Tuesday Noon – September 19, 1944
Hello Folks,
I was just a little surprised to get a letter from you yesterday. I thought that I had already received my quota of letter for last week but that’s one kind of surprise I like to get.
It was good to hear that the football team was so successful last week. The flat tire situation was bad for the driver but for the rest it will just make another memory of the football season.
I had read about the collection of milk-weed pods in the paper but I hardly expected Orestes to take part in it. It’s a good project though so hop right to it. Every little bit will help.
I sure had an experience today that proved to me that my watch is airtight. When I got the watch back that worked loose so I just screwed it up tight. I guess the air must have been very heavy with moisture when it was sealed up because today the moisture started collecting on the under side of the crystal. It was pretty hot today and the moisture that was inside had to condense instead of getting out. All I had to do was take off the back and the moisture evaporated right away. It scared me at first because I couldn’t imagine what was happening but I can see through it now. I thought at first that maybe the crystal was made in layers and was clouding up like an old A Ford glass used to. I thought I sure was in it then. But its as good as new now.
Evening
There was one more step made this afternoon towards our moving. It was almost like going through a reception center again. We tried on the new clothes that were ordered for us a month or so ago. Everyone got certain new equipment and then we got anything else that is needed. We got 2 new pairs of shoes, 5 pr sox, new field jackets, new packs, and ammunition belts, new mess equipment, 2 pr of fatigues and 2 new pr of woolen underwear. Because the ones I had needed changingI also got 2 pr of wool pants, a pr of leggings and a new belt.
This seems like a lot of waste but I guess it is a regular procedure for going overseas. What we have now will be turned in and will be used for some poor gut training on this side. I have lots of times been issued fatigues or shoes that someone has worn the new off.
We just tried this stuff on though and it will be stored for us till we get ready to go. From the way things look I don’t suppose we will leave here before next month. If we wait that long I wish we’d wait a month longer and then they’d have to give us a furlough. If you haven’t had a furlough in six months you aren’t qualified for overseas shipment. My six months will be up the middle of November. So all of us that got furloughed in May are just sweating it out now.
Oh yes I almost forgot to tell you what I did yesterday. I learned to fire another weapon that I have not had any previous experience with. I fired the flame thrower. It is really quite a weapon and is used to burn the enemy out of cement or steel emplacements. It sure does develop a hot flame.
Well I’ll be looking for a letter from you tomorrow or the next day.I hope everything is coming OK back there.
Lots of Love, Donald
This evening I was trying to think of the words to that little Hoosier poem by “Big Rich”. It’s in the ‘43 Spectrum and I’d like for you to send it to me. It was because I copied it down on the inside cover of my note-book that was preserved and published and now I can’t remember it. DT