George L. Taylor

I didn�t get to jump today as planned but am supposed to tomorrow. Have kinda lost my fear of it now, and I�m sure glad too. Got a letter from Grandma & Grandpa. They said their garden was burnt up & they didn�t get to can anything.

The only thing that they really have here at Camp is the library which has everything in it. There is just 10 of us 14 from Fort Sill left now. The rest � 2 got hurt & 2 froze on their 6th jumps. Did I tell you we use nylon chutes now instead of silk. We just jump anywhere around here. It�s all trees & cotton patches so you can imagine what a time we have trying to keep from disemboweling ourselves on the trees & smothering to death in the cotton. Ha-Ha. Well, I still know nothing of a furlough yet, so keep your fingers crossed.

August 24

Well, I finally did it today. Made my 6^th jump & it was easier than pie. There�s nothing to it much anymore. That nylon chute really gave me an opening shock & I sure saw dots before my eyes it jerked my head so. There�s going to be a group of about 20 men going to tour the U.S. & jump & give demonstrations of what the PTs are like. I sure want you to see them if they go anywhere close.

August 31

Mom, I feel terrible about letting your birthday slip by me like I did. I hope you�ll not think any less of me.

I jumped again today and banged my head on the ground awfully hard, but just got a headache out of it. Maybe that�s the reason I can�t remember things. It sure jarred and shook me all over. I lit on my back and head and I�m sure glad I had on my steel helmet.

That makes me an �8-jump� man. Rode around about an hour before we jumped and sure did like it.

September 3, Friday nite.

Went on an overnite problem last nite. Started at noon yesterday and got back this evening. There were 20 of us that were Nazis and we had to capture the rest. We didn�t have any mess truck so we had to go hungry from yesterday noon til this evening. (I happened to have two candy bars.) We had to capture the American troops mess truck to get something to eat. We had bombs made of real nitro & tear gas bombs & we did a lot of damage but just couldn�t get the mess truck. I sure had fun. Here was the set-up:

There were 20 germs. I was one of them & the firing batteries moved into a territory about 20 miles from here. Boy I mean to tell you this is a wilderness around here in the daytime, let alone at nite. Anyway we Germans were supposed to be real & capture all we could. I was sure leery of the nitro bombs we used but we had instructions to throw them at least 2 foot from a man. You know what nitro is, don�t you Dad? Well anyway I stalked & knocked out one battery and rescued 3 of my men. I sneaked up when 3 of my men were captured & threw a tear gas bomb at their feet & the American guard couldn�t get to his gas mask quick enough. So he had to run away from the gas. I was upwind and boy that tear gas can sure hurt. The mess truck had 4 machine guns & about 50 guards around it but we just couldn�t capture it. So we went hungry. I walked, sneaked, & crawled at least 35 miles.

Here�s what we do in the morning now, all last week & this. Get up & run at a fast trot (in swimming trunks) to a little field 1 � miles without stopping. Have � hour calisthenics. Run 1 � mile back (take a longer way back) without any stops & THEN eat breakfast. I�ve really got an appetite worked up by them.

Out where we were I saw several deer & wild turkey. The trees were so thick you couldn�t hardly get thru them. Sure wish you could see the cotton and tobacco around here. Say, Dad, you should smell some of those drying sheds. Phooey. You can�t tell it�ll ever make a camel. . We have those big trucks & they just take off the road right into the forest & run right over trees up to 8 inches in diam. & don�t even phase them. They go anywhere. We are going on 2 weeks maneuvers starting Sept. 6 & we are supposed to get furloughs when we get back. How does that sound? Several of my friends from Ft. Sill left for overseas last week. They were glad to go I believe. Dad, the carbines we use here have a wire stock that folds up so we can use the gun as a pistol or a rifle.

Sunday nite, September 6, 1943

Just got my stuff packed. I have to carry on my back so went kinda light on some of the things. Here�s what we carry: 2 blankets, tent, poles & rope, toilet articles, 1 large candy bar, matches, 1 carton of cigarettes & tobacco & pipe, 1 pair of shoes, first aid pouch, canteen, cups, mess kit, knapsack or mussett bag rifle, gas mask, camera, 1 pair fatigues, 3 pr stockings, 1 pr shorts, 5 hankies, rain coat. Don�t think that�s not heavy on your back. This will be the last time I�ll write for 2 weeks now so don�t expect any letters.