Company Street Scene, Camp Crowder, Missouri
Sept. 22, 1944
Dear Dad –
This has been one hectic week. At this point of the game none of us know a darned thing about what’s going to happen to us. Monday we got our orders – officially – to move to some company in the 847th Sig. Trng. Bn. (Signal Training Battalion). The847th is just outside of the R.T.C. (Replacement Training Center, where Dave has been for about six months) area. It is composed of many companies, each of which contains men doing a number of things. The situation is so bawled (Dave’s choice of wording) up that no one seems to know – or even have any idea – as to what will happen next. Anyway – Tuesday we shipped over to Co. E – 847th. There they told us that we may ship out soon – and then again we may stay there until a new organization is activated. The proposed organization would be the 3152nd Sig. Service Co. This Co. would train together for a period and then join a division and go overseas. No one knew when or even if the company would be activated and if it were – no one knew how long or what kind of training it would be. I met Jack Feldman there and he said that there would be a shipment of Sig. Cen. Clerks (Signal Center Clerks) going out soon – when or where – he didn’t know. So I spent Wednesday and Thursday cleaning up the classrooms after each class. Then Thursday night (last night) we – that is most of us who had come over to the 847th together and some others besides – were told to pack up our stuff and be ready in one hour to move down to Co. F – 847th. So we moved here last night. So far we have received no information as to why we’re here or what regulations we are to adhere to. You see – every time a new group comes in to a company, the C.O. (Commanding Officer) gives us a little orientation speech so that we know what were supposed to do. The speech usually includes what kind of training we receive – what formations we’ll have to stand and what uniforms to wear to the formations – when they will have mail call – what passes we will be entitled to – who are various officers and non-coms (Non-Commissioned Officers) are – etc. But here we’ve heard nothing. Someone came in last night and told us to fall out at 6:00 this morning for Reveille. We did. Then we went to chow and came back to the Bks. Now it’s 9:00 and still no news as to what is going to happen to us. We’d like to know – but then on the other hand – it gives us a chance to catch up on sleep and letter-writing. That’s all I can tell you. As usual – there are plenty of rumors – but what’s the use of repeating them? They’it’s allre more often than not ill-founded. I’ll let you know what goes on if and when I find out.
Love,
Dave
P.S. – Just missed a shipment out of B-33 going to New Jersey. I was pretty disappointed.
"Greatest Generation" Life Lessons 