Category: Fort Benning

December 30, 1943
Dear Folks,

Well I’m still here. There isn’t much news but I feel like writing anyway. I have been doing so much of the same things that I can hardly remember how I have been spending my time.

I have been dividing my time between the supply room and the kitchen. After I had worked all day in the supply room yesterday I was informed that I was supposed to do K.P. after supper while the regular K.P’s went with the Co. on a night problem. Well instead of going to KP after supper we went on at about 5:00 and worked till about 11:30. Five of us did the work that 8 were supposed to do so you can see that we really worked. And to top it all off I was really feeling terrible. I was chilling and aching all over. I surely was taking the flue. Boy was I glad to hit that bed!

When I got back to the hut I took an aspirin and rubbed some vicks on my chest. Then I went to bed and piled all the covers and clothes on top of me that I could find. 

This morning when I woke up I was really surprised how much better I felt. I must have just caught it in time. I got along today without any trouble at all.

I spent today working in the supply room with about 2 hours in the kitchen this afternoon.

I have been thinking about something that maybe crazy but I think I’ll try it. If you remember on my medal I got from the Kawanis there were a couple of letters missing. I feel that some day I will want this to be complete so I would like for you to send me the address of the company that made it. The address is on the inside of the lid. It might be alright to send a rough sketch of the face of the medal, too. I will write to the company and explain the situations and if it can be fixed you can send it to them.

While I am in the begging mood I will say that I hope you got my letter in which I asked you to send me 5 or 6 dollars. If you don’t, I’ll explain why later.

I hope everything is coming along pretty well back there. Since tomorrow night is New Year’s eve I want to wish you a Happy New Year. I think I will welcome the New Year by sleeping. 
I want to take a shower so I’ll sign off.

Love,
Donald

Christmas Afternoon (to Carver Grandparents)
Dear Folks,

This is Christmas but it is sure different from my other Christmases. I wonder how you folks back home are spending your Christmas. I hope it is possible for you to enjoy it.

This morning I went to a Christmas church service and I came away feeling a lot more like Christmas. At noon we had a very good meal and of course we all enjoyed ourselves. I have spent the afternoon just being lazy, reading and otherwise enjoying myself.

I suppose the folks told you that I spent a few days off duty trying to get rid of a cold. Since you must get all of the training in order to complete basic, I was supposed to be put into another battalion that was just at the same place in their training where I lost out. But instead of doing this they put me into a battalion that is just in their second week of training. This army sure does funny things sometimes. Since I am about 6 weeks ahead of this battalion in my training, I am just doing extra duty around the company area here until they catch up to the place where I left off. This will mean that it will take me an extra 6 or 7 weeks to finish my basic. I hate this and don’t understand the necessity of it but if the army wants me here, I guess that it is the best place for me.

Right now I am spending my time doing all kinds of jobs. I spent one half day helping haul coal, another part of an afternoon cleaning up the area, part of a morning working in the kitchen and a couple of days working in the supply room. In the supply room I helped with the equipment and also did some paperwork. It takes a good bit of bookwork to keep track of all the equipment of a company of soldiers (250 men).

This is a pretty uncertain life not knowing from one minute to the next what job I am going to be put on, but I am not going to let it worry me. Of course, the worst part of it is that I am spending time that if I had been put into the right outfit could have been used to finish my training.

It is a cold, nasty, rainy day outside. I suppose that if I were up north this cold rain would be snow and then I would have a white Christmas. Anyway I am glad that I can be inside today instead of being out in this slop.

I hope things are coming along at least as good as usual back there. I would surely have liked to come home for Grandpa Tappan’s funeral but the army thought otherwise about it. I tried to get off but it couldn’t be done. They said that the death had to be your immediate family before an emergency furlough could be given.

It takes a good bit of time for mail to start coming to a new location so I haven’t got any mail for over a week. Therefore I don’t know how things are coming back there. I hope OK.

Love and keep writing,
Donald

My new address:
Pvt. Donald Tappan 35893186
12th Co. 5th Trng Regt. ASTP
Ft Benning, GA

Christmas Afternoon, Saturday
Dear Family,

I’ll start this letter now and finish it after mail call. I can then let you know whether I heard from you or not. I haven’t heard from you yet and since it was under unfortunate circumstances then, I sure would like to hear.

If I were home I guess it would be a white Christmas. It has been raining all day and likely it were at home it would be snow. But instead of that it is cold and miserably muddy here. Not being at home today is about the biggest pill I have had to take yet. I am wondering if you were in a position to get much enjoyment out of your Christmas.

I went to the Christmas church service this morning and felt a good bit better after it was over. We had a big meal at noon and I feel pretty lazy over it. The fellows in my hut have all received packages so we have all had a lot of candy, cookies, cake, etc. to eat.

