Letter 207- June 28, 1945

June 28, 1945
(Nürtigen, Germany)

Dear Mudder and Dad,

Well, today has been a red letter day for me—6 no less. Just about the time I was beginning to get disgusted too. I hadn’t had any for several days then bingo!

I’ll get down to brass tacks to start with. The day I wrote you that last letter in which I said I was going to see about O.C.S. I ran into an old friend of mine who is battalion liaison officer (liaison between battalion C.O. and regimental C.O., Lt. Landis). He used to be our executive officer. I asked his advice on the matter and he said for me to hold off because he had some inside dope that we might remain here some length of time. Today he told me he had seen the assistant of the division and we aren’t leaving this area for some time, maybe not until next spring and if we do leave it won’t be for several months at worst, and the division will go into continental security reserve presumably on the West Coast. In short I may be stationed permanently on the West Coast. If I do go to O.C.S. it’s the Officer’s Replacement Pool in about 4 months at best and then—Wham! Someplace like Okinawa. At any rate we’re due to find out exactly what the score is sometime next week.

A hint of what we’re to hear lies in the fact that the div. is going to start it’s educational program August 1. I don’t believe they’d do this if they thought we’d be leaving within a month.

The program is going to be very complete. We have even taken over the services of German industrial experts to teach mechanical engineering students new German techniques developed during the war, German factories to serve as shops for machinist students, German chemical plants and research laboratories for the same purpose. The American conqueror is putting the spoils of war to good use. If the plan us correctly carried out some of our people should go home with knowledge and experience that would be of inestimable value at home. Some common soldier would know things that our nation’s scientists would be eager to learn. What all this leads to obvious. I certainly hope I get the chance to share in all this.

Well, that’s about all.

Best Love,
Bill