Episode 36: A Swell Demonstration

Episode 36: Donald is getting more and more training and still has not heard from Feloma since his move to California.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:14

Welcome to 500 Letters to Nana. Hi. I'm Carson. I'm Katie. Um, we have some special news today.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

Yes, we have some guests in the podloft.

SPEAKER_01 0:27

We have a real live audience.

SPEAKER_00 0:29

We did. We have we're performing in front of a live audience of my three. My family is visiting. So my mom, my sister, and my niece are here. And there's also a French bulldog roaming around. So if you hear any snorts, it's not me.

SPEAKER_01 0:43

It's not. But we have we have some some special guests today, and that's really fun for us.

SPEAKER_00 0:50

Yes. All right. So these this set of letters. Before we start. Yes, go ahead.

SPEAKER_01 0:57

I am so happy. Yes. That Donald is not in Oregon.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Oh my gosh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03

But he's not really happy in California either.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Oh and immediately hates it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08

He immediately hates it. Immediately hates it. He it's it's funny because he I think there was a little part of him that was hopeful that the next place would be better. Oh, yeah, of course. Because I don't think in his mind he could imagine it being worse.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 1:23

And then he got there and he was like, Whoa. Wait a second. Wait a second. Yeah. I want to go back.

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:28

He wants to go back to Swampadere.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Right. Yeah. Immediately doesn't like it. No. No.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

And I think part of that would also be just changing locations, being somewhere new. And it's different.

SPEAKER_00 1:42

Transitions are hard. For all of us. For all of us, transitions are hard. Yeah. To include Donald. So he to include Donald, he's got to make new friends. He's got to get used to the new routines.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

You know, one thing my husband said to me um is that the army needs you to be uncomfortable. Being comfortable, being uncomfortable. Correct. And so they're throwing you in all these situations over and over again to make you uncomfortable. And it's just part of your life. I think it's part of how it goes being in the army. Right. It's the suffering. It's yeah, it's the mental and the physical.

SPEAKER_00 2:19

It's definitely part of it. Yeah. You have to know what you're capable of. You have to know that like that you can survive this. It's fine. Yes. All your needs are actually met. Yes. Whether you they're different. Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Yes, absolutely. So we're we're in California now, right?

SPEAKER_00 2:37

We are in California, and this next set of letters will get us through February. Okay. Yes. And it's a leap year, so we get a bonus letter.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Oh, that's funny. Yeah, okay. Who knew? 1944 was the leap year. Yes. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

All right. Are you ready? Yes. Okay. February 25th, 1944. My dear Philoma, well, kid, another day has passed and still the same old stuff.

SPEAKER_01 3:01

I almost thought he was going to say another day of misery.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

I know, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:05

Another day has passed. What'd he say?

SPEAKER_00 3:07

And still the same old stuff. Okay. The last three or four days, I've been dreaming an awful lot about being home and out of the army.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

He needs to stop.

SPEAKER_00 3:18

I know.

SPEAKER_01 3:19

He's got a long way to go.

SPEAKER_00 3:20

He needs to focus.

SPEAKER_01 3:21

He does.

SPEAKER_00 3:22

Yeah, he needs to get his head in the game.

unknown 3:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:24

I don't know why it is now, but I never dreamed about it before when I was at a dare. We were out to the bay again today, and my clothes are turning white after they dried from the salt.

SPEAKER_02 3:38

Yuck.

SPEAKER_00 3:39

I'm sending you a book on this camp, and I want you to take special notice of the mountains, how steep they are, but they don't show all the mountains to the top. But you can get an idea. I'm also going to send you three more pictures. They're the last ones I have from Adair. You can also see some of the best huts. So he now he's going back and forth between the pictures he took and this book about the camp. Okay. So in the camp booklet, which I have. Oh. Of course. Of course you do. Yes. Um, it shows a picture of like the the hunt, the hut village that they have. Yeah. Yeah. So I will post that to show what his actually. Well, you know, he says these are the best ones, basically. Of course, of course. His are his are above. These are curtains. This doesn't correct. Yes. The wallpaper, a nice bed spread. 100%. So I'll I'll post the actual pictures of the hub. Those are the obscure bases.

SPEAKER_01 4:39

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:39

The San Luis Abyss bow like booklet. Okay. Okay. So he goes on. The poor ones that we're in don't look like anything in the pictures. Yeah. You know they always put the best in the pictures.

