Category: Fort Benjamin Harrison

Sept 29, 1943
6:30PM

Dear Folks,

I am shipping tomorrow! I won’t write much but I wanted you to know the news. You can tell Grandpa Carver + Aunt Mary. I will let you know where I am going whenever I find out and am allowed to.

I might get ASTP because several of the bunch going took that test.

I will send this letter from the recreation hall and maybe it won’t be held up since it won’t go through our company mailroom. I feel better already even though I hauled rocks in a wheel barrow today. I got my social security card at noon. 

With love,

Pvt. D.V.T.

I felt all day that this would be my last here.

Note: this is datelined “Wed, 8:30 PM”, which would have been September 29. However, internal evidence suggests that this was actually started Tuesday night and finished Wed morning. In this letter he didn’t know when he would be shipping to Fort Benning. There is another letter, dated the evening of the 29th, which announces that he had been notified that they would be shipping.

Tues. 8:30PM
Dear Folks,

This will be a short letter because the lights go out at 9:00. I worked on sod detail this morning and on the detail that cleans up the ground this afternoon. After supper I was sent to help clean up one of the buildings in which records are made and filed. I got off from this about 10 minutes ago.

I was very lucky on the job I had yesterday. I was assigned to work in the warehouse, where they issue clothing. They only ran through a very few people so we didn’t have to work hard and we got off with about a half day’s work.

Tomorrow I am supposed to get my third and last typhoid shot. This as far as I know will be the last shot I will get here.

Every day I expect to be shipped but not yet. I didn’t get to hear the shipping list read tonight so I don’t know whether I will ship tomorrow or not. I won’t seal this letter tonight so I can let you know whether or not I go tomorrow. The shipping list will be posted on the bulletin board sometime in the night.

I suppose you have turned in my ration books and have given Bos Walker those ration points I owed him from the last Saturday I was home.

I suppose you got my letter that said I wanted my social security card.

Well I guess there is no more news and anyway I want to get all the rest I can tonight.
Love,
Donald

Wed Morn. 5:15
Well I will be here for another day. About 16 days of it.

Friday 9:45
Dear Folks,

This will have to be a quick letter since I am on K.P. and have less than a half hour left of my hour off. I had to do some other little jobs like polishing my shoes, etc. so I will have to hurry.

In answer to some of your questions: It will be alright with me if you want to sell my 3rd year Latin book. You asked if I ever hear any news. Well once in a very great while I hear a radio in the recreation hall but it is scarcely ever news. They sell Indianapolis papers around here and very often I read one which somebody leaves lying on his bunk. Then by filling in the holes with the Tribunes, I can get a general idea of what  is happening.

About coming down here, I hardly know what to say. Of course I would be glad to see you but I am going crazy as Ned did. There is a very big chance that after you come you would not get to see me. There is a chance that I might be shipped any day and even if I am here I am not off until about 6:30 through the week and even sometimes on Sunday. Since civilians must leave at 8:00 this would only give an hour and a half visit. If I knew you were coming I could call you the night before if I was shipping off the next day. If you come, in case I forget to tell you, ask for me at the recreation hall and they will try to get in touch with me.

Friday afternoon

Well I didn’t get finished this morning so I will try to finish now. The Joe Lewis exhibition was postponed until tonight. I don’t know if I will be too tired to go see him or not.

The gang I was on Wed. afternoon worked on the ring where he is to fight. Yesterday all day I worked on the sod gang.

I happened to remember about telephoning you as I mentioned before. We are not supposed to tell when we are leaving. Even our letters that we send out are held up for three days so that we will be well on the way when the news gets out (military secrets). So you had better think it over before you decide to come.

For the last few days a group from the Fort here have been going to canning factories to work. They make over $5 a day. But to do this they must have their social security cards. This work might be over by the time mine would get here, but I might need it sometime in the future. I would like for you to send it by special delivery so I will be sure to get it. It is in that candy box in our dresser drawer. 

As you see I ran out of stationary and had to get some more. Write whenever you can.

