June 18, 1943. A Letter from Stanley to Dad. It seems like mama isn’t the only one going to the dentist these days. Stanley reports that he made a trip to the on-base dentist at Geiger Field. Unlike his mother, though, there we no extractions involved. He notes, “We had a dental inspection one day and then I had an appointment to have a tooth filled. It did not take him long to do the job. When I sat down he just started to drill and in a few minutes the drilling was done and the tooth filled and I was on my way again. …when he started to drill he drilled…without giving you a chance to breathe.” He says they have “the latest equipment here on the base.”
It looks like his group is filling up rapidly. He notes that his work load is increasing due to the influx. “We are getting a lot of new men who have just been in the Army since January or February and they are with us already.” He tells Dad, whose group is part of the 21st Bomb Wing, that some of Stanley’s group may be coming his way. “Before our bunch goes over sea, our group which flies planes I guess will first go to the 21st Bomb Wing before shipping overseas. You probably will come across them if you stay where you are.”
Of course, life in the Army is not all medical inspections and paperwork. Sometimes the strangest things go on. The next part of his letter reads like something out of M*A*S*H. Below is the excerpt directly from the document for your enjoyment. As always, you can click on it for a larger version.
In his letter of June 18, 1943, Stanley writes to his brother and tells him about some of the local wildlife.
Earlier in the evening there was a mixer for the men to get to know their officers a little better. The evening started with beer in the mess hall at dinner time. From there they went to one of the theaters on the field for the rest of the program. As Stanley relays it, “We went there and they sang songs together with the officers. They had a band there and they played a tune or so. They had a few speeches by officers which were introduced to the men.” Then it was time for the “feature attraction”. I’ll let Stanley tell it from here. But I caution you, this next section is not for delicate sensibilities and I certainly hope things like this don’t go on in today’s Army. You’ve been warned! Again, you can click on the image below for a larger version.
Stanley also goes into detail about a “meet your officers” event that was held on base that featured a distinctly non-military performance.
I’d sure hate to be the Colonel who had to follow that act, but it sounds like when he started to talk about the prospect of the group going overseas he certainly got their attention. Stanley wraps his letter with, “Well I guess I covered the news available here so I will close for now God bless you and protect you till we meet again. So long for a while, your brother, Stanley.”