Letter from Clarence Williams to Gretchen Williams, July 22, 1945
- Date
- Creator
- Williams, Clarence
- Format
- letter
- Category
- Stories
- Subcategory
- Clarence Williams
- Repository
- Institute for Holocaust Education
- Collection
- Clarence Williams Collection
- Bibliographic ID
- Folder 17, Item h
- People
- Williams, Clarence
- Williams, Gretchen
- O'Brien
- Benton, Deane W.
- Martin
- Brown, Bob
- Hunter
- Keating
- Griffin
- Data URI
- soh.sto002.00166.xml
- Sender(s)
- Williams, Clarence
- Sent from
- Salzburg, Austria
- Recipient(s)
- Williams, Gretchen
- Received at
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Correspondence Delivered Date
Salzburg, Austria22 July 45.
Dearest Gretchen —
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.
All my love forever, Clarence.
Cpl C. O. Williams 37738878
Co "A" - 122d Medical Bn.
A.P.O. 411 - c/o P.M.
New York, N. Y.