Introduction by Will Seippel, CEO – WorthPoint.com Lt. Reichard began writing a diary on January 1, 1943. In February, he bought a camera and began taking some photos. For the next three years, he wrote almost every day. When I started reading his diary, I thought it should be shared and that perhaps WorthPoint’s community of collectors, people like me who are intrigued by the past, might find the diary as fascinating as I did. (To read Will Seippel’s entire introduction, click here)

January 23, 1943 Diary page (click to enlarge)

Transcript of diary entry   January 23, 1943

Saturday,  January 23, 1943

Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho

Five-Star Saturday.
I got promoted.

This is one happy day today. Why? You’d feel the same way if you had just been promoted from second to first lieutenant. I walked into the office this morning and there it was. A long white envelope from Washington, War Dept. spread over the upper left and my name in the other with “First” spelled out in front of it. I could hardly get it open and when I did it sure looked mighty good for such a little slip of paper. I went up and had my pay voucher changed and above all that new set of silver thread bars put on my blouse. Boy does that look good. It was effective Jan 15, 1943.

This afternoon I went down town and did some shopping and bought a box of cigars for the men. That is an iron clad rule in this outfit. All promotions from corporal up rate cigars to all who want them. Now it’s my turn to pay up.

This evening I met Marie and we went over to get Ray & Helens. They found a place to live at last. It’s in a wealthy woman’s home in the best end of town. This woman has fixed up her basement and rest of the house into small apartments and rooms. It’s right _____ and Ray & Helen love it. They get meals & room for $90.00 a month and the meals are wonderful. Those two are just like a couple of kids just fallen in love.

Good Night

To view previous diary entries, click here.

The Day That Was: January 23, 1943

• The Casablanca Conference ended. Roosevelt, Churchill and the Combined Chiefs of Staff agreed on the invasion of Sicily and a cross-channel amphibious assault on Western Europe. (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)

• The Japanese destroyer Hakaze was sunk by the submarine USS Guardfish (SS-217). (http://www.blountweb.com/blountcountymilitary/wars/ww2/timelines/1943_ww2.htm)

• The 8th Army under Montgomery triumphantly entered Tripoli, the capital of the Italian colony of Libya. The vice governor of Libya and prefect of Tripolitania offered a formal surrender. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-the-desert/war-in-the-desert-index-1943.htm)

• The United States seized control of Kokumbona and Mount Austen, Japan’s last two strongholds on Guadalcanal. (http://history.howstuffworks.com/world-war-ii/russian-army-repels-hitlers-forces14.htm)

• The last German airfield in the Stalingrad pocket fell. (http://www.worldwar-2.net/timelines/war-in-europe/eastern-europe/eastern-europe-index-1943.htm)

• The U. S. Coast Guard cutter Natsek was overdue in the North Atlantic for several weeks and presumed lost. The next of kin of Natsek personnel were notified. The Natsek was built by the Snow Shipbuilding Corp., Rockland, Maine, in 1941 and was placed in commission in June 1942. The cutter, which bore the Eskimo name for fjord seal, was 116.9 feet in length with a beam of 23.16 feet and a draft of 11.8 feet. Her gross tonnage was 225 tons, and her net tonnage was 134. (http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/comms/1943-01.html

Production Credits:

Diary photos: Claudia Forbes

Video production: Alison Harder

Narration: Mountain VIsta H.S. Theater Department

Jeremy Goldson, Department Chair; Sean McGill – voice of Lt. Reichard