Month: March 1944

March 29th, 1944
Wed Night
Hello, 

Well another week is half over. Even though it has been in a new place it has been a whole lot like the ones we have spent in the past. We are doing quite  a bit of the same things we did in basic but the rest of the men in the division are doing about the same things so we aren’t so different. I can’t remember whether I told you or not but the division was on maneuvers all winter in Tennessee. They are more or less reviewing now – doing bayonet work, running squad problems, etc, etc, etc.

They shifted us all around into different barracks this evening so I have about spent my whole evening straightening out my stuff. 

Where I am now I have a lot more room than I did before and we all have single beds here. I have slept in the top bunk of a double bed ever since I left the 16th Company so it is quite a relief to have a bed to myself again.

It is raining outside tonight and the temperature is getting pretty cold. It has been raining off and on ever since we got here. I have caught some cold but it isn’t very serious.

I’ve got only about minutes till lights out so I’ll close for tonight. Likely I’ll put this excuse for a letter in the envelope in the morning.

Goodnight & God Bless you All, Donald

March 28, 1944
Dear Family,

Well this certainly has been some day. We were going to have a big inspection today so we spent all last night till about 11:00 getting ready. Then we got up at 4:30 this morning and had breakfast at about 5:00.

At about 6:00 we started out to the airfield (which was to be used as a parade ground) with our full field packs. We were going to set up our tents and then display our equipment in front of them such as you sometimes see in pictures.

As soon as we got our tents up it began to rain so we rolled our packs again and headed back. After we got back (about 9:00) we laid out our full field equipment on our beds for an inspection in the barracks. Of course, we had to get everything in the barracks straightened up because if they once come in they will look at everything. Since we were inspected inside it was a good thing we had scrubbed the floor last night.

The inspection started a little before noon and lasted till afternoon was almost over. There was just one group of officers after another coming through. We were inspected by 2 Lt. Colonels, 4 or 5 Captains and lots of Lieutenants. Everyone was as tired from the strain as we would have been from working.

Then a parade was scheduled for about 5:30. But about an hour before time it began to rain. We didn’t suppose that it would be held in the rain but since no orders came down from headquarters, we had to dress up and fall out in the rain. Then of course as soon as we had stood out there long enough to get really soaked the order came down that the parade was called off.

I finished up today by doing a washing after super. I washed my shelter bags, my pack, gas mask carrier, a pair of fatigues (pants & shirt) and a heavy towel. If we don’t get to send laundry tomorrow I’ll have to start in on the socks, underwear, handkerchiefs, etc.

I got the letter that Dady wrote last night.

Well it’s about 9:00 and 4:30 was a long while ago.

So Goodnight,
Donald

Sunday P.M.
Dear Folks,

Another week is over and another is not far from beginning. No doubt you are beginning to think that I have forgotten you by this time. Well as usual they start to pile extra work on you at the end of the week to get ready for the Saturday inspection and it is bedtime before I have time to write.

I got you letter yesterday and was sure glad to start hearing some news again. Just going for one week without any mail sure gives you a lonesome feeling. Maybe I’ll start hearing regularly from now on.

This has been a pretty hard week but I have stood up to it O.K. There is no use to consider hard work though because there will be plenty of that from now on. I went to chapel this morning for the first time since I left Ft. Benning. There is a very nice chapel here and it seemed quite a bit more like going to church than worshiping in the empty buildings of Ft. Benning did. The chapels like any certain kind of army buildings (barracks, etc.) are all built alike. The chapel I attended this morning is identical to the one at Ft. Harrison. As far as that goes though, the barracks I am living in now is exactly like the ones at Ft. Harrison.

The weather has cleared up now and it is very pleasant today. It seems like real spring or early summer weather. Speaking of spring, when someone mentioned spring beginning the other day I remembered about mother’s birthday. I sure wish I had thought of it sooner so that I could have at least mentioned it in an earlier letter but it just didn’t come to my mind. Anyway I wish you a happy birthday and all that goes with it.

