Month: August 1944

Saturday Night – August 5, 1944
Hello Family,

Well just in case I have an extra lazy spell on in the morning and don’t want to wake up, I am going to get a little writing done now. I have messed around now till there isn’t too much time before lights out but I’ll write what I can.

We got off pretty early this afternoon and I got my necessary laundry done before night this time. I finished up about supper time and after supper I spent a little time reading. Then as Lula Bell and Scottie were on at the show I decided to spend my evening watching them perform. There was also sort of a “Rube Band” and couple other barn-dance style actors in it. The story wasn’t much but they just gave it life and the crowd really enjoyed it. There was as much real laughter (not just noise as I have seen from a bunch of soldiers.) 9:30

Morning
I’ve got 20 or 25 minutes before I leave for church so if I don’t get distracted I’ll get a letter written. Before I forget it I want to ask you about my watch. Have you received it yet and if you did what did Leo say about it? I am still in the notion of swapping if everything can be worked out. I wonder if Daddy or Richard remembers those watches we saw in Ft. Wayne or someplace that time we took the Slate car home last fall. They are something more like what I am interested in. But don’t get excited about this, just let time have its way and I believe everything will work out.

I got up at 7:30 for breakfast this morning and then I finished what little I had left in the August Readers Digest. I don’t know exactly what I’ll read this afternoon but maybe I won’t do anything but sleep anyway.

I’ve been trying to think who I’ll have to write to this afternoon. I believe I’ve about got caught up enough that I’ll write to Granda Craver and let it go at that.

1:30PM
Now to try and do some more writing. I received a letter from you at mail call just before chore at noon today. To be sure I was very glad to get it but I suppose I had about received my quota of letters this week and really didn’t expect any today. It almost surprised me when when you said that you had your first mess of corn the other day. The corn down here has been in the roasting ear stage for several weeks and we have had corn on the cob half a dozen times at least. 

A little of what I’ve been doing – On Friday morning we went out to the area about 3 miles from here I have told you so much about and ran a problem. Then in the afternoon I worked in the pits out on the range for a group of new men in the company who had a fire for record.

On Saturday morning, two of us from each company who had had radio training went out with a captain to get oriented on the problem which will be run next week. The radios will be used for control of the problem and we will be more or less umpires instead of taking part in the problem itself. I am supposed to go out on that tomorrow morning but I see they have me up for KP so I don’t know what I’ll be doing for sure.

I notice I mentioned about the corn crop and I remember that I have been wanting to tell you about the area we went to when we stayed out 4 or 5 days a couple of weeks ago. This area is known as the South Carolina maneuver area and is some 30 miles from here. 

It is composed of several large strips of land (a lot of it wooded) scattered though a typical southern farming area. There is even a little town in the area and another one not far away.

Everyday we would hike past several farms on our way to the training areas and you could get a real insight on the country. This was a lot different from hiking on the post and made training a lot more interesting.

I suppose this area here might have been typical countryside once upon a time but this has been a post since the last war. All the land is either heavily wooded or has grown up in scrub growth. Once in a great while you find an old building but it is very seldom.

I wonder what you folks are doing today. I surely hope you can have an enjoyable day. I suppose you had a minister today. I am happy that you have begun to get a little rain no matter how little.

I wrote this letter on some of the new stationary just to be a little different. Thanks for the package I got yesterday. I am about out of foot powder so that will come in very handy. I’ll find use for the darning cotton but as for mending sox – I have about quit. Whenever  they wear out I just salvage them and save myself a lot of work. I feel like a nap now so I’ll sign off. 

Love, Donald

I see I forgot to tell you we had a hike  Friday night. Also I want to thank you for the clippings you have been sending. I like them.

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