In letters home John Edward often included something about camp life,
as we explored in the last post. In early January he even sketched and described
insignia worn on his clothing. The
rank, regiment, and division of
each soldier and officer was signified by
uniform insignia.
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| Quartermaster Corps Collar Pin; 36th Division Regimental Insignia |
Describing them John Edward wrote:
"The
first is 111th Q.M.R., U.S. Army. The second is the
Regimental
insignia--the 36th Div. is the Rainbow Division of World War fame;
the Blue is
the color of the Infantry; the Buff is the color of the Q. M. [Quartermasters].
Some stuff, no?"
--John Edward, January 3, 1941 letter
In some of his earliest letters home,
John Edward wrote that the regiment had been trained
in basic drill orders, military discipline, and command structure
at both Camp Mabry and Camp Bowie.
That training had been done without weapons or vehicles, which were
largely unavailable at Camp Mabry and scarce at Camp Bowie.
Now he was excited to write home about Bayonet training.
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| February 26, 1941 letter home, family scan |
Weapons and uniforms used in training at this time
were primarily from World War 1, as were related
training exercises (which sometimes even still included horses and wagons).
|
Soldiers in training to use bayonets at Camp Bowie, US Army photograph. |
The confidence-building fascination of bayonet training, however,
was followed by months of continued interviews in the Classification Section.
 |
| Gar Warfare Training Exercise, SC Digital Library |
By April
John Edward had been
sent on only one
maneuver and
"have attended none
of the schools (gas warfare, etc.)"
Furthermore, although
he had been trained in
use of the Bayonet,
he had
"not yet done any firing."
(15 Apr)
It was during this time that John Edward's draft number came up. Notice
was mailed to his Austin address and forwarded to the 36th Division at Camp Bowie.
Years later John Edward said,
"I never saw the letter; the Company Commander just wrote on it
that I was already in Service. He then returned the notice to Austin."
John Edward, ca 1998
Camp Bowie and all of the training camps were now flooded with tens of thousands of draftees and
new recruits, each to spend 2-3 days in the camp Reception Center where they were tested, interviewed and classified. The army's eight-fold expansion was underway.
General George Marshall, appointed Chief of Staff for the United States Military on September 1, 1939, the day Germany invaded Poland, had been tasked with addressing these issues. General Marshall was well aware of the challenges
to equip the country for war and he unceasingly
managed the training and equipping of over 8 million new soldiers with mechanized and motorized defenses.
Massive construction projects to update and expand training camps provided much needed jobs across the country, still recovering from the Depression. Unemployment remained high, and John Edward's parents were among the millions still struggling to recover.
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| Ad for WWII Ammunition manufactured by Western Cartridge, National Archives |
By this time in 1941, the military was still
negotiating its way through disbursement
of approved government
funds.
At the same time it sought (and once again
provided much needed employment) the
foremost civilian researchers, developers, and
manufacturers
for newly designed equipment,
clothing, weapons, and vehicles, as well as
accompanying training programs.
We will see momentous results of this
in the Louisiana Maneuvers.
But this all took seemingly inordinate amounts of
time.
In his letters home, John Edward repeatedly commented on
inefficiencies and the lack of sustained training to prepare for war.
He grew increasingly discouraged.
whenever there was an open promotion or new potential
due to reorganization, those hopes remained unfulfilled.
Again and again he found himself overlooked for promotion.
Then,
in several letters home, John Edward wrote that the Classification
Section was said to soon be disbanded. There were no longer thousands
upon thousands of draftees and recruits arriving.
|
April 24, 1941 letter home, family scan |
And the last to remain on Classification Detail.
Still without further training.
Still without promotion.
Despite earlier high praise for his work
as "the number 1 interviewer." (12 Feb)
His April letter continued with thoughts about the war
and with several paragraphs about Ruth, his girlfriend in Austin.
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| April 24, 1941 letter home continued, family scan |
Finding a lifetime companion in a wife and having the financial means
to support a family are matters he will return to over and again.
A baseball game with Ruth was a highlight of his visit, and
the letter concluded with a wish for "a million dollars."
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| April 24, 1941 letter home, conclusion, family scan |
Family held a core significance throughout John Edward's life and he
sought to show his appreciation with cards and notes on birthdays,
anniversaries, and other special days throughout the years.
May 7, 1941, Mother's Day letter page 1, family scan
This year in particular, John Edward wanted to be sure his mother how much he appreciated her.
May 7, 1941, Mother's Day letter page 2, family scan
Later in May, John Edward again wrote home about
commendation for his work:
"a little praise got back to the Company -- with
recommendation for promotion" (19 May).
To no avail.
The recommendation was fruitless.
John Edward wrote in the last two paragraphs of this page about
the "family basis" on which things were run and added:
"so they have been trying to make me say 'Uncle.'
Naturally they can't, and this makes them madder at me."
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| May 19, 1941 letter home, family scan |
A few weeks later he wrote, "I am behind the 8-ball because of my 'handicap.'
Stuttering to you. Brains don't count for too much in the Army, I presume." (2 Jun)
Various
times John Edward considered writing to his cousin
Colonel Jim Caviness for
assistance, but each time decided not to rely on 'politics:'
"I hate politics so much that I can't get mad enough to use them." (8 Feb)
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| February 8, 1941 letter home, family scan |
"As far as Jim Caviness goes (Colonel to me),
I can't ask him for help,
because that would put me in the same boat as
the rest of the nincompoops around here.
Heaven forbid!!!!!
Not that I would refuse help. I'm not that much of a hypocrite."
--John Edward letter home, June 2, 1941
In the midst of these frustrations John Edward was deeply aware of
the unrelenting struggles his parents faced
with Depression-era joblessness and healthcare costs.
He regularly inquired into and followed up on their ordeals and challenges
and added words of encouragement.
We also see that wit and humor were not missing.
We often read, for example, how John Edward
alternately teased, goaded, and commanded that his sister Helen write to him.
In one memorable letter he then threatened to
pull (non) rank and added in his distinctive one-sentence paragraph style,
"I'll pull my stripes (singular) on you." (6 Jul)
But the assumptions and misperceptions John Edward
regularly faced due to stuttering were agonizing.
"Really, I hate the Army so much, and
my stuttering keeps me from going anywhere -- it's really Hell.
With a capital 'H.'"
John Edward letter home, July 17, 1941
Letters often ended with acknowledgement of his frame of mind:
"Don't mind my letters--the ones that are so blue--too much.
All the fellows in camp have their ups and downs just as I,
but maybe not so often." (15 Jun)
"Isn't this letter full of cheer?" (11 Jul)
Or with a mixture of his forthright style and humor:
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| July 6, 1941 letter home, family scan |
Thanks for reading.
Join us here to read about John Edward
and the 36th Division on maneuvers at Camp Blanding.
