August 25, 1942 - 2nd Letter of the Day - Sad Dejected Soldier Now

Tuesday Afternoon

Dear Mom + Dad,

I’m a sad dejected soldier now. I just fell into a horrible mess. The station hospital needed technicians to help out in their hospital. So the scrape goat, the 5th Fld. Hosp. had to ship all there men over there to work. I go on nights from 7 to 7, 7 days a week. I hate the darn hospital work and then I have to be shoved into. It is the typical job of emptying bed pans, making beds, and all the crap work in the hospital. It just disgusts me through and through.

This darn outfit I’m in (5th fld.) has been just the scrape goat for all other outfits around here ever since we moved in. We get no credit for it, do the other outfits dirty work and stand around and take it. Now they have removed every single good man in our outfit and put them on duty someplace else. I don’t know why we can’t do our own work and not everybody elses. It burns you up. Working for some other outfit ruins all your chances of getting ahead, getting passes or getting any breaks at all. Pardon me while I boil over. Some things just hit right to the bottom and this is one of them.

I will be glad if I can get out of this medicine show and get into the air force. It can’t be to soon to suit me. However, it will take a long time before it goes through. The only thing I have to look forward to is that this camp will be all moved out by Dec. 1. It seems a long time away. I hope we getting shipping orders soon.

You wouldn’t feel so bad if you were doing something to help. But as it is we’re just wasting my time and the countries too. My only prayer is that this war will end soon so I can go back to civilian life. I’m just not cut out to be an army man.

I guess I better stop writing this way. However it has to come out somewhere and you were elected. I know things will pick up later but I’m afraid it isn’t going to be until we move out of this hell hole. I’m keeping the old chin up but it sure takes a lot of courage at times and this is one of them.

I’ll write you again tomorrow and perhaps I’ll be in a better mood. Write me soon.

Love
Bob