Donald

Wednesday, 11:00am
Dear Folks,

Well after 9 days I am still here. As far as I know the last (except me) of the bunch that came with me was sent out yesterday.

I have been very busy but I got about half of this morning off because I had to take my second shot. I have done two days K.P. duty, one day of guard duty, and the rest of the time I have done odd jobs such as; clean up the grounds, sod the ground around the sewage disposal plant, etc.

Joe Lewis is supposed to be at the camp tonight and I think that I will go see him, if they don’t give me some job to do.

We are kept busy but are not given more than we can do. We have good eats and plenty of them. Once in a while we even have pie and cake.

I suppose by now that you are beginning to get on to your job. Daddy tells me that you are getting along alright and are doing a good job. I was very glad to hear that.

Write whenever you can,

Donald

Wednesday 9:30am

Dear Folks,

Well I am still here. This makes 9 days for me now. Since I got my second shot this morning I was not put on a regular detail. I worked on several odd jobs such as clean up the grounds, carry bedding, etc. I will have the rest of the morning off, I hope. Monday I did K.P. again. Yesterday morning I worked in the officers’ club (kind of a hotel), cleaning up etc. In the afternoon I went on sod detail. They are sodding the ground again around the sewage disposal plant.

It may seem strange that I should have so many odd jobs, but here is why. After supper we line up and those for K.P. the next day are picked out. Those left then fall out in the morning and again at noon to be assigned to some other job.

I got the papers yesterday noon. I was very glad to get them. I had hoped that you would send the Baptist S.S. paper. Maybe you will read my mind.

Richard asked whether or not I carried a gun when on guard duty. No, I didn’t, but I did have a club. Joe Lewis is supposed to be in the camp tonight to put on an exhibition. I think I will go see him, if I don’t have some job to do. 

I don’t think I mentioned yet what kind of food we have. We have plenty to eat and it is almost always good. I hear a lot of grumbling about it but I think they just want to grump about something. Once in a while we even have pie or cake.

Every evening when the shipping list is read I expect to hear my name, but so far I have not been called. As far as I know the last of the bunch that I came with was sent out yesterday. 

I ran across a boy the other day from Gary (IN). He said he was a cousin of John and Harrel Lane. I believe his name was Collins. Maybe you can help me figure out how he would be connected.

I had a cold over the weekend, but it is a whole lot better now.

Write, 

Donald

Sunday 1:00pm

Dear Folks,

I answered mail call today and got my first letters from home. I got two letters at once but I suppose one was here yesterday. I was doing K.P. duty then so couldn’t get my mail.

When we do K.P. we get up at 4:00am and go to work at 4:30. We work till 6:30pm with an hour off in the morning and one in the afternoon. Even though we work long hours, I would rather do this than guard duty. The work is tedious but not hard. I did such jobs as wash pans, open cans, scrub floors, flour pork chops, cut up rutabaga, etc. I helped flour about 35 or 40 gallons of pork chops. This will give some idea of the quantities in which the army cooks. Even then my bunch was only cooking for some 900 of 3000 at the reception center. Besides the reception center there is a camp here where they give some education to illiterates (a fellow from down south that came with us was sent there) and also a camp of soldiers receiving their training here.

I dressed up this morning and went to church. This was the second time that I had my dress uniform on. The other time was when I was on guard duty; only this time I didn’t have to wear my leggens..

You do not know how glad I was to hear that Richard is practicing football again. I would like to hear more about what is going on at school. Dady must feel like he has time to throw away with only one grade to teach this year.

About Jimmie’s ball glove, near as I can remember it was put in that box that is behind our bed on the maytag. If it is not there it might be in the box with the ball bats, but I can not remember where the box is. These are the only two likely places I can think of.

I suppose you got my clothes and found my testament in it. I was given a gideon testament which is much smaller and will be easier to handle. It also contains the Psalms.

I don’t have any news about when I will move, but there is supposed to be a shipping list of about 600 tomorrow. Since I have been here a week maybe I will be on it.

