Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 30, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/30/09).
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.
Tuesday, March 30, 1943
March 30, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
Tomorrow is payday for which I am more than thankful. Somehow I manage to spend about twenty or thirty dollars over my income every month now that I am sending that $75.00 allotment home. It’s good I had a fair cash reserve on hand to work with. That business of relieving me of my quarters allowance really hurt and this month’s food bill at the officer’s mess amounting to $38.75 didn’t help any. Man, I wish they would charge us by the meal. I don’t like three meals a day but it’s a cinch that if I have to pay for them I’m going to eat them. That reminds me. I’m hungry. Well natually I’m getting a little edgy waiting for that damn furlough. I wish it would hurry up and come through or be canceled so I’d know one way or the other. It seems like I have to wait for everything and it sure wears me down. Today we did very little at least of our own work. It seems we have suddenly been made headquarters for A.S.C. for this post. That makes about double the usual amount of paper work. Today was the beginning and if it gets any worse we are going to have to set up a separate headquarters. We didn’t have a chance to do any work for ourselves today. I had a date tonight to go rollerskating but went to a show instead as the rink was closed.
Two soldiers from the Sacred Band surveyed a valley near the Tunisian town of Gabes on this day in 1943. Photo: Public Domain
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.
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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