September 12, 1943

Sunday,

 

Dear Mom and Dad,

 

Well, here I am again.  This is the 2nd letter this week.  Am going down to the waterfall & take a bath sometime today.  The waterfall is our shower.  We use our steel helmets for wash basins.  Yesterday was my 7 month anniversary, so I�m about due for a furlough.  Sure would like to get all my back pay before I get a furlough. 

 

 

 

It is a scene that is being repeated daily throughout the continental US,  throughout the war. In this instance, the farewell scene is played out at the bus depot at Newton, Kansas. With George's parents seeing him off, is George's sister, Mary Jane Fast. The baby is George ("Georgie" in the correspondence), the editor's elder brother. 

Sunday, October 4

Well, here I am back again & sure wishing I was back home.  Seemed like that 10 days sure did fly. . . . It just kind of seems like a dream.  I sure did hate to leave but now that I�m back it�s not so bad.    It don�t seem like I�m any older today, but I must be.  Big 2-0.  I�m still too rattled & excited to think of anything to write.  I can�t seem to concentrate on a thing for thinking of the good time I had at home.  I�ll come back to earth tomorrow I hope.  I�m still floating around wondering where that 10 days went.

 

 

Thursday nite �

Say this old stuff has got to stop.  Just got back in from the field & like to froze to death.  It�s been like winter here.  We had a meeting tonite to get started on 3 months strenuous training for overseas.  We leave on the first of the year for sure.  They told us tonite to start working together because this H.Q. Btry (218 men) are going all together & we have to get to working together.   We are getting more equipment & we are really whipping into shape. 

 

 

Monday, October 10, 1943

 

Say, I wish I was getting your experience in that machine shop, Dad.  I would like to get in that kind of work when the war is over.  .. . . Say, my arm sure is sore.  Got a shot today & boy it really hit me.  It�s supposed to be the first of our overseas shots. . . .

 

 

Thursday �

 

Went out and fired the carbine today.  Made a pretty good score. . . .

 

 

October 24, 1943 - Sunday

 

Today is the first day since last Monday that I�ve been in the barracks in daytime.  They told us Monday that we had a thousand chutes to pack by Wednesday & it takes 20 or 25 minutes to pack one at top speed.  We got our job done, but I think the same thing is going to happen this week. . .Didn�t get to jump because it was too windy. 

 

 

Wednesday-

 

Dear Mom & Dad

. . . . Two boys in the rigger squad are asking for transfers & I�m about ready.  We work our - - - - - off.  To be a rigger is supposed to be an honor & privilege, but I wonder sometimes.  I�d just as soon get out but I won�t.  Sure wish you�d send another box of cookies.  What are you eating now in the line of meat?  Still steak?  Boy I�d like to get a little of that.  We�ve been having a little fat mutton for meat and boy is it greasy.  I�d like to get some of that duck Francis has been killing. . .Don�t know when I�m getting to jump again.  Seems like something always happens, the weather or something.

Thought this card was awfully good!!!

 

 

 

Sunday, October 31, (I was informed today was Halloween)

 

Dear Mom & Dad

 

I didn�t write last nite for good reason.  Friday nite I was grinding on the grinder & got something in my eye so I went all Fri. nite trying to get it out myself.  Went to the dispensary Sat. morning & they couldn�t get it out so they sent me to the hospital & I spent 2 hours there getting it out.  They deadened my eye & took a little steel instrument & dug it out.  It was a piece of embedded sand close to the pupil & it had cut my cornea.  At the present it�s just a blur out of my right eye.  Yesterday & most of today I couldn�t even go out into the sunlite.  It�s feeling good now.

We had a plane wreck just about like the one that happened at Benning on Saturday.  It killed 13 this time & more are supposed to die.  Two boys jumped from the plane when it was about 50 feet high & feel into some trees & one got a broken let & the other a broken arm.  They are about to decide that pulling the gliders are burning up the engines on the planes.  Did you know were were jumping from gliders some now.  It works all right, but I sure don�t like the idea.  We had 4 refusals Fri. when A btry jumped & several got hurt.  It was a nite jump.  We are still supposed to start overseas packing by the 15th of next month.

 

 

Nov. 2, 1943

 

Well, my eye is all rite now & strong but it�s awfully foggy.  If it don�t get better I�m going to have my eyes checked to see if I need glasses.  We are supposed to jump tomorrow again, but don�t know for sure. 

 

Well, here I am again.  The battery commander said this evening that the Riggers were to do no more jumping on this side cause it�s too hard to bet trained ones, so my next jump is postponed again.  Anyway we still draw jump pay & more than likely will get in a jump or two & I still have my eight jumps which is more than a lot of the men have. 

We still run about 2 miles in the morning now and walk about 20 miles back and forth to the machine shed everyday.  I can still climb a 3/8� rope 30� long yet, hand over hand so I�m still in shape to go over. 

 

 

November 4

 

You know I write you I went to the hospital to get something out of my eye.  Well my eye is fine now except I can�t see very good out of it so I went back today & got it checked & have to go back tomorrow and have that little cut opened again.  The man says there�s a little piece of rust in the cut.  I sure hope they get the fuzzyness out of it. . .