Donald V. Tappan

January 25, 1944
Wed Night [was actually Tuesday]
Dear Folks,

Well I am pretty tired tonight, I haven’t done so much extra but for some reason I feel the effects of it.

Yesterday and today I have worked in the supply room with, of course, odd jobs of all kinds on the side.

I suppose I will go to the laundry tomorrow and then I will have a real treat tomorrow night. Ha Ha. I’ve got to go out with the company on a practice bivouac. In other words, live in a pup tent for one night. This will kind of ease me into the spirit of training, I guess.

I suppose that I will start training about the first of next week. I had a whole week of the range but this company starts right out by firing the machine gun. Since I didn’t do this before it will mean that I must take the whole 2 weeks over again.

I worked in the supply room till about 8:30 tonight and tried to get some of my things ready for the next two weeks. So with about 20 minutes of this letter I must hurry and sign off before the lights go out.

I hope you are all OK and that things are straightening out alright.
Love,
Donald
P.S. This will arrive too late for this but today is Dady’s birthday – So Happy Birthday

[Probably January 23, 1944]

Sunday

Dear Folks,

I’ll start this letter before dinner and I’ll try to get it finished sometime between now and tomorrow morning. I didn’t get to write you a very newsy letter on Friday so I hope I can think of all I had in mind to tell you then.

It is another beautiful day today. I hope that we continue to get decent weather now for about 7 weeks but of course there is no telling what may happen.

I got up for breakfast this morning and then cleaned up for church. Then I layed down again and slept till about ten o’clock.

Well I finally got your package sent out yesterday at noon. I had all intentions of sending it Thursday but I couldn’t find my pocketbook (I’ll tell you more about this later), and then just before noon on Friday Lt. Blain told me he wanted me for a coal detail as soon as I finished my dinner so that fixed mailing the package on Friday.

The PFC. who is assisting in the supply room went on a pass Friday and since Sgt. Steele went to see something about his Air Corp transfer, I was in complete charge. I even had a couple of fellows working under me. And then in the afternoon I was put in charge of the coal detail. I had 3 men besides myself, a truck and a truck driver under me. Of course, this wasn’t anything great but it had a little responsibility to it and it shows that they have faith in my honesty. Usually they take a corporal off duty to put him in charge of the coal detail. Of course I worked as hard as anyone else even though I was in charge.

Yesterday I was back in the supply room again doing office work so I finally got a chance to go to the post office at noon.

About the day I couldn’t find my pocketbook, here is the story. After dinner just before I went to the post office I felt for my pocketbook and it wasn’t in my pocket. Well I looked all around for it and finally I decided that someone had reached into my pocket and took it out. When I was so near broke I took off my money belt and had never put it on again so I had all my money in my pocket book. Boy losing every cent I had didn’t make me feel very good. I spent a miserable afternoon thinking about where it could possibly be and then looking for it every chance I got.

When bed time came I had borrowed a dollar to send the package home and had written a letter telling you about it. After all hope was gone, I undressed and started to crawl into bed. In doing so I moved the pillow and there under my pillow was the pocket book. Somehow in dressing or undressing the night before it has fallen on the bed above the pillow and slid under the pillow. Then I had made the bed over it. Boy was I glad to see it and I was sure glad to give back the dollar that I had borrowed.

The little incident caused me a lot of worry but it turned out a lot better than I ever expected it to. It also taught me never to trust all my money to my pocket book again. 

You asked about my glasses the other day. Well I can’t get G.I. glasses as long as I still have a pair. It’s foolish to spend money to get glasses when they are supposed to be furnished so I am trusting that if these ever break it will be at a time when it won’t make too much difference.

Sunday night

Well I finally got my letter written today about my KBT award. I suppose that we will be hearing a report on it one of these days.

I haven’t accomplished much but write letters but I want to do a little more reading before bed time. I wonder what you have been doing today.

I will be going out on the range a week from yesterday and so I wish you would send me a half dozen  or 8 candles. It would be alright if they should arrive a few days after I get out there. The ones that are issued last for a while but not nearly long enough. The kind 4 or 5” long are good enough.

Goodnight with love,

Donald

P.S. In the package I put both of Ben’s pictures. I wish you would drop the one of him in his white cap into one of my letters and send it back. After you have got your satisfaction of seeing it of course.

