The News From France is Really Good
Thurs. 24 Aug. ‘44
7:30 p.m.
Dear folks,
C.Q. reporting. I’m on duty again. Seems as if I don’t have many evenings off any more but I guess I have nothing to complain about as the rest of the boys are out working yet. It is much cooler now outside as we had a real rain storm tonight for awhile. Last night after I finished your letter I got to bed. I was up at 6:00 this morning.
Its 9:00 now and I better get at this. Our lights go down every once in awhile and I’m liable to find myself here in the dark. I dressed and fell out for reveille this morning for a change as there are so few of us in camp. After that I swept, got my stuff in order and ate – shredded wheat, milk, cakes, syrup, butter & jelly. After eating I slept awhile and then went to work. I did my report, typed a courts martial charge sheet, and did some other jobs to fill the forenoon until 11:15. For dinner I had potatoes, beans, spinach, bread & butter. After eating I shaved & washed and then came back to work. I worked recording the infiltration course & a few other things most of the time. Since I was C.Q. I left a little early in order to eat. At about 4:15 the wind began to blow and the dust got so bad you couldn’t see over 30 ft. I’d say. Then it began to rain, thunder & lightning. It came down plenty for the first time since April or May like that. Water was standing in lakes all over but by 5:00 the sun was out & it had soaked in. I went back and ate early at about 4:45 – potatoes, cold toms, salad, bread & cake. Then at about 5:30 I came over here. I got a pair of class A pants in place of the X’s they lost at the ldry. So I gained on that exchange. I was good hearted & agreed to type the laundry roster for the supply clerk so I started on it. But at about 6:30 all the officers gathered for a class in here so I quit typing. I figured it would be too noisy. I moved around being inconspicuous as possible, answered the phone & went for telegrams & finally started this. The meeting broke up & I went after some ice cream & finished the laundry roster so here I am. It’s not my job but the kid is snowed under with work so I did it for him as long as I had to be here anyway. He’s one of the boys I was in town with last night – Marshall H. Buchman of Fort Wayne, Ind. He has an aunt who lives on W. Ottowa St. in Lansing. He’s pretty sensible – another ASTU man – Univ. of Ill. So that’s today roughly. These lights get dim & come back off & on. I hope they don’t go out completely. I imagine the boys out in the field got a little damp for awhile. They say it’s a regular picnic but that rain I imagine dampened their spirits a little. They are on the Red River in Okla. near Hugo I guess. They’ll be in tomorrow night. Ah, thunder & the wind is picking up. Bet we get more rain yet tonight. I got your long Mon. letter today so now to answer it. Ah, just had a call from St. George Utah for one of my boys. I guess you ought to be able to burn for yourself in your own back yard so long as it doesn’t disturb anyone. I guess I must have been off the ball when I dated that Wed. letter. You see each morning I prepare a morning report dated the day before & sometimes I think of a wrong day or date. Tomorrow morning Fri. the 25 I’ll make one dated the 24th. You’ll notice I initialed my error with the Personnel Officer’s initials. That is S.O.P. all errors will be initialed. I can make his initials better than he can. I’d like to get home but when I think it over it would be pretty grueling. The only way I could make it would be to get a 3 day pass from Mon. plus a weekend pass. Then I’d get in Mon. morning at the usual time & leave Tues. afternoon. That’s quite a bit of steady travel. I may do it but I’m not sure yet if I could even get it fixed that way. Maybe I’ll get a little closer and then I’d get more out of it but I’m probably kidding myself on that. Kinley has been here nearly as long as I. He came 5 days after I did. He’s a good kid in a lot of ways but Ferdie & Leonard are still the best 2. I’m beginning to like this kid Buchman better as I’m getting to know him. Kinley’s pop is a big shot contractor or something in Detroit. I expect induction will fall way off pretty soon & demobilization will start (I hope). I didn’t run the infiltration course on paper, it was on my belly. I had intended to just give myself credit for it without doing it but I decided not to. I left out the melon last night as I had eaten ice cream. The melon is split lengthwise into ¼ or 1/6 parts [sketch of watermelon] for 25 cents each. They make lots of profit. They have outdoor tables fixed where you can sit & eat it. That’s something not found up north I guess. We may wear those 23rd corps patches if our group will authorize them. I have the 2 you sewed on in my locker. This watch will need a cleaning & the band is terribly dirty & corroded in spots from perspiration. It will have to be cleaned someday. Forget Sept. 1st. We’ll be here long after that at our present rate of motion. There is nothing definite being done at all. Well that’s your letter. It’s raining again now. The news from France is really good. Another month at that rate & we can all go home. Well for tonight at 9:40 I’ll call it an end and be seein’ you next time.
Aufseider zehen
(probably spelled wrong)
Arlington
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