Home Front to Battlefront. Frank Lavin

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СКАЧАТЬ work together). There were about 3000 men watching all together. They had all guns going at once, arcing tracers at night. Most impressive. The .30 caliber machine gun crossfire was one solid stream of flame. Impossible for any living thing to get through, apparently.

      Still waiting for A.S.T.P. and still waiting for our battalion to move into Camp Hood. A few more weeks of this animal living and I’ll become entirely untamed.

      They had a few of us out driving half-tracks today. Went over quite rough country and through woods. Boy, did I have fun! See, that wild driving I did in the old Plymouth really stood me in good stead.¹⁶

      I got those two boxes of candy you sent. Very good and very much appreciated.

      What’s happening to those Sunday Reps you were sending? Haven’t received one for three weeks. And do me another favor, please. Send me the Sat. Eve. Post. Get a subscription. Haven’t been getting very many letters from home lately. Keep me posted on all that’s going on, willya huh? Goodbye mom and Love Carl

      . . .

      September 13, 1943

      Sunday

      Hi, Babe [Mom]!

      Back to civilization! We moved into Camp Hood (not North Camp Hood) yesterday and got set up in our barracks. After two weeks of pup tents, dirty clothes, walking 300 yards to wash, and going to bed with the sun this place is heaven. Cots, electric lights, floors—I can’t get over it!

      I had a lot of fun coming down. I believe I told you I’ve been assigned as a driver, didn’t I? (Anyways, I was. That’s why I had that training on driving half-tracks.) Well, one of the M-10s had to be repaired (same as an M-4 medium tank but has an open turret and a 3 inch gun) so it was driven down here earlier yesterday and another guy and I went along as assistant drivers. I climbed on top of the back end of the gun and found that because of the recoil mechanism it is just the same width as a horse. So I rode the whole ten miles horseback. No kidding, it felt exactly the same as one, especially in going over ruts and ditches where it was the same as a bucking horse. It certainly reminded me of home and those times I used to go riding with the kids.

      I finally heard the good news. I leave for ASTP this Thursday. I haven’t received any official notice as yet but have received the info from what you might term “generally reliable sources” or, as it is expressed in the army, a shit-house rumor. But from my four month experience with army rumors, I can term this one as correct.

      How is everything going on the home front? Anything happening lately?

      Keep your chins up–Love Carl

      Figure 2-2. Enlisted Men’s Service Club letterhead, Camp Hood, Texas, September 13, 1943. Author collection.

      . . .

      Camp Maxey Service Club¹⁷

      October 12, 1943

      Hi, Maw,

      Well, I have been here a week and I guess I should have written you before and I still don’t know where I’ll be sent. There is, however, a very nasty as well as persistent rumor that our group will end up in Baylor University, which is right in the middle of Waco, which is just thirty miles from Camp Hood. I can think of no more horrible a fate. But if that’s where they want me that’s where I’ll go. I’ll probably find out this week.

      Now tell me all about Chicago. Did either the American Meat Packers’ Association or the Exalted Order of the Hadassah reach any decision? Did you see that play about the Russians?¹⁸ Did you have fun? Did anything exciting happen? Tell me what.

      I got a three day pass this week-end for Yom Kippur.¹⁹ I spent them in Dallas. Had a pretty good time there, too. Stayed with some very nice people that I got through the Jewish center. They had a lot of people around both nights and we all had quite a gay little time of it. Went to two dances at the center which were enjoyable. Found the best steak place in Dallas. In fact I did about everything but go to temple. Tsk, tsk.

      About all I’m doing here at Camp Maxey is taking it easy and resting up for my coming college days. Of course, a few things do pop up now and then to interrupt, such as the ten mile hike we had today and K.P. duties.

      Did Fred find out yet whether or not he’s going to be staying in Miami for another semester? Tell him he’s owed me a letter for a month now. I ran into a guy in Dallas who was a Frosh at Miami with me and was at Camp Wise with Fred. I forget his name, though. He’s been in about seven months. I told him all about Fred.

      Figure 2-3. Camp Maxey Service Club letterhead, Texas, October 12, 1943. Author collection.

      I saw For Whom the Bell Tolls while in Dallas. She is a marvelous actor and it really is an exceptional film.²⁰ It’ll probably be named one of the ten best of the year, but I’m not too sure I’d call it that good. I also read a book by Hemingway this week—A Farewell to Arms—disappointing. The only thing I’ve read by him and judging by this one book I don’t like him.

      And that’s about all that’s happened to me since you last saw me. Write soon.

      Lots of Love –Carl

      . . .

      Oct 25, 1943

      Sunday

      Hello Mother,

      Glad to hear that both you and the tonsil are better. You still haven’t told me whether the latter has been removed or not. Has it? And you didn’t say whether it was serious or dangerous or not. Was it? If it was, I presume that now it isn’t. Yes? Good.

      Stop worrying about my hair, woman. I haven’t been able to find any barber who could pamper and coax it. But it is now at the place where I have to comb it, and a semblance of a wave is reappearing. At the latest sounding for depth it was “mark one—and—a—half.” I’m expecting a “mark twain” at any time.²¹

      Is Fred home yet? If so, hello, Alfie. Do you know what’s going to happen to you? I suppose you’re in the same boat that I’m in (or perhaps I should say you’re in the same M-10 tank destroyer I’m in.)

      For about two weeks there hasn’t been a single shipment out of here. While we were here the previous three weeks about twenty shipping numbers went out and they stopped one number short of mine, or rather ours; “ours” meaning the guys that came in with me from 665 and came into Ft. Hayes with me.

      But anyways a brief analysis of all the latest latrine-grams (rumors) reveals that this week they will start sending us out once more (Ohio State, Purdue, Brooklyn, West Coast, to name a few locales).

      I would like to have seen that first snow you wrote about. Howz the weather now? Many blizzards? It’s pretty cold down here now, about like it was up there when I was on the furlough. We have three field ranges to a barracks and they keep us nice and cozy. In fact one of them is beside my bunk and same is gradually taking on a fairly charred appearance. We’re getting into the rainy season now. And when it rains here I mean the drops СКАЧАТЬ