I have had several different jobs in the last few days. I spent a little time in the kitchen and a part of one afternoon policing up the area. I also spent some time in the supply room. This is a pretty uncertain life but there is no use to worry about it.

This isn’t much of a letter but maybe I’ll feel more like writing and think of a little more to write about later this evening.

Sunday Afternoon

Well I never got my my letter finished yesterday and anyway we didn’t have any mail call. It also looks like we aren’t going to have any today. It is almost supper time and on Sunday’s mail call is generally held at noon.

I went to church gain this morning and I have spent the whole afternoon writing letters. This one just about catches me up. The only trouble with it is if anyone reads anyone else’s letter, it will contain the same news that his did.

Right now while I am not learning anything I can’t help but feel that I am wasting a lot of time. I can’t even improve myself by reading. They sell a few magazines and these pocket sized books sat the PX but they are just junk reading. I wish you would send me a book from the dime store if it is still possible to buy them. I don’t care whether it is a good literature book or a book on some school subject. Just so I can spend a little time that won’t be wasted.

I don’t want to seem to be begging but I need a pocket knife pretty bad and I can’t find one here. I am also finding a lot of use for a watch while leading this kind of life.

There are a lot of rumors going around about the ASTP being discontinued. This wouldn’t have affected me in the other battalion but since this battalion is just beginning a lot of things could happen before the next 11 weeks are over. You don’t need to be surprised by anything.

I hate to say this but when I think about how near I would be through this basic if I hadn’t had a bad break, I have a hard time being very happy.

I hope things are O.K. back there. I hope my letters are coming through alright. I am sure anxious to hear from you.

Keep writing and I’ll do the same.

Lots of Love, 
Donald

Thursday Eve.
Dear Folks,

This time tomorrow it will be Christmas Eve. I’ll use my imagination and if I try real hard, I’ll bet that I can feel that it is Christmas Eve.  Christmas Day will be a real holiday in that it will the first week day that I have had off since I have been in the army (except the days I spent in the hospital).

I am sure leading a great life right now. So far I have spent all of my time working in the supply room. There is a lot of supplest take care of and also a goof bit of book-keeping.

Yesterday morning I helped with the laundry. It’s a pretty good job to load and unload a truck full of laundry but I got a trip to the main post out of it. Yesterday afternoon and all day today, I did paper work. There are sure a lot of different forms to make out in the army. I may be put on a different job any time but I have ceased to worry about anything.

I had a pleasant surprise when I moved into my new home over here. There are 20 men in this hut and about 9 of them are from Indiana. This is quite a contrast to my old company; there were only about 2 or 3 from Indiana in the whole Co. No telling how many from Indiana I may find here if there are this many in one hut.

They are mostly from the northern part of the state. The fellow that sleeps below (in the double bed) is from somewhere near Ft. Wayne. Not making fun of them or anything but I get a great kick out of how green they act.

I wonder how things are coming along back there. I am certainly anxious to get a letter. I haven’t heard from you since last Sat. I hope everything is alright.

Well Goodnight,

Donald

I think that’s the right date, postmark is hard to read

12th Company 5th Trng. Regt. ASTP
Tuesday Evening

Dear Folks,

Well here I am in the 12th Co. of the 5th Regiment. And you will sure be shocked when I tell you what week they are in. This army sure does weird things. They are in their second week. Another fellow who lost out at about the same time I did came over with me. We aren’t going to take all of this training but we are just going to spend the next 6 or 7 weeks till they catch up to where we were working around the company area here. In case you don’t understand that complicated sentence: I am just going to spend the next several weeks.

I spent the afternoon working in the supply room and loafing. I imagine that I will really be working when they really get started on us. I guess that I will just not worry about it and consider myself doing my part for the war. If that is what the army wants me to do. 

Maybe it will be warmer anyway when I go out on the range and on bivouac.

I don’t know what to ask you about. You will just have to tell me a little about what has happened. I am anxious to hear from you. I haven’t heard since I got the telegram. 

I hope you are all well.

Love,

Donald

Tell anyone you see about my address.

December 20, 1943
16th Company 6th Trng Rgmt ASTP

Dear Richard,

I got this program just before I went on the range and didn’t have a chance to send it back. I put it in my footlocker where I would see it when I came back. I am sending it in a special letter so I won’t fool around and lose it. I’ll bet you thought I had forgotten about it.
Donald

I opened this letter to tell you something that concerns you. I just bought you a brand new pair of army shoes. I don’t need them and if you can’t use them I can someday. Our corporal ordered them a long time ago and now he doesn’t need them. They are size 8 and they only cost me $3.50 a real bargain. They cost $4.00 at army prices and would be a lot higher outside. They also didn’t cost a stamp. Send me a handful of stamps to send them home. I didn’t get to sign the payroll this month because I was in the hospital so I won’t get pid on Jan 1. With my telephone call and this I am about out of money. Would you send me 5 or 6 dollars to last me till Feb 1.
Donald

Don’t talk too much about the shoes.Wait till I get moved to send money so that the money will come direct.