I feel very lazy today for some reason or other. I’ve got some washing to do but I just can’t seem to get around to it. About all I’ve got done so far is read and sleep. I got a new Reader’s Digest and of course that takes my time. 

We were told the other day that if we haven’t had furloughs since November we would be given one when this training period is over.. It is supposed to end May 6 so if nothingunexpected happens I may be seeing you before too much longer. At least it makes something to look forward to.

I can tell Richard that we have shoulder patches to wear in this outfit. I got 3 yesterday and will be issued more as soon as they come in (I hope). They are circular green patches with a yellow acorn in the center. Since it is sometimes mistaken for a lemon you can see why this is sometimes called the nut division. There are also regimental pins to wear on your cap and coat collar.

I don’t know whether you have seen about it or not but they are taking thousands of men from the air corps and putting them in the infantry. I guess they feel a lot worse about being being here than I do. Also I hear that the infantry is the only branch that is taking men being drafted now. So I am not at all alone in my situation.

I feel like a nap so I’ll sign off,
Donald

March 23, 1944
Thursday Evening
Hello again,

I hope that I’ll be able to write a letter that I won’t be quite so ashamed of as I have been that last few. After I got back into the swing of it down at Benning, writing a letter wasn’t too hard but I’m almost out of the habit again.

As you can see, I’m not working tonight so now I’ve had two nights off since I’ve been working. The Lieutenant in charge of our section expects you to work pretty hard but he is pretty good about trying to get us time off. There were also several new men that came into the section today so that may help out some. I am secretly hoping that they’ll be running two shifts regularly before long. Just putting in a good day’s work (or night’s whichever it happens to be) and then getting off till the next day won’t be bad.

It’s really going to be good  to start getting mail. I thought that I’d get a letter today but didn’t so I’ll be looking again tomorrow. I guess the longer I stay in the army the more I want to get back home. It seems so anyway. I think the sunshine this evening was what reminded me of home. It rained for about five days straight and then when the sun did finally come through it made memories of other beautiful early Fall evenings come to me. I’ll bet you know where I’ll be spending my time next year in September!

Well how’s school coming now that two weeks are almost over – half a month gone already? I suppose the assistant janitor is helping out with the sweeping again in the evening. I don’t believe that I ever heard how the roof deal turned out. But I suppose I’ll find out about that and a lot of other things too if my mail ever catches up with me.

I haven’t much more news; and since this is a pretty light letter, I’m going to send a couple of clippings from one of the papers down at Ft. Benning. They aren’t especially valuable but maybe you can stick them away someplace. I don’t know whether they ever finished the series or not. I don’t stay long  enough to find out.

Well be good and take care of yourselves,
Your son and brother,
Donald

(Written to Alfred and Grace Carver)
March 22, 1944
Dear Grandparents,

This is my second letter tonight and I haven’t too much time before lights out so I may not get this finished tonight. I suppose that the folks have let you know where I am. Since I have not heard any news for awhile I don’t know whether they have moved back across the tracks yet but by this time I imagine they have.

I wonder what kind of weather you are having now. We are having weather a lot like in Georgia but it has been sort of damp and cool for the last few days.

If you didn’t know the difference one would think that this was just another part of Georgia. South Carolina has sand, hills and even pine trees that are identical to Georgia’s. The only difference is that the sand and clay isn’t quite so red as it was down there. 

If what I have done so far is any example, I am going to be working pretty hard but it may not be too bad. At least we have a lot better barracks than we did and the food is a good bit better that it was in Ft. Benning. Our chow here is not only prepared in a more appetizing manner but there is more of it.

Thurs.
Well last night didn’t last long enough just as I expected. I just finished reading your letter and since I didn’t find any questions that you wanted answered I can just ramble on about anything that comes into my head.

I wonder what kind of weather you are having back there. It seems that we might be getting the tail end of a cold spell of some kind. If it keeps this up I’ll be hunting up my heavy underwear before long.

I caught some cold over the change of climate but it is coming loose today so I don’t think it will last too much longer.  Even though the army isn’t too enjoyable it has done me some good. I never could throw off a cold any ways near that quickly before.

