December 7, 1943
(Camp Abbot, Oregon)
Dear Folks,
I’ve only time to write a short note tonight due to the fact I was on K.P. up until 9:00.
The K.P. wasn’t so bad, but it’s a rather discouraging job. Of course, that’s the Army. One thing good about it was that I got to go on a truck out into the field to serve lunch. It was a nice ride and it was the first chance I’ve had to see the surrounding country-Phooey. The lumber companies must have come thru this area like a cyclone. Nothing but stumps, stumps, and more stumps. You can’t tell it right in the camp area, however.
I got to listen to Gabriel Heatter over the radio tonight in the kitchen. Boy! It looks like big things are about to break in the Balkans and Middle East pretty quick now with Turkey edging up to the allies.¹ They may not know what they’re talking about but the officers here say this is going to be the real thing-and that it’ll wind up the war in Europe by spring. Personally I don’t think they know a bit more about it than I do. I think, however, that it’s going to be all over pretty quick now.
Notice the date-2 years. It sure doesn’t seem that long.
More and more guys are going to the damn hospital. I’ll be damned if we can keep it up much longer.
I didn’t get any mail from you today, but I got a swell package of cookies from Grandma and Jess. I’ll have to write and thank them soon.
Bestus Love,
Bill
P.S. I’ll try and write a real letter tomorrow.
P.P.S. Are you getting my letters yet? I mean the old ones.
1. Turkey’s role in the war effort was discussed at the just concluded Teheran Conference but there was no agreement and Turkey remained neutral until February 1945, when it declared war on Germany as a precondition for membership in the United Nations.
(Camp Abbot, Oregon)
Dear Folks,
I’ve only time to write a short note tonight due to the fact I was on K.P. up until 9:00.
The K.P. wasn’t so bad, but it’s a rather discouraging job. Of course, that’s the Army. One thing good about it was that I got to go on a truck out into the field to serve lunch. It was a nice ride and it was the first chance I’ve had to see the surrounding country-Phooey. The lumber companies must have come thru this area like a cyclone. Nothing but stumps, stumps, and more stumps. You can’t tell it right in the camp area, however.
I got to listen to Gabriel Heatter over the radio tonight in the kitchen. Boy! It looks like big things are about to break in the Balkans and Middle East pretty quick now with Turkey edging up to the allies.¹ They may not know what they’re talking about but the officers here say this is going to be the real thing-and that it’ll wind up the war in Europe by spring. Personally I don’t think they know a bit more about it than I do. I think, however, that it’s going to be all over pretty quick now.
Notice the date-2 years. It sure doesn’t seem that long.
More and more guys are going to the damn hospital. I’ll be damned if we can keep it up much longer.
I didn’t get any mail from you today, but I got a swell package of cookies from Grandma and Jess. I’ll have to write and thank them soon.
Bestus Love,
Bill
P.S. I’ll try and write a real letter tomorrow.
P.P.S. Are you getting my letters yet? I mean the old ones.
1. Turkey’s role in the war effort was discussed at the just concluded Teheran Conference but there was no agreement and Turkey remained neutral until February 1945, when it declared war on Germany as a precondition for membership in the United Nations.
Grandma is Bill's maternal grandmother and Jesse is her son from her second marriage. I guess that would make Jesse Bill's "half-uncle" as his mother Alice was a product of the first marriage.
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