Letter after learning of death of Grandfather Tappan

(letter seems incomplete – just released from the hospital)
Saturday Eve.
Dear Folks,

I don’t know how to start this letter but of course I am sorry for what happened. It came as quite a shock to me. I got your telegram about noon today and because I was more or less dazed anyway from  just getting back from the hospital a few minutes before, it hit me pretty hard.

I went immediately to my company officers to see what could be done for me. They thought that since I had lost out anyway and would have to be transferred that I should have a furlough. But they cannot give emergency furloughs for death outside your immediate family. So they sent it to battalion headquarters and it was refused.

The only thing I knew to do then was to call you. I hope you could understand me. I was surprised at the rate the call went through. Most of the time the boys call home it takes 3 or 4 hours to the call to go through. My call came through in about 15 minutes or maybe less. It cost me $1.75.

I hope you took care

(Ward C-13 Station Hospital)
(To Carver Grandparents)
Dec. 15, 1943
Dear Grandparents,

I am not intending this to necessarily be a newsletter. The reason I am writing it is to wish you a very “Merry Christmas.” Of course I won’t get to be there for Christmas but you know where my heart and thoughts will be.

I don’t know how I will spend Christmas day but I have no doubts but what I will have something special to eat. There is also a chance that I might git the day off from our usual work.

I would sure hate for those at home to spoil their Christmas just because some of us like Ben and I can’t be there so be sure and have Christmas.

I hope everything is coming along alright back there.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,
Donald

From the hospital

(Ward C-13 Station Hospital)
Friday Afternoon
Dear Folks,

I hope by the time this letter reaches you that I will be out of here. There doesn’t seem to be much chance now that I will get out during the six days so I am getting used to the idea of taking several more weeks of basic.

I had a queer experience Wednesday afternoon. By that time my temperature had gone down quite a bit and I was feeling a lot better. About 3:00 PM a nurse came around bringing us fruit juices to drink and I took grape juice. This made me sick and I threw up almost immediately. Then my temperature shot up to 105* and I couldn’t keep anything down until the next day.

Well yesterday the fever started going down but that high fever left me with such a dizziness and headache that it really hurt to open my eyes. I just spent the day lying there with my eyes closed trying to rest.

It is hard writing in bed so pardon the dimness! Today I feel like somebody again and have done considerable reading. This is sure some hospital. It is made up of hundreds one story buildings that are connected by the hallways. It covers several blocks in area. I suppose there are exceptions but each of these buildings is a ward. The back end is offices etc. and the front is a big room. In our ward there are about 35 beds. If you are really sick (as I was for 2 or 3 days) you are waited on as in a regular hospital but if you are recuperating etc you wait on yourself. You make your own bed, sweep under your bed, walk to the bathroom and go get your meals. Today is the first day I have really been able to do this.

After you are nearly ready to leave they give you a bathrobe & let you go to a mess hall that is somewhere within the hospital. There is also a PX and recreation room to go to after you can get out. Well I don’t want to start a new sheet & that’s all anyway.

Love, Donald

Talks about going into the hospital, so before one of the “unknown date” letters

(Ward C-13 Station Hospital)
Tuesday Evening
Dear Folks,

I don’t enjoy telling you this but I am now in the hospital. I began feeling bad Sunday afternoon and I had to struggle pretty hard to keep going yesterday. I thought my trouble was mostly a chest cold but I could tell that I had some fever and I and I also had a bad headache and sore throat.

I was supposed to be on guard duty last night but before my shift came up I went down to the dispensary. My temperature was 103.8 and trouble, as you might have guessed, was tonsillitis.

This was about 7:30 and by 8:30 I was started to the hospital and a substitute was taking my place as guard. It was lucky that I went to the dispensary when I did because the doctor said that if I had slept in the tent one more night with the fever I would have had pneumonia.

I have felt pretty bad today and have taken about a ton of medicine. I think the medicine is mostly to make me sweat & sleep, both of which will be good for me. My fever is going down and I feel better this evening.

I don’t know how long I will be here but it oughtn’t be too long. Anyway it could be worse. This basics sure is giving me some varied experience.

Don’t worry and don’t broadcast it too much.

Love, Donald
If I lose less than 6 days I will be sent back to my old company and will make up the work. But if more than 6 days I will be sent to another battalion in about their 6th or 7th week of training. This will make me 4 or 5 weeks later in finishing my training but it can’t last forever.

Now it is your turn to keep your chin up.
Thessalonian 5:16
Unless you have done so don’t send my Christmas now until I give the signal.