August 18 & 21, 1943. Dad writes two relatively brief letters home after his furlough. He is getting back into the swing of things in the office at Topeka Army Air Base after two weeks off and a visit home. The train ride to Topeka from Albany took 25 ½ hours. In Dad’s estimation, it is “a little too darn fast for a trip back to camp if you ask me.” The trip took him through Utica, Buffalo and Chicago and eventually to Topeka. His mother made sure that he had a few sandwiches for the trip back. He relates, “Even though I was embarrassed from the garlic smell of the Kielbasa, I ate anyway having in my mind that I wouldn’t meet these people any more on the train one I or they got off.”
There are three new guys in the office to help him with the filing and keeping everything straight. He says that one is “a very fine kid. The other two well, they’re just gold-brickers. One of them has been on a 3 day pass and from what I understand he should have been back already.” He also writes that one of the guys “can sure throw the bull” but Dad just lets on like he agrees and “make(s) him do what should be done regardless.”
Dad also writes that it is possible that he will be promoted to Buck Sergeant soon. He also mentions in passing that the swimming pool on base has finally been completed “but it probably won’t be used until around September, with not much warm weather left.” Being that they are getting into late August, Dad writes that the weather is cool overnight but still warm in the late afternoon.
As he writes the letter of the 21st he has the day off, having had CQ (overnight Charge of Quarters) duty the night before. He is looking forward to a few of the movies that will be playing at the base theater in the coming week, specifically “The Rising Sun” and “Heaven Can Wait”. Apparently he expects that they will be better than the movies he just saw. As he is writing the letter, he has just returned from the base theater where they show double features on Saturday. He does not mention what movies he just saw but he does write,“With these double features, if one of the pictures is lousy, the other one is worse.”
Poster art for the 1943 film Heaven Can Wait