Lt. Lawson Reichard’s WWII Diary – May 11, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (05/11/09).
Tuesday, May 11, 1943 Camp Shanks, Orangeburg, New York
May 11, 1943 Diary Page
Today was just nasty. It reminds me so much of last winter in California. It misted all day and it was just cold enough to make you miserable. I wore my slip-on sweater under my field-jacket and still froze. We spent most of the day getting our loose ends cleaned up and it’s surprising how many there were. We got B________ his dog tags. That was a case. He shacked up with a woman in New York and left his tags on her bureau. That’s a hell of a place to leave them. They still have not found our supplies. Even our truck that we shipped two or three weeks ago has not shown up. That has me a little worried. My shavetail “Lt. C” has shown his yellow streak in plain sight. Ever since he got into the outfit and found he was going over seas, he has been trying to get off on a medical discharge. Now he has worried himself in the hospital in New York with a nervous breakdown. Now I don’t know whether he will go over with us. I hope not. This afternoon I spent three hours censoring mail. I can readily see that that job is going to be a pain in the neck. It’s a cinch the censor should know everything about his men after a while. Tonight we had a blackout. It lasted half an hour. I’ve got a bad cold and this mist drives me nuts.
Good Night
(editor’s note: Camp Shanks was one of three staging areas “to ensure each soldier and WAC left the U.S. fully equipped before crossing the Atlantic. The final field inspection at Camp Shanks identified any problems, made any necessary repairs, and replaced anything which could not be repaired.” Read more about the history of Camp Shanks at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Shanks)
• American troops invaded Attu Island in the Aleutian Islands in an attempt to expel occupying Japanese forces. The landing was covered by naval forces under Rear Adms. Thomas C. Kinkaid and Francis W. Rockwell, but the battle was difficult, as U.S. forces endured stiff Japanese resistance, including banzai charges. The Japanese had captured the island to act as an eastern line of homeland defense. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943))
U.S. Army troops land in force at Massacre Bay, Attu, on this day in 1943. Defended with suicidal tenacity by the Japanese garrison, the island was not finally secured until the end of that month.
• The British evacuated Maungdaw in Burma before the monsoon arrived in the Arakan. All ground gained since September 1942 with 5,000 battle casualties was lost. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/asia-and-the-pacific/asian-mainland/asian-mainland-index-1943.htm)
1943 Diary Recaps
January 1943 Recap: We first met Lt. Reichard in January, stationed at McClellan Air Base in Sacramento, where he was in charge of a motor pool unit. Expecting to be sent overseas, their orders were changed and they became restless to see action. Lt. Reichard’s sweetheart, Ginnie, would write frequently, and he would go to dinner and movies with local girls – Dorothy, in Sacramento, and Marie, when the unit moved to Gowen Field in Boise, Idaho. The men have spent their days in lectures, and physical demonstrations to try to keep sharp mentally and physically. But they are getting increasingly restless.
February 1943 Recap: The unit continues to be restless as they still haven’t any orders for overseas. The days are kept busy with lectures, physical demonstrations, and frequent hikes in the mountains above Boise. Lt. Reichard receives a promotion to Lieutenant First Class and continues to write to Ginnie back home, though her letters are becoming more infrequent. February 1943 comes to an end with the unit still feeling bored and discouraged.
March 1943 Recap: March brings uncertainties in weather and daily life to Gowen Field. Still no word about overseas orders, the outfit must now share quarters with another unit. There is now time to begin a photo album, collecting pictures from times with the outfit. Letters from Ginnie are becoming more infrequent but there is no shortage of dates with the local girls in Boise. March comes to an end with everyone in the outfit anxiously awaiting word of upcoming furloughs.
April 1943 Recap: Last minute furloughs come through, and Lt. Reichard returns home to Maryland for some time with his family on the farm. He and Ginnie have a chance to talk things over and hopefully save the relationship. Just before leaving Boise, the unit gets orders that a move will come at the end of April. April comes to an end with the men spending a week in Stockton, California getting ready to ship out. But where they are going remains a mystery.
Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary Project : On January 1, 2009, WorthPoint began a three year project following the life of a WWII soldier through the daily pages of his diary.To read about the inception of this project, or to add your own comments, click here.
Production Credits:
Diary transcription: Kathleen Long
Diary photos: Claudia Forbes
Video production: Alison Harder
Narration: Mountain Vista H.S. Theater Department
Jeremy Goldson, Department Chair; Bryan Smith – voice of Lt. Reichard
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