May 6, 1944 (0906)
(Camp Crowder, Missouri)
(Camp Crowder, Missouri)
To: Mudder and Dad,
This is my last day at radio school and likewise my last day in B-37. This afternoon we move and after that I don’t know what. Today I received my grades in radio and am glad to say that with the exception of code I did excellent. I made 96 in procedure, the most important test, and 92 in installation. That makes me feel better.
Happy Mudder’s Day, Mudder. This may be a little premature but I doubt if I could get a letter to you on next Saturday or Monday so this is it. Get yourself sumpin’ nice. Maybe you can get Daddy to chip in a few sheckels too.
I’m a little stumped on this letter writing business by now. I don’t know whether or not I’m going out. I don’t know just what kind of mailing facilities they’ve got out there. From what I hear it’ll be more like a picnic than a bivouac (mobile PX’s and all that), but we don’t get in on weekends so I don’t think I’ll be able to do much writing. However, I hear that they do deliver mail out there.
How’s everyone and how’s the lawsuit coming?
Bill (0925)
Don’t send mail ‘till you get another note from me
That lawsuit is sure a puzzle, probably the most interesting thing that Bill has to talk about. If the Army was rational it would see that Bill was leadership material in the Signal Corps. Leave the code to the whizzes with dots and dashes. Bill has the procedure and other steps down pat and could probably run a signal center in his sleep. But we know things don't work like that.
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't know it, but the troops in England are getting cranked up for Overlord. He is probably reading about the Fifth Army closing in on Rome (Mark Clark had 50 soldiers on his PR staff to remind the world).
Unfortunately the lawsuit will remain a mystery as I believe this letter is the last reference Bill will make to it.
ReplyDeleteAnother mystery to me is why Bill, with his intelligence and talents ended up an infantryman. Apparently hordes of A.S.T.P. men ended up in the infantry and they proved to be an asset to the quality of our fighting men. It was a numbers game.
As Bill stated in his previous letter he doesn't know much about anything related to military operations or his personal future in the army. The only thing Bill (and everyone else) knew was that there would be an invasion.