Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 25, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/25/09).
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.
Thursday, March 25, 1943
March 25, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
I know I’m being foolish as hell but I think I might work out a furlough. I’ve crossed my fingers and knocked on wood but sure as hell something will come up to mess things up so that I don’t get home. I really need it too because Im getting edgy as hell. This furlough business is due to the fact we have been taken off orders. I wonder if we ever will get across. We have cut out most of the lectures now as there is an opening in the new class for mechanics and a new class is Chemical Warfare so that half the men go to each. This takes up most of the morning so leaves me positively nothing to do in the mornings except look over reports coming in and going out. This afternoon I went over to the gym and worked out. I can’t get below 168 lbs to save my neck regardless of how much I sweat. That’s not a bad weight but my face still has its double chin and I wish to hell I could get rid of that. I had less double chin when I weighed 185. I’ve cut my waist down to nearly 30 inches but can’t get rid of that thin layer of fat. Damn! Well tonight I had a date with ___________ ____________. She’s cute as hell and a spitfire if there ever was one. We got along pretty good because we are pretty much alike. I got in around two.
• A P-38 captured and flown by an Axis pilot shot down 1st Fighter Group Lt. J. C. Harrison “Harold” Lentz of the 94th. Lentz crash-landed in a desert canyon in North Africa. After struggling to get out of the cockpit, forgetting what had been attached between him and his aircraft, parachute, throat mic, etc., friendly Arabs rescued him. (http://www.1stfighter.org/history/1943.html)
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