Month: November 1945

Promoted to Technical Sergeant (skipping Staff Sergeant)

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Tuesday Night

Hello Folks,
    I didn't actually think that I'd write this soon and maybe I wouldn't if I didn't have something special to tell you. And since I am writing so soon after being home I may get lazy and not write till the weekend.
   Well here goes the surprise. You didn't know you had a Tec Sgt (Technical) visiting you this last weekend did you? Well I almost knew it but just not for sure so I didn't dare tell you. I couldn't hardly hold myself but I thought it might be best. The first I knew of it was just before I left the office to go on my pass. The lieutenant told me that I was at least going to make staff and maybe tec. The order was coming out that very afternoon but I didn't feel that I could wait for it. If it had come just a little sooner I could have had a little help on my sewing job. That's all to do over again. But I guess it wouldn't be right to complain about it.
    I sure had luck getting back here this evening. The train was late in leaving Indianapolis so ran me close on my time. Instead of leaving at 10:47 it didn't leave until 5 minutes after twelve. I got to Trenton at around five o'clock and came rolling in here with about 15 minutes to spare on the 6 o'clock dead-line. It wouldn't have made too much difference but I'd sort of hate to be late.
    The trip coming back wasn't too bad but it wasn't as enjoyable as the one going the other way. The kind of care you get to ride in makes all the difference in the world. Going home I was in a fairly new car in which you could tilt the seats back to a semi-reclining position. There was no such luxury on this other one but that wouldn't have been so bad if the temperature had been comfortable. During the whole trip there was a steady cold wind blowing on me from around the window. I never saw such poor construction! It was almost enough to give you pneumonia. Then to make things worse, running along the floor next to your feet was a pipe that, I suppose, was for heating the place. It would almost burn right through your shoes and to touch it with your leg was just like getting against a stove. It was like the old saying about being hot on one side and cold on the other. It was all I could do to relax at all last night and I don't believe that I slept any. That's one time that I was glad it wasn't a longer trip.
    There hasn't been enough time elapsed for much news to have happened. So I might as well sign off. I'll have to get ahold of some stripes now before I can send you any to put on the shirt you're fixing for me.
    You can tell whoever you see about this but I doubt if I'll do much writing to the rest of the folks for a few weeks anyway.
    So long and be good.
        Donald
T/Sgt Donald V. Tappan 35893186

1PM
Sunday Nov. 11
Dear Folks,
    Another week is gone and it's Sunday again. As usual when I’m working nights, I just went to church and that’s all I did get done this morning. So besides church and eating dinner this is the first thing that I’ve done today. I usually wake up around 7:30 and then more or less doze for the next hour or so. But this morning I slept straight through till 9:30. I was really surprised at myself when I looked at my watch. It was really cloudy this morning and I expect just the absence of the sum shining in my eyes accounts for my sleeping over. I said it was cloudy but that’s hardly the word for it. I’d suppose you’d say it’s foggy but it’s not like the fine, smokey fog you usually see. It’s possible to see almost as far as on a clear day but the air’s so full of moisture you get  almost wet as being in the rain. The droplets collect on your glasses just like rain and in fact just after church it did start falling a little as sort of a misty rain.
    Does this seem like Armistice Day to you? I hadn’t heard a word mentioned about it till this morning when the Chaplain talked a little about it. I wonder if it’s caused much enthusiasm that you’ve seen. Do you suppose that in the future it’ll lose a little of the significance that it’s had in the past? I suppose that as long as the American Legion has several World War 1 men in it there'll still be celebrations held but it’s possible that the date will become less important as time goes on. I wonder what date will be celebrated as the end of this war.
    Our church service is always held at eleven o’clock so I thought that I spent the “Armistice Day Hour” about as appropriately as possible. I can’t help thinking where I spent Armistice Day last year. I expect you remember my telling you about our company marching up in a group and attending the celebration in the little English town where we were. It was just such adrizzly, wet day as this , too.
    On Friday - I can’t remember whether it was at noon or in the evening - I received your letter of November 7. I’m glad to hear a report on the turnip crop and gladder yet that they did well. As I remember the potatoes I helped with summer before last didn’t turn out so fancy so a favorable report on these sounds like maybe the fact that I helped wasn’t what spoiled them. I didn’t think the turnips looked very evenly planted when they first started to come up. How did that part of it turn out? They were thicker on the north end weren’t they? Here’s another thing. Jim needn’t give the army all the credit. He had quite a hand in them, too.
    I haven’t really told you any news in this letter but when things go along as usual there’s just none to tell. I’m still expecting to see you in two weeks. Be good and God bless you.
                  Your son and brother,  
                                Donald
P.S. Dad suggested that I try to come home by plane but here’s what I’ve decided. It’ll be expensive enough, at best, for such a short stay so I’d better be satisfied with a train. It’s got to be decided on one way or the other and I hope I’m doing the right thing.