[Date Unclear – but probably January 12, 1944]
Wed Night
Dear Folks,

Well here I come again. I’ve been doing the same old seventy-six as usual. Supply room, going to the laundry, etc., etc. We have been and will be extra busy getting ready for the range. Besides getting all the thousands of things ready we must take care of getting everybody’s clothing and shoes repaired and all the outfits changed for the correct sizes. Stuff that you can’t wear won’t help a bit when it comes to keeping warm. Another reason that we are extra busy is that the Supply Sgt. is transferring to the Air Corps. He is trying to get everything into top-notch shape before he leaves. I hope that he doesn’t get transferred before I start back to training.

Someone else might not be quite so pleasant to work for.

I’ll bet that you think that the box I said I was going to send got lost on the way. Well it is still in my barracks bag. The only chance I have to mail it is at noon and I have had only or 2 noons free in two weeks. And when I could have done it, of course, it never entered my head. Be patient, I’ll do my best.

I got your roll of Sunday School papers and magazine today. I finished my last Sunday School paper on Sunday so you timed it perfectly.

Well how’s everything back there?

Love,
Donald

[January 10, 1944 – written to his Carver grandparents]

Monday Evening
Dear Folks,

I wonder how things are coming along with you by this time. I am feeling fine and not having to work quite as hard as I did, so I am not complaining. I wonder how the school house job is coming by now. I’ll bet that things look quite a bit different down there now than they did in September. It doesn’t seem like it but it won’t be many days before I will have been gone for four months. I sure hope to see you again before another four months have passed.

I have been doing all kinds of odd jobs around here. But the time I spend doing hard work is easily over-balanced by the time I don’t work nearly so hard. Of course, I am busy almost all of the time doing something or other.

I haven’t had time to hear from the folks since the sale. Mother said that Grandpa might help clerk so I suppose that you attended. I certainly hope that things went off favorably.

I haven’t much news so I’ll tell you something that I was thinking about a while ago. I was thinking about how much different I would look to you then when I left. In the first place of course, my uniform would make me look different. I don’t know how much I have gained but I’ll bet that you could tell that I have picked up quite a bit. And then my short army style haircut certainly does change my looks. II don’t know whether I’ll keep it that way or let it grow out; but if you could see me now, I’ll bet you would smile to yourself at my looks.

Aunt Mildred says that Ben’s address has changed to the west coast so he has seen quite a bit of new territory by now. And no doubt he will see quite a bit more before long.

Well I want to do a little more writing before bed time so I’ll close now.

May God bless you and keep you,

Donald

[Date unclear, but probably January 9, 1944]
Sunday Afternoon
Fort Benning, Georgia
Dear Folks,

Well another week is past. This makes me just that much nearer to something or other. I haven’t received many letters from you this week so I am wondering about how things are coming back there.

I have been taking care of my sick boys so nothing very exciting has happened to me. The rest of my time has been spent working in or for the supply room. Yesterday afternoon I went with the supply sergeant to the main post to get the laundry.

I was pretty lucky in getting off of my sick hut job today. The job was given today to someone as mild company punishment.

We don’t have to get up on Sunday mornings so I slept over for once. I wanted to go to church so when I woke up I looked at my watch to see what time it was. It was only 8:20 so I had over an an hour and a half before church time so I merely turned over and went back to sleep. The next time I woke up it was 8 minutes till ten. I really flew around and by double timing (running) a little I got there just as the crowd was arriving.

I don’t know whether I told you or not but I got the books you sent me the other day. I also got a letter from Uncle Ernie this week that had a dollar bill in it. So Christmas isn’t over for me even yet. If I get a chance one of these days I think I will buy me a leather toilet article case with it. They are something like a small suit case. The apron you gave me is very handy to use but it is always coming unrolled and spilling things all over the street when I am on my way to the wash room. I hope you won’t mind too much about this.

I suppose you had the sale yesterday. I wonder how things came out. Maybe you can tell me about this if you can’t think of anything else to write.

Oh yes I wanted to tell you that the Tribunes are coming to my new address. I am beginning to get the news again. 

That’s about all I can think of so,
Love,
Donald

Sunday Night
Well I managed to get my package ready this afternoon. I will send it out the first chance I get next week. I sent my Christmas cards mostly just so you could enjoy them too. You don’t need to save them unless you just put them in with a bunch you happen to have. You will save Janette’s picture for me & the other pictures you can put into your album. Richard can whittle the US Army off the soles of the shoes to make civilian shoes if he wants to.
Donald

[Probably January 6, 1944]
Thursday Nite
Fort Benning, GA

Dear Folks,

I was using my pen after supper to get the fellows to sign some papers for the supply sergeant so since I have it in my hands I will use it now.

