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.

Transcript of Diary Entry   March 3, 1943

Wednesday, March 3, 1943

Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho

Sixty two days gone already this year. I never will get over the way time breezes by. It can’t go too fast to suit me while this war is going on but I sure hope it slows down when it’s over or I’ll be an old man before I realize I’m alive. It’s hard to realize I’ve been in this army for two years and nearly ten months. A lot has happened since then. I wonder what’s in store for the future. This morning we had lectures. After dinner Lt. Buckley came around and we finished about five. No one seems to be able to really straighten us out because the fault lies with higher command. No regular T.O.’s or T.B.H.’s have been made out for our type of equipment so we have to use improvised lists taken from the old type outfit. It’s a mess. Another mix up is that this outfit was alerted two weeks after it was activated and the shortages lists were submitted wrong because no one knew what was up. I really walked into something here. I’ll be glad when we do pull out. Tonight I had dinner with Lt. Buckley and then went in town. We went up to the Boise Club and spent the evening talking over maintenance problems over our drinks. He is a pretty decent chap.

Good Night

To view previous diary entries, click here.

The Day That Was: March 3, 1943

• In London, 173 people were killed in panic crush at Bethnal Green tube station shelter. Noise from a new anti-aircraft weapon caused the alarm. (http://www.fortunecity.co.uk/meltingpot/oxford/330/time.html#1943)

• A Consolidated B-24 Liberator, tail number 40091, from the 44th Ferrying Group, crashed three miles west of Parnamirim Field, Natal, Brazil. All five crew members were killed. (http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1942_2a.html)
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; Sean McGill – voice of Lt. Reichard