Lt. Reichard’s WWII Diary – March 31, 1943 by Lt.Reichard (03/31/09).
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.
Wednesday, March 31, 1943
March 31, 1943 Diary Page
Gowen Fieid, Boise, Idaho
Well the news gets better and better every day in North Africa. I just hope our army and the British 8th Army cover up as they advance so that Rommell can’t pull another fast one as he did a short while back. He is a crazy old fighter and a veteran of both advance and retreat. He bears watching as a careless move on our part will surely ruin the whole scene. I know this: I sure wish to hell he were on our side. We could all breathe easier. Today the men went out on the range and used up the old ammunition. Also it was payday so the first thing this morning was paying the men off. With these furloughs being given out I think maybe they will hang onto their money a little better although tonight as I sit here in the office I can hear silver being tossed on beds as the dice go rolling across. Also there is a blackjack game going on with some pretty stiff stakes. I can’t understand how a man can throw a whole month’s earnings away in one evening and get nothing for it. Today I checked up on my chances of getting a plane going east. They aren’t very good. If I could get a hop to Ogden I might get all the way. I’m at a bad station. Tonight I came up to the office and wrote.
Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Oklahoma!” opened on Broadway on this day in 1943. Mark Platt and Katharine Sergava dance it up in a scene from the musical. 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