SPEAKER_01 4:52

Oh, Donald. Yeah. Donald. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, I love that he's, you know, his are his are so much worse. So much worse. And they're stinky too, right?

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Yes. Some of the fellows are getting some mail now. Maybe I'll get some in a few days myself.

SPEAKER_01 5:10

You know he will. Once that mail catches up, he's gonna have like so much better. He will.

SPEAKER_00 5:17

I hope you keep writing to Adair, and when I send them the address, they will send it down to me. I've been trying to locate Wallish, but I can't find him. Would he have been there too? He was there. He like tapped him on the back when he got there. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

You know, that's so funny. I can just see Donald waiting for the stack of letters from Faloma. Right. And I also think Faloma was writing these letters hoping they would make it to Donald. Right. Like, where is he? I'm sure there was despair in her letters of like, I'm not hearing from you. Right. Where are you? Yeah, I'm so blue. I'm so blue. I'm quite worried. I can just I feel like I could hear her voice, like, because she, you know, she's not certain if her letters are getting to him.

SPEAKER_00 6:07

Right. And so when he first gets to San Luis Obispo, he runs into Wallish and Wallish tells him he's gonna call Amelia.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

Oh, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

That's right. So he tells Wallish to tell Amelia to tell Philoma that he's made it to this camp. So then he doesn't have to send a telegram. But now he's like, I haven't run into him to see if he's told Amelia, and so you don't know where I am.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

He's like, I'm gonna let that guy spend all that money on that phone call.

SPEAKER_00 6:34

Absolutely. I'm not gonna do that. But we don't both need to go out of pocket for this.

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Right.

SPEAKER_00 6:38

Yeah. Right. Yeah. So he goes on. I stood around over at the PX for two hours tonight, but I didn't see him. I've been wondering if he called Amelia and she told you I was here. Aw. Well, you probably have my first letter by now anyway. I'm sort of wondering how long it takes the letters to go from here to home. It should get there as quick from here or even quicker than from Adair. Well, anyway, it should get to you in four days. Okay. Well, we can be hopeful. We can be hopeful. I'm wondering how much longer this damn thing is going to go on.

SPEAKER_01 7:16

Oh, Donald.

SPEAKER_00 7:18

I wish the big fellows would get together and get this war over with. If I ever get back, I'm gonna go fishing and sleep for a solid six months and do a little something else that goes with it. I guess you know what I mean, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 7:32

Winky winky. Ha ha. Did he say haha? Yeah. Oh my god. He's so funny, Katie. I know. I'm just gonna lay around for six months. Yeah. Just hang out. Uh-huh. A little winky wink. Oh, that's so funny. Donald's so cute.

SPEAKER_00 7:51

This dang stink from these stoves makes me half sick all the time, and it hurts my eyes too. Are they kerosene stoves? They're he says oil, but I don't know what that means.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Okay. Yeah. I know kerosene has a real Oh, kerosene stinks.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

It is awful stanky. Yeah. So if he is stinky. And it will like stick to your clothes.

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Oh, yes. It's awful.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

The war news looks awful good at the time, though. Maybe it will soon turn the tide on the whole situation.

SPEAKER_01 8:18

I love how hopeful he is.

SPEAKER_00 8:20

I know. It just sometimes he can be very hopeful, but he's also like, but probably not me. You know?

SPEAKER_01 8:26

It's just kind of all over the place. I I think in the big picture, he's so hopeful that he's not gonna have to deploy, that he's not actually gonna have to go to war. Yeah. So he is hopeful, like, oh, I think I think it's gonna be ending soon. Yeah. And that makes me so sad knowing I know.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

I do think there is a certain extent of like trying to protect yourself in case like not wanting to get your hopes up. Of course. Yeah. Yeah, I understand that. I hope you received the field jacket by this time, and I also hope they fit. How did Chip like his? Did it fit him? As yet, I'm not assigned to any company, but it will probably be C Company again. They are a lot stricter here than they were at a dare. We didn't go through the infiltration course yet. I hear we have to go through it twice, once in the daytime and once in the night, when they fire tracer bullets over us so that you can see how close they come to your head.

SPEAKER_01 9:23

That's interesting.

SPEAKER_00 9:24

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

That'd be interesting to see.

SPEAKER_00 9:27

Mm-hmm. You know. Yeah. I mean, I guess that it tries to get you get you in the mindset of the situation. So when it first happens to you, you're not shocked by it.