I am still looking after the boys in the sick hut. I keep wishing that they will all get well so that my job will come to an end but instead of that it keeps growing. It isn’t such a hard job but I just can’t enjoy it. It is helping the war effort so I sure am not worrying.

I don’t have to spend too much time down there so I spend a good bit of time in the supply room. I really enjoy the supply room work so life doesn’t get too monotonous for me. The supply sgt. Is a real nice guy so I go in and help him out and he lets me spend any spare time that I might have in the supply room.

Shux this sure isn’t much of a letter but I can’t think of anything else to write.

I want to take a shower before I go to bed so you’ll forgive the letter. Ask me some questions so I’ll have something to write about when news is short.

Love,

Donald

No envelope.

Jan 4, 1944 (Tuesday)
Dear Folks, 

I can’t make any promises about the length of this letter because time is very short. The main purpose of this is not to tell my exciting adventures but just to let you now that I am OK.

In our Regiment there is a hutment where they send fellows to recuperate from flue colds, etc. Well for the last 2 days I have been nurse maid to the boys of our Co. that are in the hut. There are 5 of them. I carry their meals, keep the fires going, sweep the floor, etc.

This morning I was also put on a detail of policing up the area. General Bonesteel was going to make an inspection tour and so just in case he came here the place had to be spic and span. I don’t think he ever got here but anyway he caused me to spend a very exciting morning. Also I have been working some in the supply room between trips to the sick hut.

This is all the news I can think of and I am heading to bed.
Love,
Donald

Jan 2, 1944 (Sunday)
Fort Benning, Georgia

Dear Folks,

Your letters sort of came at me all at once so I had to read them all over before I started this one so that I might be able to answer your questions.

I will start by saying that I got your package and letter with money on Friday. Everything in the package arrived in fine shape. I don’t know any of the qualifications of the watch but it seems to be alright to me. It is very nice looking and it runs fine. I am sure proud of it and very glad to get it.

I don’t know how you happened to run on to the nail clippers but I certainly never expected to get anything that will serve my purpose as well as they will. Even the Bible is a lot better than I ever expected to get. When I mentioned a small Bible I was afraid to mention one with a zipper on it for fear that they would be impossible to get. But this one is a very nice size and even has a zipper. 

The candy sure didn’t go begging this time. I’ll bet I had more Christmas than anybody back there!

A funny thing happened about that money you sent me. I opened the letter that contained it at exactly the same time that the other fellows were getting paid. You guys sure do things right; you wouldn’t have needed to send so much. Richard sure needn’t send me any money for the shoes now.

I surely do want you to take the rest of the money for the watch out of my graduation money. I hadn’t entirely forgotten about the money but I just didn’t think about it when I was talking about buying a watch.

I also want you to take the ten dollars you sent me out of this money. The rest of it (except the 2 dollar bill, which I want you to hang on to) I would like for you to save to put in with money that I will send in the future to be put into bonds. Does this straighten me out financially?

Now for a little more news. I have been working in the supply room with about an hour or 2 in the kitchen just to make it interesting. Ha Ha. Yesterday I spent all morning hauling coal. We were off yesterday afternoon and I read quite a bit in my Reader’s Digest. This morning I went to church as usual.

After I got back from church I tried to do a little sewing. As I was doing it I was thinking about how easy it would have been to ask Mother to do it if I had  been at home. She would have done it quickly and there would be no doubt about it staying fixed. But I struggle along with it and just hope that it stays. I’m learning though.

This afternoon I went over to see the fellows of my old company before they leave. Of course, the main thought on their minds was where they were going to be sent.

Well I feel a lot brighter than I did last week at this time. I hope you can get things straightened out all right back there.

Oh yes, I was glad to get Janette’s picture but you will have to keep it for me.

Love,
Donald

[Date unclear but probably Friday January 21, 1944]

Friday Night
Dear Folks,

Well I doubt if I will get this letter finished tonight so if time gets short I’ll just saw off and put it in an envelope rather than wait a day or two to finish it.

To start with I got your package today and also a letter from you. I was sure glad to get both of them. You can just guess what I thought of the candy and the rest of the stuff works fine.

In your letter you asked when my basic will be over. Well if everything goes off alright March will be about 10 days old when I get through here. And then about the furlough. Of course anything can happen but there isn’t enough chance that I will to plan on it.

And you asked about where my old company was sent to school. Well I asked them to write to me but so far none of them have.

I have been working in the supply room and this afternoon I spent almost all afternoon hauling so you will understand why I am closing now to go to bed.

Love,

Donald