Friday Morning
Dear Principal and All the Rest of My Family,
    I’m showing off my new pencil this morning. And since it came with the compliments of the Principal, I’m addressing this letter to him. The truth of the matter is, I thought all last year of sending him a letter but this is the first time I ever got around to it. Seriously though, thanks a lot and thanks also for all the rest of the box. Somebody has either been thinking about me for quite a while or went to a lot of trouble on the last minute and made all that candy. My favorite is still the divinity. You did go to a lot of trouble and if it had been a smaller box, I’d have appreciated it just the same.
    Well the time sure rolls by doesn’t it. Another week is just about gone and it sure won’t be long before I’ll have been at Ft. Dix two months. That’s just two months closer to getting out but I kinda wish I had some idea when that’ll be.
    What happened at home this week? I don’t know whether the first full week of November holds any excitement or not. The biggest thing that has been in the papers here is the New York City election. I haven’t heard a word about the election at home. I know that the first Tuesday after the first Monday is the proper day but maybe this isn’t the proper year. I hadn’t thought much about it till this brought it to my mind but this time next year, I’ll be of voting age. If I just had a couple of years of college to my credit now I’d feel better about it. I wonder if I should break my neck now trying to catch up with myself or just forget it and let things go along as near normal as possible.
    I went to Trenton yesterday afternoon, mostly, as I said before, to see about train schedules. I also had a new strap put on my watch (the old one pulled in two the other day) and then because I had nothing better to do saw a movie. I still feel exactly like I always did about going to town. I don’t mind it a bit if I’ve got something to do and can go do it and get it over with. But I don’t get any thrill at all out of merely being in town to spend time.
    We sure can’t complain about the weather so far for November. It’s been a little cool sometimes and has rained once, I believe, but on the whole it’s been exceptionally nice. The sky is just a little bit overcast today and I thought that it might turn out to be pretty cloudy. But I see the sun is breaking through now enough to make shadows so it may be pretty nice after all.
    It wouldn’t surprise me a bit to get a letter from you at noon today and if I woul dwait till then to finish this letter no doubt I could make it a little longer. But I think I’ll sign off and get this started. I’ll need something to write about the next time anyway. Be good and good luck.
           Your son and brother,  
                          Donald

The note on the back of the envelope is probably written by Mary.