SPEAKER_01 9:36

But yeah, and I think it's interesting that they have to do the infiltration course. Again. Again. Like I guess it's another, like, I mean, I'm sure they have them everywhere. I get it.

SPEAKER_00 9:47

I know, but it's like, I already checked this off on my little book. Like, I've done this already. I passed. They're just keeping them busy. They are 100%.

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Like, oh, let's just we'll send them through it, get them trained, keep them going. But I do think the tracer, because my husband kind of explained to me how tracer bullets work and how you can see them. And if you're standing above it all, you can see maneuvers. Right. Which is I think that's pretty interesting. Absolutely. It's really cool. It is. I mean, I say like I've seen it.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Well, listen, I've seen it in movies and it looks really cool. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Whatever. Yeah. There we go.

SPEAKER_00 10:26

I'll keep writing whenever I get a chance. So if I miss a day, you will know that I'm out on a march or a problem of some kind. So don't worry about me. I remember me.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

What's the media shirt that says that? Don't worry about me.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

That is a perfect shirt.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

I'm writing that down. Don't worry about me. I love that. Because he says it so much. Yeah, and also don't worry about me. Do you think he says it? Do you think he says it like, I'm good? Like, don't worry about me. Like I got me.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

Yeah, no, I think that's exactly how he means it. He doesn't, he truly doesn't want her to like be upset. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Don't worry about me. He says it so many times.

SPEAKER_00 11:07

I remain as ever yours. Oh. Love and kisses, Don. No PS. I know. So the next thing I have is really interesting. So I have a letter that he sent to Nan, and it outlines a demonstration of the use of select weapons of an infantry division and air support by fighter and low-level bombers on the 26th of February, 1944. So basically, they give them it's kind of like um like a script of all the demonstration that they're gonna show the soldiers. Oh. Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:48

So this is what he's going to see.

SPEAKER_00 11:50

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

It's like a here's our presentation. This is what you're gonna watch. Yes. It's that to her.

SPEAKER_00 11:56

Yes. So I have McDonald's. Yes. So this says headquarters of the 81st Infantry Division, San Luis Obispo, California. And then um Is it dated? It's dated. It's February 26, 1944. That's crazy. So it's it's outlined like a play. I love it. Are you ready? Yeah. Sequence of events. Right? Yes. The demonstration is divided into two parts: individual and crew served weapons, an attack of a fortified area with the weapons in conjunction with aviation. So from 1430 to 1500, the band is going to play select music. So there's music to it. Oh my gosh. Yes. So they're playing the Wildcat March, Halls of Mount Tizuma, Anchors Away, the Air Corps song, and the Casins go rolling along. Fascinating. While all of this is going on. That's crazy. I know. It's a it's a morale booster. It is. Okay, so then it's like wow. I know. Then it goes into individual and crew served weapons. They're gonna have a machine pistol firing at an iron plate, and then it says who's gonna do it. So like the 306 engineering battalion. Okay. Um, they have a 50 cal AA uh quadruple mount. Okay. Great. They have a Q2A trainer plane.

SPEAKER_01 13:23

We're probably screwing up all these names. We are.

SPEAKER_00 13:26

We are. There's then a machine gun. Yes, a machine gun firing toward targets. Oh, at towed targets. Sorry. What does that mean? Well, I think from boats. Oh, okay. Um, a 75 millimeter howitzer and 105 machine gun firing maximum range. Amazing. Fire. Oh, and they're gonna have rifle grenade and bazooka firing at two-inch armor plates. They're gonna have rocket guns firing at emplacement. They're gonna have an assault unit and the firing of the flamethrower at a dummy. My god.

SPEAKER_01 14:04

Oh my god. That's crazy. I know, I love it. I mean, that would be kind of cool if you got to be part of this.

SPEAKER_00 14:10

That's only the first part.

SPEAKER_01 14:11

Oh, there's a lot of people. There's a whole second part.

SPEAKER_00 14:13

That's act one. Baby, you ready for act two? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 14:16

Am I?

SPEAKER_00 14:17

Okay. So assault of little It does it give a timeline of No, just at the top it says, yeah. So from I'm assuming the first, that first is when they're gonna play the halls of Mountazuma and all that stuff. Okay. So this is the second part, which is the group.

SPEAKER_01 14:34

Because this starts during the daytime and it ends at night.

