Category: France

July 1, 1945
12:30 PM

Dear Family,
   I just came back from chow and this is just about the best way to start the afternoon that I can think of. I didn’t put my address in the heading but we’re still at Camp Lucky Strike. It looks as if we won’t be here as long as we thought for a few days, though. In two days from now or less I don’t think we’ll be here. So no doubt this will just about be the end of my writing.
   We’ve spent some lazy days here but I think this has been the laziest one. I didn't wake up at all till about seven and it was raining so I just turned over and didn’t wake up till something after nine. It was still drizzling and has been ever since but I crawled out and went to church. By being on the move and being busy I missed one if not two Sundays so I sure didn’t want to miss today. It must have been a 347 Regt. service because I don’t know the Chaplain but I enjoyed it anyway. I got a little added inspiration out of it because of the Chaplain himself. He was so young that at first I thought it was just one of the fellows leading the song service. He didn’t preach very long but what he did say was clear and to the point. I was really glad that I had gone.
   Well I hardly know what else to tell you. In fact there’s not much more to say. I think the last mail that I’ll be getting over here came day before yesterday so there’s no questions I can answer that will fill up space. I’ll try to answer them as best I can in person before too much longer. Let’s keep hoping and praying toward that end.
   Writing has been so hard lately that the few letters I’ve sent home have been all I have written. I trust that you are sharing them with Grandma and Grandpa at least and anyone else that is interested.
   Be good and God Bless you. Hope to see you soon.  Donald

June 23, 1945

Dear Folks,
    If it wasn't for having to get this finished before noon tomorrow I probably wouldn’t start this tonight. Especially since this is Saturday night. Tomorrow will be our last mail while we’re here in Camp Oklahoma City and I expect our last letter over here. So unless there have been some letters held up along the way this should be the tail-end for a while. But if I had a guess, we won’t be in Europe for very much longer. I’ll bet the first of next week will see us leaving completely.
    We got the first recent mail today that we’ve got almost all week. I had two letters from you dated June 11. I can’t remember what I did with them right now but I can’t remember anything that needed answering. I was glad that Richard felt pretty good over his trip to Purdue. He’ll almost by the time this gets there. Good luck!
    Don’t be alarmed when you start getting your mail back. We had to give our home address so they’d have some place to send our mail while we’re traveling.
    This has turned out to be more of a note than a letter but there’s not much to talk about. I’m still doing the mail work but tomorrow will end it anyway.
    Hope everything is coming OK at home. God bless you all.
                                     Donald

June 22, 1945
Camp Oklahoma City

Hello Folks,
    Just as I’ve said ever since I’ve been here: there’s not very much to write about. I’m just doing my same old seventy-six of going after the mail, sorting it out, and re-addressing that that has to go back. I thought my mail job would be over before now but I’m still at it. The regular mail man was supposed to be back today. When he gets his teeth now he should be pretty well straightened up over his little accident. In case I haven’t made myself clear he lost four or five teeth in a jeep accident when I took his place before and now he’s getting some replacements.
    We had our service records checked today and this afternoon we were issued the clothes that we lost, wore out etc. I see they are issuing shoes in the supply room now so I expect I’ll own another pair of shoes before night.
    I’ll bet you can’t guess what I did this afternoon. I spent about a half an hour just taking a sun bath. Several of the fellows have good tans already but the mail job, etc has kept me busy enough that this is the first exposure I’ve had. Talking about jobs: I saw on my service record this morning that am now the official communication sergeant for this company.
—
    Well I got my shoes. They are light color now. I wonder if I’d bring them home just like they are how much Wilson and Lewis would charge me to fix them up. Smooth down the  rough leather, dye them, and put on a good shine. They are what are called combat boots. They are made of rough leather instead of the usual smooth kind. The light color soon darkens up in combat. On a furlough all shined up they would look really slick.
    How’s everything coming back there. I’ll bet I know where Richard ’s mind is now. Hope everything goes well for him.
    Be good and good night,
                              Donald

June 21, 1945
Same Place

Hi-ya;
    What have you been doing today. I ran around like a chicken with his head off till the middle of the afternoon but since then I’ve been kinda taking it easy. I had two different kinds of forms I had to fill out this morning. And besides running all over the company area a dozen times and making three trips to the post office I had to alphabetize one of them. Then I had to hunt up all the names of the people who had left the company in the last sixty days and make a roster of them. Of course, the morning wasn’t long enough. Then this afternoon I had to go after the mail and sort it. After that I made another trip to the post office getting a package mailed. So with the thousand other things that have to be done I kept pretty busy.
    It’s hard to tell when they’ll shut off on our writing so it could be that this will be that this will be the last time I’ll write. But if we’re here for another week or so we’ll be able to write for a while yet.
    Just like the most important topic two months ago was victory, it’s going home now. You don’t want to get too excited but it’s sure hard not to. It’s easy to see the pitch of things rising daily. It’s to be expected though, I guess.
    Since we’ve been here at Camp Oklahoma City we’ve had about the nearest vacation that we’ve had so far. Personally I’ve been busy but the outfit hasn’t had to drill so it’s been pretty nice.
    We were issued dress blouses this afternoon so - if and when - we’ll look pretty snappy. Khakis are regulation now in the States but I suppose they expect us to wear OD’s1Olive Drabs - wool uniform vs cotton Khakis at home part of the time at least. It would be alright to wear them in the cool of the evening. But I’ll be glad to wear khakis again.
    Tomorrow will be another day and I still like my sleep so - goodnight and God bless you.
                                Donald

