Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 20, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/20/09).
Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary Project and Recap: 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.
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.
Saturday, March 20, 1943
March 20, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
No inspection this morning. There is entirely too much work to be done. The heat as far as we are concerned is so hot that the crating must be completed and sealed immediately. We had left the boxes open in case any last minute stuff came in that we could put away but now there is no time to lose. Sgt. Sanders has a bunch of them checking equipment and Sgt. P___________ has another group over in the shops checking over the trucks we had out on the bivoac. All the wheels must be pulled and checked as sand will have gotten all through the system. That Warrant Officer came back today with a Major from the IG’s office and we had quite a session. They don’t like the situation in this other outfit at all as the two officers just don’t get along together. It’s a mess. The Non-Coms are for the C.O. and the rest are for the Junior Officer so that there is no organization at all and there is a constant friction. That’s bad! Tonight I had a date with Claire and I’m getting a little mixed up and so is she. She is a lovely girl and would make someone a wonderful wife but Virginia still sticks in my mind too strongly. One thing certain and that is I have more than my share of trouble with women. I talked her into staying another day. Her girlfriend told me I could talk her into staying for good.
1st Armored Division men taking a break at the Maknassy railroad station after discovering that Maknassy was free of the enemy. Photo: U.S. National Archives
• Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery’s forces began a breakthrough in Tunisia, striking at the Mareth Line, a defensive line that was originally built by the French to hold off Italian tanks and infantry. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943))
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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