Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 21, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/21/09).
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.
Sunday, March 21, 1943
March 21, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
Last night or shall we say this morning, I didn’t get in until two-thirty so it is just short of a miracle that I was able to get up at nine-thirty. I went to church. Of course I had a date. It’s a cinch nothing else would have gotten me up at that un-godly hour. I called the office and told them to have a recon ready to take me in town and they told me the Major wanted to see me. I told M____ that I just couldn’t be found. I picked Claire up at 10:45 and we went to the Episcopal Church. It was an excellent service. We went back to the house around one and killed time until the shows opened. We saw Monty Wooley in “Life Begins at 8:30″ and it was good. I always did like him. After the show we met Ray & Helen and went up to the Boise Club for a steak dinner. Boy did that taste good. After dinner we went over to the house so Claire could pack. Carl and Mary Ellen came in so we sat around and talked. The bus left at 10:30 so we left around nine-thirty for the station and I sure hated to see her go. This is the first girl since Virginia that I have let myself get serious over and inside of five or six days too. Maybe I’m slipping. I generally walk out when things get that way but this time I didn’t want to. Maybe it’s a good thing she did.
Good Night
After four months of silence, Adolf Hitler gave a speech on Hero’s Day in Germany. Photo: Public Domain
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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