I hope everything is coming along alright with you. Is the school house job still running along as well as usual? The last news I heard from it was that the penny supper (or whatever it was) was a big success. I wonder if the little play which Dady said they were practicing (when I last heard from him) has come off yet.

Well I’ll sign off now and write you again one of these days. Write me whenever you can.

Love,
Donald

Monday Eve.
Dear Folks,

Well my first day of training here is over. I really don’t have anything to tell you but it is just that I want to talk to somebody.

We had a fairly easy day today and I hope that maybe tomorrow won’t be too difficult. This morning we had an interview with our company commander. The main purpose of it was just for him to get our address, birthdate and other such details for the company records. I suppose that he also wanted to look over his new charges just to size them up.

This afternoon we were taken on a march around the camp here to get our bearings and find out where different places are. Then we had a couple hours of orientation, talks and movies. With this sort of thing over now, we will be ready to start right to work.

I don’t know for sure how the officers and non-coms (non-commissioned officers) are going to compare with the former ones but there is one thing that I do know. We had good food in Ft. Benning and especially in the 12th company but it is a lot better here. It is not only fixed in a more appetizing manner but so far there seems to be also a more peaceful spirit about the eating and not so much of this old snatch-grab-stuff. I guess that since the majority of the men have been in the army longer and are a little older, they have calmed down a little.

I am in somewhat better spirits right now than I was for a while. I guess I just needed something to quiet my nerves. I had run out of anything to read except that philosophy book and it yankees far too much concentration to be enjoyable. (I have read a couple of chapters in it and I’ll get back to it one of these days.) So I bought me a book at the PX for a quarter. The best book I could find was “See Here Private Hargrove.” I find it very interesting. So far I have read it about a fourth of the way through.

Well I want to clean up and get some shut eye so – Good night,
Love,
Donald

Pvt Donald Tappan 35893186
Co K. 356 Infantry A.P.O. 448
Fort Jackson, S.C.

I’ll be sure when I start getting mail. Get my address on the Tribune fixed will you? And maybe you could let Aunt Mary and some of the rest know about it until I can get everyone written.

Thanks

March 19, 1944
Sunday Afternoon
Dear Folks,

Well here I am in Ft. Jackson, S.C. So far I am not very elated about it but anyway I am not any further away from home. I am in an infantry rifle company at present and it seems very likely where I will stay. This was about the least of my ambition but we just got a bad break, that’s all. I am not with any of my close buddies but most of them landed in the same kind of place that I did so I am not the only one who didn’t get anything fancy.

We are going to take sort of a refresher basic for the next few weeks to get us into the swing of things. After that we will go into training with the regular division.

This division has been organized for about a year and part of it has been sent overseas. We are filling in the vacancies that were made by those who left. I don’t know all the details of our situation but I’ll let you know more as I find out myself.

At least we have barracks to live in here and there are a few more conveniences that we didn’t have before.

We left Ft. Benning on Friday about noon and got here about 10:00 yesterday morning. It usually wouldn’t take that long to travel over this distance but in the usual style of troop trains, we zig-zagged back and forth across Georgia and South Carolina instead of coming straight here. There were a little better accommodations on the train than my last train ride and we even had pullman beds to sleep in. Of course we had to sleep two in a single bed but it wasn’t too bad sleeping. We got to see a good bit of scenery but it was a whole lot all the same. The territory here is just about the same as where we came from. The ground is hilly and the soil is sand or clay. The only difference is that the clay isn’t quite so red as it was down there.

We spent all day yesterday waiting to be classified, having our equipment inspected, getting settled in our barracks and getting our clothing straightened out. We took a physical examination this morning at 9:00 and I have been busy about all after – getting my rifle cleaned. I was hoping that maybe I wouldn’t be using a rifle for a while but it seems that I’ll be doing it regularly from now on.

I am sure anxious to hear from you so here is my address.

Pvt. Donald Tappan 35893186
Co. K. 346th Infantry, APO 448
Fort Jackson, South Carolina

Write me as soon as you can and I’ll probably be sending you a lot of short letters for a while.
Lots of Love,
Donald