Wednesday Evening
Dear Folks.
    Since I’m not writing on the army’s time as I did my last letter, I won’t feel that I have to hurry. Now I hope that I can think of enough to keep this from being too short. I know that since the last time I wrote enough things have come to my mind but I’ll be able to remember only a small fraction of them. Oh yes, my reason for having extra timetonight is because this is my day off this week.
    I expect it seems that I talk about it too much but I want to tell you what I’ve decided about coming home the last of the month (and it’s only two weeks from this weekend). I’m making plans to come but I’m keeping the thought always in the back of my mind that things might happen so that the plans might have to be changed. I’ll let you know some way or other if I can’t come. There’s just one thing that would change things that I’d be glad to happen. That is if the discharge situation should change so that I could get out soon enough to make such a short visit impractical and unnecessary. I can’t actually expect it though.  
    I already have a train schedule and the best route seems to be from Philadelphia to Indianapolis. The rest of the way would have to be by bus but that isn’t so bad. Since I can get to bed at a reasonable time tonight, I won’t have to sleep late in the morning and I think I’ll go into Trenton mostly to inquire about methods of getting between there and Philadelphia. I know it can either be by train or bus but I want to be sure that the method I use when I do start out on my pass is going to get me there in time to meet my train. So you see I really am seriously planning.
    At noon today the mail brought me your Sunday letter and also one from Richard. What a record he made for himself in his first semester! I sort of wish that I could start to college without having to worry about grades, myself. Unless I can be satisfied with what I can get out of it and not let grades play too important a part, it might turn out to be a little disappointing. But I’m going to do my best and be prepared for the worst.
    What has happened by this as far as the school house robbery goes? It’s a shame that fellows lose their heads and do things like that (if that’s what happens) but it just can’t be allowed to go on. So for everyone’s sake, even the boys themselves, it’ll be better if the police do find out who it was.
    If it isn’t too childish, I’m just a little excited about the box that’s coming. I’ll be looking for it tomorrow. Well be good and God bless you.
                                        Donald

On back of envelop:
Dear Mommy
We have gone to bed (as you can plainly see) and we took our fizzers like we were suppposed to.
James warmed his pillow. See if he needs more covers.

November 1, 1945
Hello Folks,
I doubt if there’s quite time enough for me to finish this before supper time so it may be tomorrow morning it’s completed. That’s not a promise but just a possibility. I might as well tell you to start with that that I’ve got a little of what may turn out to be bad news. It was my fault for telling you so far ahead about my pass coming up for November. I should have waited till nearer the time and there wouldn’t have been so much chance for disappointment. But it happened already. I’m pretty sure that the pass schedule will be completely changed and maybe three day passes will be out altogether. Don’t plan on my getting to come home this month. Then, if I do it’ll be alright and if I don’t you won’t be disappointed. It’s just too soon to know yet. Perhaps I shouldn’t even be thinking of coming home now. It might be better to postpone it and hope for a chance to get off around Christmas time. Or should I try both times (if the chance comes)? Don’t misunderstand  me. I’d like to come home every week. But I’m just not sure what’s right to do.  
    In case you wonder why I can’t write after supper tonight: I suddenly got shifted to nights again in the change around and so I’ll be working tonight.
    Naturally I was glad to get your Sunday letter yesterday evening but I think the thing that pleased me most was to hear about the bonds. I was just a little worried about them because yesterday when I got payed there had been two $25 bonds a month taken out for the last three months. I don’t know how it got mixed up and if I would complain they could be stopped. But since all that I am paying for are getting home, it’s alright with me.
    It sounded good to have Richard say that he expected 5’s in most of his subjects. All I can say is “congratulation’s”; I’m very happy about it.
Supper
    Now I’m ready to go to work and in the few minutes I have left I may be able to finish this and get it mailed tonight so it’ll start out on the first mail tomorrow. If I hurry, that is. I’m really about out of anything to talk about anyway.
    As might be expected, I’m wondering a good bit about what Richard’s doing this week. It really is better than you might have expected that Eulen and he can be home at the same time. How much of a furlough did Eulen get? There have been times when people got as little as five or seven days after basic but surely it’s a little different now.
    Now a word to Richard: I haven’t given up hopes of hearing but so far I haven’t heard from Daymon. You don’t happen to have an extra catalog or something along that line that might help me out a little, do you? I’d just like to keep the ball rolling in the right direction.
    Well I think I’d better sign off till next time. As usual I’ll be looking for word from you and I’ll be writing again soon. Be good.
                      Your son and brother,  
                                 Donald