, you never can tell what to expect. The rest of the company left for the range this afternoon and are camping out in the woods somewhere tonight but here I am spending one more night in the barracks. I am on the detail for hauling out the equipment.

We got all the stuff packed and ready to go yesterday and were expecting to ship it out anytime today. But they never got the trucks down here today so I have spent one of my easiest days in the army (outside of those in the hospital, of course).

I guess we’’ll make up for it today in having to work tomorrow though. But anyway it will be easier than making the march out there. Little things like this prove to me that the good Lord knows how to take care of me..

Well as usual after I say what I have been doing I am about run down.

This letter tonight will very likely be my last regular letter for a while. I’ll do very well to write a very short note while I am on the range. Boy I certainly am praying that I can make it through the range this time. Of course, after I get through basic I don’t know what will happen to me then. There seems to be very little chance of our getting to go to school now. I don’t know whether you have been reading about it in the newspapers or not. Of course what ever happens will be for the best.

Well I am wondering what you are doing tonight. How are things coming back there.

Love,
Donald

P.S. Thanks for the pictures of Richard and Mary. The only thing that was strange to me was that I couldn’t help noticing the length of Richard’s hair. I am so used to seeing everyone’s hair an inch or an inch and a half long. I don’t know whether I told you or not but that is how I am wearing mine now.
How do you like my new stationary?

January 27, 1944
Letter to Carver Grandparents
Thursday
Dear Folks,

Well time flies by and here another week is almost gone. I have been intending to write to you ever since Sunday but I have been so busy that I just never got to it. It seems like that by the time I get cleaned up of an evening I must even hunt for time to write home.

I got your letter this morning and was sure glad to hear from you. Boy it seems that every day that passes makes me want to go home worse and see all of you. In fact it seemed that your letter today made me want to go home worse than ever for some reason or another. Especially when I think about all the work of the folks moving again I sure would like to help them out.

I’ll bet that it isn’t as hot back there today as it is down here. It is actually hot enough to make you sweat. Although I wouldn’t want it to get too hot I hope it does stay nice while I am living out in a pup tent. I think that I will start training with the company again some time next week. The company goes out to the ranges on Saturday and Sunday so that they will be ready to start right to work on Monday morning.

I slept out in my pup tent again last night. We ate canned rations for supper then slept out and came back in for breakfast. I guess they just want to give us a little practice in this kind of thing. Although it was a little damp, the weather wasn’t too cold and I slept fairly comfortable.

The supply room has been pretty much of a job this week – getting everything ready to go out on the range. Some of the work has been pretty hard but I have been able to take it with no worse effect than just feeling tired when night comes.

It sounds like you must be having to work pretty hard to keep up with the school house job. You don’t know how much I would like to be back there where I could give you a hand once in a while. I hope you are still coming along alright.

I sure appreciated the little bits of the Orestes (Indiana) news in your letter. Well chin up and I’ll be seeing you.

Love,

Donald

January 25, 1944
Wed Night [was actually Tuesday]
Dear Folks,

Well I am pretty tired tonight, I haven’t done so much extra but for some reason I feel the effects of it.

Yesterday and today I have worked in the supply room with, of course, odd jobs of all kinds on the side.

I suppose I will go to the laundry tomorrow and then I will have a real treat tomorrow night. Ha Ha. I’ve got to go out with the company on a practice bivouac. In other words, live in a pup tent for one night. This will kind of ease me into the spirit of training, I guess.

I suppose that I will start training about the first of next week. I had a whole week of the range but this company starts right out by firing the machine gun. Since I didn’t do this before it will mean that I must take the whole 2 weeks over again.

I worked in the supply room till about 8:30 tonight and tried to get some of my things ready for the next two weeks. So with about 20 minutes of this letter I must hurry and sign off before the lights go out.

I hope you are all OK and that things are straightening out alright.
Love,
Donald
P.S. This will arrive too late for this but today is Dady’s birthday – So Happy Birthday

[Probably January 23, 1944]

Sunday

Dear Folks,

I’ll start this letter before dinner and I’ll try to get it finished sometime between now and tomorrow morning. I didn’t get to write you a very newsy letter on Friday so I hope I can think of all I had in mind to tell you then.

It is another beautiful day today. I hope that we continue to get decent weather now for about 7 weeks but of course there is no telling what may happen.

I got up for breakfast this morning and then cleaned up for church. Then I layed down again and slept till about ten o’clock.