June 18, 1945
Leon, France
Camp Oklahoma City

Hello People,
    Things are in a state now that I hardly know how much to talk about it. Perhaps by this time you have read that this division is on its way to the states. At least that was in yesterday’s Stars and Stripes. This is a staging area that must be gone through before we leave Europe. So you see the situation. I don’t want to say that I’m definitely going to the States because there are a lot of things that could change the existing plans. But it does begin to look pretty definite in that direction.
    We landed here last night after a three day train ride in box cars from Germany. Of course, at a place like this there are always a million things to do - forms to be filled out, equipment to be turned in, etc, etc - and on top of it all, I’ve got to be mail clerk for the next few  days. The regular clerk is going to be away for a few days getting his teeth fixed up. They’ll be shutting off on our writing anyway in a few days so don’t expect too many letters from now on.
    It made me  very glad to get your letter of June 7 this evening. I hope we can continue to get mail mail for a while longer at least. I wonder what Richard found out on his trip to Lafayette. I know that he’ll be started now before I’ll get to be in that area. But if and when things do pan out, I know that something can be worked out so that we can see each other at least. But I say again, don’t expect anything and then you won’t be disappointed.
    I’m glad that got the second bunch of pictures and I’ll agree with you on the way they turned out in comparison to the others. I’d feel alright about it if you disposed of that silly bunch altogether.
    As far as news goes there’s not very much to talk about. We’re living in a semi-temporary camp built for this specific purpose. We stay in the large type tents and have the old standby camp cots to sleep on. That’s the first time since we’ve been on the continent that we’ve been issued beds.
    I also did something else for the first time this evening since I’ve been on the continent. I dug my civilian shoes out of the bottom of my duffle bag and put them on. They sure do feel better than anything I’ve had on my feet for a while. You can see in what direction my mind is beginning to run. 
    I started to tell you about where this place is but got side-tracked. It isn’t in Leon but is outside of some little town not far from there. That’s where we got off the train yesterday. 
    Well I hope things are coming OK back there. Don’t think I could fill up another page so - So long for this time.
                         Love,  
                            Donald

Sunday Afternoon
June 3,’45

Hello Folks,
    I believe that this is the best Sunday I’ve spent since we left England. You can easily guess what’s been going on. That’s right - nothing. I slept late this morning. Got up at nine, went to church at eleven and since then haven’t done a thing but be lazy. I’ve been reading the Sunday School papers and Readers’ Digests you’ve been sending me recently. Also there was an intermission for quite a little nap right after dinner. It’s also a nice sunny day and I can’t help comparing this with most of the Sunday’s I spent in Ft. Jackson. Next to being home this is one of the best ways I can think of to spend a Sunday. Yesterday I guess was June second but the significance of the date didn’t occur to me till just now. I can’t help thinking of June 2, two years ago, as being the beginning of a complete vacation just before entering the army. That’s the most completely lazy summer I ever spent but I believe I have more pleasant memories over it than unpleasant ones. Perhaps this summer will contain a few pleasant days too.
    We got our duffle bags yesterday morning so it looks as if we’re going to live in style for a little while. Recognize this pen. It’s the one I got six years ago this Spring. It’s the one that I used all through high school. I believe that it writes easier and I know neater than my new one does. It sure has been a good pen.
    Talking about things that have given good service I want to tell you about my watch. It sure has been with me through thick and thin. I believe that I’m the only guy in the company that’s still carrying a watch that came overseas with us. Mine still keeps as good time as it ever did. I can’t help thanking you again for it.
    I’m going to make a statement now that I’ve made a couple of times before: If one of these times you don’t hear from me for a week or so you’ll know that I am moving again. I really wouldn’t be very excited to see that happen pretty soon either. I know that I have your prayers that any move I make will be in a favorable direction.
    Well I’ll bet the building project is beginning to look like something now. Hope everything is coming OK. I’m sort of anxious to hear from Richard about his school ending.
                   Your son and brother,  
                                 Donald

2nd letter to parents that day

Dec 28,1944

Dear Family,
   Since I have a little more time today I’ll try to get off what’s on my mind. I hope both of today’s letters get there at the same time. I’ll finish on the mail situation. Guess that’s about the biggest thing on my mind now. In the box Leila Leake sent me she had made some cookies the size of a No. 2 can and had canned them up. If you could find out how she did it lots of things might be sent in that way. They sure were good. If they don’t have to be heated to be sealed maybe you could make some home made candy in small pieces and send it that way. Even individually wrapped pieces of boughten candy could be sent. Fruit cakes come through alright but of course they aren’t my favorite form of amusement. Any goodies that can be shipped no matter  what they are are appreciated. Yours and Grandma’s box caught up with me in the U.S. or I’m afraid the marshmallow would not have been good. Once in a while we get stuff similar to the can of fruit cocktail but even that is good. Some of the boys are asking for boxes of candy but I doubt if they arrive in very good shape. If the bulk of our Christmas packages ever arrive I’ll get more ideas.
Love,  Donald