March 7 and 10, 1944: Dad writes a few letters to the family back in Albany after getting back to Topeka from his furlough. He has been moved to a new barracks, although his duties have not changed. His boss got a promotion and will be moving on soon. His letter also includes apologies for “getting angry over small matters” while he was home on furlough. Weather-wise, “The days are getting a little longer and things look brighter around here.”
On organizational matters, he has been moved “about 2 barracks away from where I was before, but I still work with the [21st Bomb] Wing. I may wind up back with the Wing and I’m always keeping at them to transfer me into the Wing.”
Dad also reports that his boss got a promotion. “Jordan made Captain just before I got back and I told him that if I had stayed away a little longer he probably would have become a Major. He kidded around and stated that if it meant his being a Major, I better hurry up and get another furlough….It looks as if Capt. Jordan is going to leave in a couple of days for some other place and then over there.” There are plans to “have a dinner party for Jordan somewhere in Topeka away from the crowded places.”
He goes into some detail making apologies for some of his actions while he was home on furlough. Not to delve too much into the psychology, but it seems that after having been in the service for fourteen months, handling military matters and living with a certain amount of independence, things were a bit strained between Dad and family members who might have still viewed him as the youngest child and their baby brother.
As Dad relates his feelings over the matter, “Tell ma I’m sorry for the way I acted when I first came home on my furlough. I just wasn’t myself and now that I got back to camp I had plenty of time to think it over. …tell mama no matter how I acted, I like her just as much as I did when I was a small boy. …I must have created a bad impression of myself when I was home by getting angry over small matters, much too small to worry about. I will pray for ma very often and hope to make it up in that way to God and mama. When I get another furlough it will be the best one of all for you when I get home again.”
Dad explains further, “It could be that my position and stripes unknowingly went to my head making a swell head out of me. From now on I shall forget them stripes which caused me such foolishness… They can have them stripes for all I care if it means that my liking you all should decrease.”
In other news, they”…now have a Catholic Chaplain…we have Mass every day at 5:15 PM and Stations of the Cross every Friday.”