Well I finally got your package sent out yesterday at noon. I had all intentions of sending it Thursday but I couldn’t find my pocketbook (I’ll tell you more about this later), and then just before noon on Friday Lt. Blain told me he wanted me for a coal detail as soon as I finished my dinner so that fixed mailing the package on Friday.

The PFC. who is assisting in the supply room went on a pass Friday and since Sgt. Steele went to see something about his Air Corp transfer, I was in complete charge. I even had a couple of fellows working under me. And then in the afternoon I was put in charge of the coal detail. I had 3 men besides myself, a truck and a truck driver under me. Of course, this wasn’t anything great but it had a little responsibility to it and it shows that they have faith in my honesty. Usually they take a corporal off duty to put him in charge of the coal detail. Of course I worked as hard as anyone else even though I was in charge.

Yesterday I was back in the supply room again doing office work so I finally got a chance to go to the post office at noon.

About the day I couldn’t find my pocketbook, here is the story. After dinner just before I went to the post office I felt for my pocketbook and it wasn’t in my pocket. Well I looked all around for it and finally I decided that someone had reached into my pocket and took it out. When I was so near broke I took off my money belt and had never put it on again so I had all my money in my pocket book. Boy losing every cent I had didn’t make me feel very good. I spent a miserable afternoon thinking about where it could possibly be and then looking for it every chance I got.

When bed time came I had borrowed a dollar to send the package home and had written a letter telling you about it. After all hope was gone, I undressed and started to crawl into bed. In doing so I moved the pillow and there under my pillow was the pocket book. Somehow in dressing or undressing the night before it has fallen on the bed above the pillow and slid under the pillow. Then I had made the bed over it. Boy was I glad to see it and I was sure glad to give back the dollar that I had borrowed.

The little incident caused me a lot of worry but it turned out a lot better than I ever expected it to. It also taught me never to trust all my money to my pocket book again. 

You asked about my glasses the other day. Well I can’t get G.I. glasses as long as I still have a pair. It’s foolish to spend money to get glasses when they are supposed to be furnished so I am trusting that if these ever break it will be at a time when it won’t make too much difference.

Sunday night

Well I finally got my letter written today about my KBT award. I suppose that we will be hearing a report on it one of these days.

I haven’t accomplished much but write letters but I want to do a little more reading before bed time. I wonder what you have been doing today.

I will be going out on the range a week from yesterday and so I wish you would send me a half dozen  or 8 candles. It would be alright if they should arrive a few days after I get out there. The ones that are issued last for a while but not nearly long enough. The kind 4 or 5” long are good enough.

Goodnight with love,

Donald

P.S. In the package I put both of Ben’s pictures. I wish you would drop the one of him in his white cap into one of my letters and send it back. After you have got your satisfaction of seeing it of course.

[Date unclear but probably Friday January 21, 1944]

Friday Night
Dear Folks,

Well I doubt if I will get this letter finished tonight so if time gets short I’ll just saw off and put it in an envelope rather than wait a day or two to finish it.

To start with I got your package today and also a letter from you. I was sure glad to get both of them. You can just guess what I thought of the candy and the rest of the stuff works fine.

In your letter you asked when my basic will be over. Well if everything goes off alright March will be about 10 days old when I get through here. And then about the furlough. Of course anything can happen but there isn’t enough chance that I will to plan on it.

And you asked about where my old company was sent to school. Well I asked them to write to me but so far none of them have.

I have been working in the supply room and this afternoon I spent almost all afternoon hauling so you will understand why I am closing now to go to bed.

Love,

Donald

[Date Unclear – Probably Sunday January 16, 1944]

Sunday Afternoon
Dear Folks,

Boy is this a nice day! We have had so many cold rainy days this week that it is really hard to find fault with anything on a day like this. This morning it was frosty and cold but the sun was shining so brightly that it really made you feel good. The sun has shined ever since and now the temperature is very pleasant. If I were at home on the farm I know I would want to go for a walk in the woods or out to the old orchard. Or if I were in Orestes I would want to walk down to Lilly Creek or down to the Arch and see if our dam is still there. But here weather like this makes me want to talk to you in a letter.

I went to church this morning and of course this always helps to make me feel better. We had a communion service this morning. I guess several other people must have felt good today too because we had a very nice crowd out.

My life has been spent very much as usual the last few days. Yesterday morning I worked in the mess hall because they needed extra help. The colonel of the regiment was going to make an inspection and everything had to shine. Incidentally the colonel said that our mess hall was the best one that he found and he had the other mess sergeants down looking at it.

