Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – April 3, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (04/03/09).
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.
Saturday, April 3, 1943
April 3, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
What a day this has been. The first thing I did was to start Sgt. Meyers going around the post getting me cleared of the station so I can leave tomorrow. The outfit has been packed so long that there will be no work for it except to climb on the train and take off. Of course they can’t do anything about the vehicles until the orders are cut and sent to us. So far it is just a verbal order. The new Diamond-T wrecker came in this morning and it’s a beauty. I didn’t get a chance to run it and I was getting things in order for the move. I called the responsible non-coms in and we had a conference. Each man has his job and if it’s taken care of there will be nothing to the move. Lt. Seitz is responsible that they do it right. One thing certain. That outfit can get along for a while without me because each man has been trained to his job and knows what it is. I’m just a figurehead in a sense so that they know if they step out of line it might be rough. Today I checked on planes out. Nothing certain but there might be a C-47 tonight. There was a formal dance tonight at the club. I had a date and she didn’t want to cancel it so we went. It was a swell dance and a lot of fun. I checked every hour about the plane but it never came in. I hate to say goodbye to these girls. They are a swell gang.
The Todo Saki lighthouse, Honshu Island, Japan, as seen through the periscope of the USS Pickerel (SS-177). The Pickerel sank a Japanese sub chaser on this day in 1943.
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.
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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