I am sending a program to show you what kind of service we had this morning.

With love,

Donald

Noon

Dear Folks, 

I am really too tired to write but since the beds are outdoors airing, I can’t lay down. Maybe this will rest me anyway. From 11:00AM yesterday to 11:00AM today I was on guard duty. We worked in shifts with 2 hrs. On duty and 4 hrs. off. But 2 hrs steady walking does not compare with four hours of very broken rest. During the daytime my post had a stop sign on it at which every car was supposed to stop. Since it was my duty to stop everyone, I had the privilege (If you want to call it that) of calling down a captain and a whole handful of lieutenants and they had to take  it too. I am supposed to get this afternoon off, but they might think up something else for me to do.

I got my first shot and my uniform Wednesday. My uniform and equipment consists of: 2 summer suits, a fatigue (dirty work) suit, 2 prs. shoes, 6 prs. socks, 2 ties, a raincoat, gloves, leggins, 2 prs winter underwear, 4 handkerchiefs, 2 towels, toothbrush, razor, canteen, mess kit, and summer and winter overseas caps.

Yesterday I was sent to see the flight doctor to become a pilot. To do this a certain grade had to be made on the qualifications tests. But when I got there I was one of the group which wasn’t even examined. I suppose they saw on my card what kind of eyes I have.

I will not need my shaving brush since I was issued one.

We have been told to tell our folks that in case of emergency in which you need to get in touch with me quickly, you should see the local Red Cross chapter.

I do not know yet how long I will be here or what I will be assigned to. If I am sent out, any letters that come here for me will be forwarded.

Love, Donald

Pvt. Donald Tappan

35931886
Co.C. Bho1, Reception Center

Ft. Benj. Harrison, Ind.

Donald Tappan                                                Sept 14, 1943
35893186
Co.C. Bks1, Reception Center
Fort Benj. Harrison, Ind

Dear Folks,

When we got here yesterday all we did was check in, get our beds and eat. But today we have made up for this. We got up at five o’clock and have kept going steadily until about 3:30PM. We have been taking tests, listening to speeches, etc. all day. We even have got something to do after supper (I think it is a speech or something).

Tomorrow we are supposed to get our uniforms and start taking our shots.

In the barracks are most of the boys that came with me and also one boy  from Elwood that was already here.

I suppose that Grandpa is very busy learning what his job is like while school is on. I hope he is getting along alright.

Although I don’t know how long I will be here it will be alright to write.

Love, 

Donald

Pvt. Donald Tappan                                                Sept 14, 1943
35893186
Co.C. Bks1, Reception Center
Fort Benj. Harrison, Ind

Dear Folks,

I got my identification (dog) tag today so now I can write you. We have to have our no. in our address.

I had to wait in Alex(andria) for over an hour before taking my first train ride, and then coming through Anderson I got mixed up on my directions. I am not sure that I am straightened out even now. It seemed as though I was going north and that the reformatory was on the east side of the road.

When I got here we checked in and got our beds then waited around in the barracks for the rest of the day with the exception of time out for chow.

I was so bored that I went to a show put on by the soldiers themselves in the recreation hall. They had a band, sang songs, did imitations, etc.

This morning we got up at 5:00 and today we have made up for our yesterday’s laziness. 

We have spent the day listening to speeches, taking classification tests, getting our insurance, etc. We are off for about an hour and a half and then after supper we have got another speech or something to listen to.

Tomorrow we are supposed to get our uniforms, start taking shots, and what all else I don’t know.

In our barracks we are most of the boys that came with me and also that big tall Burkenbine that played on the Elwood basketball team.

When we were getting our insurance, i asked if we had to take $10,000 worth. He said that he wouldn’t say I had to but the only way out would be to see someone else and that wouldn’t do me any good. So it seems to be practically compulsory. After I get settled more permanently I want you to send me my shaving brush, but don’t send it here unless I find out how long I will stay.

Write, 

Donald