Year: 1944

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Background Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 15, 1944 (Infantry Day)

Note from: An Historical and Pictorial Record of the 87 Infantry Division in WWII

Lt. Gen. Lesley McNair, Commanding Army Ground Forces, and members of his staff again inspected the Division on 9 June 1944. The first two weeks of June were marked by intensive tests conducted in the Infantry Regiments to allow all infantrymen the opportunity to earn the new Expert Infantryman’s Badge. Presentations were made on Infantry Day, 15 June 1944, as part of the open house ceremonies held that day. Maj. Gen. Emil F. Reinhardt, Commanding General IX Corps, and Brig. Gen. Culin addressed all infantrymen and guests on this occasion.

[From 346th Infantry:

On 15 June 1944 the Regiment took an active part in the first Infantry Day celebration. All training was suspended for the day and displays of all types were set up for the benefit of the many civilian visitors to the post. Competition between units of the three Infantry Regiments were held. The Regiment won two first prizes; the first in rifle platoon drill and the second in the Antitank squad drill.

DVT mentions this Infantry Day parade at the end of his letter, but he was less than enthused by it…

15Jun1944Download
                                                     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 am sweating. I had a letter started to Uncle Floys' 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

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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 14, 1944

13Jun1944Download
                                                     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
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 11, 1944

11Jun1944Download
                                                Sun June 11, 1944
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 1200 yds 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 to 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. Just where is that crossing? 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.
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 8, 1944

07June1944Download
                                                 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) od1Probably "olive duck", 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.
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 6, 1944

06Jun1944Download
                                                   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.
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 4, 1944

Letter to sister Mary

04June1944_MaryDownload
                                                    Sun June 4 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 ago 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 now1He also reminisces about June 2, 1943 in his letter of June 2, 1945. That would have been 6 days after his high school graduation, so probably some sort of celebratory trip?.
   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 settin’ 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.
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Fort Jackson SC Grandparents Letters

June 4, 1944

Letter to his Grandparents, Alfred and Grace Carver

04Jun1944_GrandparentsDownload
                                                      Sunday June 4
Hello Grandparents,
   Well I have been back here a week now and it seems like a good while ago since I was home. It all seems like a very pleasant dream to me now.
   I suppose that Mother let you know that I got back here in good shape and on time. I got back around 6 o’clock in the evening and had time to get my things straightened up so that I could get a good night's rest to start off the week with. 
   It was hot before I left but it seems that Summer must have come in earnest during the two weeks I was away. I don’t know what the temperature has been but it has been hotter this week I believe than at any time I can remember at home. You just sweat all day as much as you would if you were working in a hay-mow on a very hot day. We have started taking salt tablets already to keep from getting over heated.
   It rained some this evening so it has cooled down enough that we’ll at least be able to sleep tonight.
   We did about the usual kind of work last week. I sure noticed that I had softened up a lot during my furlough. I am beginning to get back into shape and into the routine of things by this time.
   I went to the chapel this morning and wonder if the church at home had a preacher today.
   How are things coming at the school house now? The front lawn sure looked several hundred percent better before I left. I hope Aunt Mary is coming along all right by now. I suppose everything else is coming along about as usual.
          Your grandson,
            Donald
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

June 2, 1944

02June1944Download
                                                    Friday Morning
Hello People,
   It may seem funny to be getting a letter from me written this morning but I had a night hike last night and have this morning off. I have about spent the entire morning getting ready for tomorrow’s inspection so it hasn’t exactly been a free morning. 
   I have hardly had a free evening this week. Tuesday they were changing us around in the barracks and I was moved from downstairs to upstairs. All my clothes and equipment had to be moved so that just about took that evening. Wednesday evening was taken by working up in the kitchen as table waiter. By the time I got back and got cleaned up the lights were already out. 
   Then yesterday we had the hike and it was about midnight when I got off. Of course, tonight is Friday night and we’ll be busy as bees scrubbing the barracks and getting everything ready for inspection.
   I haven’t had K.P. yet this week so likely I’ll get it either tomorrow or Sunday. If you don’t get a letter from me that I would have written Sunday you can just about guess what happened.
   Yesterday and the day before those of us that were on furlough went to mine school. It was just about what I expected it to be. We studied booby traps, anti-tank mines and anti-personnel mines - both ours and the enemies.
   My ear is still running a little but doesn’t hurt me hardly any now. June 5 is only a few days away now and if nothing turns up I’ll get along all right till then.
   They haven’t done much about the radio work yet so I don’t know much about it but I think I’ll be able to get back into it.
   Of course, I can’t help from thinking about my furlough and things and people back at home. It all seems like a pleasant dream to me now that was too good to be true. I must say that I enjoyed myself. 
   Now that school is out I suppose you are getting a lot of work accomplished. I hope that Richard is getting along OK with his work and that everything else is coming along as usual.
            Lots of love
             Donald
Hang on to my drivers license which I am enclosing.
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Fort Jackson SC Letters

May 31, 1944

Letter mixed with others in envelope

From 346th Infantry:
Testing for the Expert Infantryman’s Badge was held on the 30th of May 1944. 182 Officers and Enlisted Men of the Regiment qualified and were awarded the badges.

31May1944Download
                                                          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

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Fort Jackson SC Letters

May 30, 1944

30May1944Download
                                                 Tuesday Evening
Dear Folks, 
   Well I’ve got a little news to tell you about my ear. It wasn’t bothering me any worse than it had but I felt something should be done so I went on sick call today. They didn’t do a thing to it so I sure am glad that it isn’t too bad. They did give me some drops for it and sent me to the ear, nose and throat clinic. They were so busy over there that they could only give me an appointment for June 5.
   I suppose my ear will be well by then and they won’t do anything about my throat but at least it will put it in their records so that it will impress it on their minds if any more trouble comes up. I have made up my mind though that if either ear or throat gives any trouble before the 5th I’m going to just drop everything else and go on a sick call.
   I drilled with the company Monday and like everyone else felt the effects of furlough. I went to sick call this AM and the clinic this PM so today wasn’t very hard. Tomorrow promises to be a full day. I have table waiter and also we go to mine school where we study booby traps, mines and such explosives. It’s just a period of training which each company must go through. I don’t know about the radio but I think I’ll get back to it.
   Pardon this scribbly little letter but I want to go to bed as soon as possible.
           Love
            Donald
Hope to hear from you tomorrow. I got my dogtags Mon. noon - No one even knew I didn’t have them.