Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, July 22, 1945

This is another beautiful day and certainly a nice Sunday to be wasting here in this damn camp with nothing to do. I guess I could find some work to do if I wished but am not going to try. I have been doing some typing for Lt. Hunter and tomorrow I am to sit in on a court martial and record the testimony. I told him I couldn’t take dictation or write short hand but he said just to get a summary of the testimony and type it up so that is what I shall do. I don’t know how I happened to get picked for the job but he came and told me I am it so guess thats that.

It looks as though our chances of moving are getting slimmer and slimmer. I hear now that we will probably be here in the field until possibly Sept. but am hoping it can’t be right. The way they are fixing this place up, looks as though it is our permanent residence. I’ll have you know they are graveling all our roads, walks and even the floors in our latrines. We are also building clothes racks in our tents so you can figure it out for yourself I heard yesterday the Bn was notified by Div that we would go on hikes and bivouac. I guess Cap’t Keating asked them where the hell they thought we were living. He told them we were in tents and bivouacing at present.   Also we have been reissued our gas masks and are to have five weeks training in chemical warfare. Thats about the silliest thing I have ever heard. If they can’t find something better to occupy our time why in hell don’t they send us home. I know we should be happy to be here in place of the Pacific but cant see where it will be necessary to take a lot of “chicken” that we didn’t take in combat. So far our educational program has been a farce. Two months now and still nothing done, we don’t even have our books as yet.

Believe it or not we got our first bottle coke or at least they call it that. It doesn’t taste exactly like coke but isn’t as highly carbonated but surely tastes wonderful. We have also managed to get ice so it works out okay. I didn’t know you couldn’t get in in the states any longer and that they were on strike. I would like to see some of those bastards over here for a few months and then get their opinions as to strikes.

I had quite a chat with our new C.O. yesterday, his name is Capt Deane W. Benton and in course of conversation I found he had lived at Lincoln for six months while stationed at the air field. Also he was raised around Cedar Rapids and has been up to the Backbone Park, Strawberry Point, etc. A fellow by the name of Griffin who operated the Barnsdall Station in Co Bluffs at 7th and Bdway is a relative of his. He also knew   Bob Brown, manager of the Goodrich Store in Lincoln, whom I knew and used to bowl with. Small world isn’t it. He seems like a swell fellow and believe he is very much like Cap’t O’Brien in many respects. Cap’t Martin is now in London on a 7 day leave but should be back in a couple of days.

Well darling I’m so hot and sweaty, think I shall quit (out of news anyway) and go over to the pits for swimming.