Letter 257- November 24, 1945

HEADQUARTERS
1297 LABOR SUPERVISION COMPANY
APO 758 US ARMY

24 November 1945

SUBJECT: Laxity of Mail Clerks in the European Theatre.

To: Mr. and Mrs. Wm. W. Taylor, Sr. 12928 Bloomfield St.

North Hollywood, California, U.S.A

1. Where is my mail? That’s the question that has been on everyone’s lips for the last two weeks. I honestly think that I’m no longer in Germany. It’s the same way with everything and everybody. Everything is in such a state that we don’t know what is coming next. Some of our fellows haven’t had any mail in nine weeks so I guess that I’m the lucky one.

2. Well, temporarily anyway I’m Company Clerk in this company. It’s not a tough job by any means but I’m not up on the army method of doing things so very well yet, so I have quite a bit of studying to do. You’ll note the form of this letter. That’s just a sample of it. It’s not difficult but as an old gun slinger I’m still a little confused or should I say confoozed.

3. Nothing much doing here right now but the place is operating with too few men so everyone is kept fairly well occupied. There’s one thing I can say about this job and that is that it is indoors. The weather is getting fouler all the time so indoors is a good place to be. I sure wish now that I could type the right way. I can type reasonably fast, but after a full day my fingers feel as if an elephant had been trompin’ on them.

4. The thinning out process over here is moving right aalong. Is that English I’m writing? There seems to be more troops than ever in the big cities but very few in the cow towns. For the first time since the war ended we’re beginning to get some dope on replacements. We’re having men assigned to us right now that are still in the states taking basic training. That in itself makes us breathe a little easier.

5. Tomorrow’s Sunday and a day off but tonight I’m on C.Q. so I can’t go out. Not that there is anything to go out for but a person likes to feel that he can go out if he wishes even if there isn’t any reason for it. They’ve opened up a new Red Cross Club in town and it’s really nice. It has a library, coffee shop, game rooms, reading rooms, and a music room. They even have pin ball machines there.

6. I don’t know that there’s much more to write tonight. In fact I’m not sure when I’ll be able to send this right away. The mail clerk hasn’t been able to get any stamps at the POST OFFICE even for the last few days.



Best Love,

WILLIAM W. TAYLOR, JR.
Pfc. Inf.
Demanding


WWT/wwt