Yesterday afternoon I went to the main post with Sgt. Steele (my boss or in other words the supply sergeant) to get the laundry.

We had a better than usual dinner today and I am setting down to an afternoon of reading, writing and sleeping so there is no reason why I shouldn’t feel good. For dinner we had cork chops, dressing, sweet potatoes, ice cream and cake. Of course a meal with pork chops and cake would have been more tasty if mother had made it but nevertheless, it tasted good. Although I am not especially fond of working for the cooks in this company they are a lot better cooks than are generally found in the army.
I hope you are finding it possible to get as much kick out of today as I am getting.

Love,
Donald
Bed Time:
Well I am still in a pretty good mood. I haven’t succeeded in writing many letters but I have done considerable reading. I have read about half of the book on China that you sent me. I didn’t think it would be overly interesting but  it is anything but dry. When I get started in it I can hardly stop.
Goodnight.

[Date Unclear – but probably January 12, 1944]
Wed Night
Dear Folks,

Well here I come again. I’ve been doing the same old seventy-six as usual. Supply room, going to the laundry, etc., etc. We have been and will be extra busy getting ready for the range. Besides getting all the thousands of things ready we must take care of getting everybody’s clothing and shoes repaired and all the outfits changed for the correct sizes. Stuff that you can’t wear won’t help a bit when it comes to keeping warm. Another reason that we are extra busy is that the Supply Sgt. is transferring to the Air Corps. He is trying to get everything into top-notch shape before he leaves. I hope that he doesn’t get transferred before I start back to training.

Someone else might not be quite so pleasant to work for.

I’ll bet that you think that the box I said I was going to send got lost on the way. Well it is still in my barracks bag. The only chance I have to mail it is at noon and I have had only or 2 noons free in two weeks. And when I could have done it, of course, it never entered my head. Be patient, I’ll do my best.

I got your roll of Sunday School papers and magazine today. I finished my last Sunday School paper on Sunday so you timed it perfectly.

Well how’s everything back there?

Love,
Donald

Tuesday Night
Dear Folks,

Time is very short so this might not be much of a letter. I had to work in the supply room until after 8:00 and then I took a shower. This leaves me very little time before 10:00.
I was glad to get your letter today which contained the sale bill. I had a great time trying to decide which description belonged to which cow.

I have been working in the supply room so far this week. All my boys in the sick hut have recovered so I am rid of that job at least until someone else gets sick.

The most real news is that I got my pay today that I missed getting at the first of the month. I wonder if my bonds are coming through alright.

I suppose that you must be getting back to some kind of routine by this time. I suppose that there is still work to do but I’ll bet you feel lost without all the stock to take care of. I wonder if you kept the one little cow that you mentioned about.

Some of these times (no hurry at all) when you want to send me something I  would like a couple of tee shirts. For one thing they have told us that we can’t wear our sweaters outside of our shirts any more because they aren’t part of our uniform. With a tee shirt I could wear it under my shirt without having it next to my skin. Tee shirts would also come in handy for lots of things. 

I hope you are all well. I am feeling fine.

Love, 
Donald
Your letter had 6th Regiment instead of 5th on it

[January 10, 1944 – written to his Carver grandparents]

Monday Evening
Dear Folks,

I wonder how things are coming along with you by this time. I am feeling fine and not having to work quite as hard as I did, so I am not complaining. I wonder how the school house job is coming by now. I’ll bet that things look quite a bit different down there now than they did in September. It doesn’t seem like it but it won’t be many days before I will have been gone for four months. I sure hope to see you again before another four months have passed.

I have been doing all kinds of odd jobs around here. But the time I spend doing hard work is easily over-balanced by the time I don’t work nearly so hard. Of course, I am busy almost all of the time doing something or other.

I haven’t had time to hear from the folks since the sale. Mother said that Grandpa might help clerk so I suppose that you attended. I certainly hope that things went off favorably.

I haven’t much news so I’ll tell you something that I was thinking about a while ago. I was thinking about how much different I would look to you then when I left. In the first place of course, my uniform would make me look different. I don’t know how much I have gained but I’ll bet that you could tell that I have picked up quite a bit. And then my short army style haircut certainly does change my looks. II don’t know whether I’ll keep it that way or let it grow out; but if you could see me now, I’ll bet you would smile to yourself at my looks.

Aunt Mildred says that Ben’s address has changed to the west coast so he has seen quite a bit of new territory by now. And no doubt he will see quite a bit more before long.

Well I want to do a little more writing before bed time so I’ll close now.

May God bless you and keep you,

Donald