SPEAKER_00 14:38

It starts at 2 30 and ends at in the in the evening? Free. Oh, is this first part? Okay. I'm not sure. It's not it's not that long. Oh, yeah. Okay. I thought it went into the evening. Um, so the next part is an assault of quote little Tarawa, which I guess is like trying to show how they attack like a place. Okay. Sure. Air bombing and strafing by the 42nd Marine Air Corps, rocket guns firing, firing of the 105, 75, and 57 machine guns or guns at emplacement, not machine guns, firing of heavy machine guns and 81 millimeter mortar smoke.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

You are literally speaking another language right now.

SPEAKER_00 15:24

I know. It's a lot of it's a lot of artillery. That's crazy. I know. I don't even know what any of it is. Close assault, and then they lower the Japanese flag and they raise the American flag as the band plays Star Spangled Banner. Very theatrical. And then that's the end of it.

SPEAKER_01 15:42

Wow.

SPEAKER_00 15:42

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 15:43

Maybe a little foreshadowing too. Right. Oh my goodness. Wow. Isn't that funny? I wonder if they did that every like cycle. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:52

Like, well, again, it's like they get to practice with the artillery, and then it lets them watch and kind of get used to being around it. A lot. So it's it's a lot, you know, there's good reason for all of it. I didn't, I'm not doubting any of that.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

I understand it. It's just interesting to think that this would be happening with some degree of frequency because these soldiers are kind of coming in and out and in and out and in and out, and they need, you know, you get used to the sounds, the sights, the you know exactly.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

And a little, yeah, a little morale. I I'm so I'm so sorry. I forgot to tell you. In between the individual and then the group assault, there's a five-minute break, and they play Dixie and Swannee River. So just so you know.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

Wow. Oh, what was I thinking?

SPEAKER_00 16:39

Yes. Wow. Yes. So I will post this because I think it's incredible. Yeah, but you can see what the demonstration looked like in all of it.

SPEAKER_01 16:47

Did Donald write about this? Yes. Oh. And all of its like theatrical glory. Oh man. It's so crazy that he had that. Yeah. Synodhelm wrote about it. Yeah. Like, you know, he's so I I think he started out like not thinking that his letters would be anything special. Like he said, I'm not much of a writer. Right. And then like he's telling her what he's doing. And it's so descriptive.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

Like well, he wants to include her. But he certainly does. Right. You think about like that's his best friend. Like he's like, girl, that's his person. That's what we got to do.

SPEAKER_01 17:27

It's like, oh man, you're never gonna believe this.

SPEAKER_00 17:30

Yes. If only you could see this, you would be so impressed. Yes. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

It's like he wants her to be able to experience it with him. Yes, because absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

When I get home, we're gonna talk about all this. Oh, yeah. We're gonna well, and you know what? He probably was like, I never want to see that stuff again. I'm sure. Clearly. Yeah, get rid of it.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

Yeah, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Okay, so that was on February 6th. So the next letter I have is February 6th. Sixth? I'm sorry, 26th.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Okay, I'm like, what are you talking about?

SPEAKER_00 18:00

The demonstration and the next letter are both from February 26th.

SPEAKER_01 18:03

Okay, so he did that during the day. Mm-hmm. And then he probably is writing this letter in the evening. Okay. This is so interesting.

SPEAKER_00 18:10

All right, you ready? Yeah. My dear Philoma, well, another day has gone by and still the same old stuff. Oh, same, same. It seems to me that this is going to go on for a lifetime. Today I saw one of the best demonstrations that I have ever seen since I've been in the army, and it was really swell.

SPEAKER_01 18:32

I mean, if you are doing this every so often, you get good at it.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Oh, sure.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

You know? Yep. That is really cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:40

They were shooting the 105mm ha uh six and a half miles out in the ocean. They even had radio controlled planes going over and shooting tracer bullets at them. The bombing attack was by the Navy, and they had five Navy Avenger planes dropping bombs on the targets. They shot up around 1 million bucks worth, and it was really great. There were probably 4,000 of us sitting on the beach, sitting right across from Morrow Rock on the sandy beach, and I only wish you have you could have been there to see it.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

That was that big rock that we saw. That is crazy.

SPEAKER_00 19:17

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

I know. 4,000 people sitting on a beach. Yeah, just watching this show. Wow.

SPEAKER_00 19:25

Yeah, while the band plays.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

When Nero fiddles. Right. Exactly. Exactly. Oh my gosh. I know. That is so interesting. Isn't that crazy? I mean, because I can see the rock. I can think of the beach. And I can just see all the this equipment in everything. And I mean, I I get the value of it. Absolutely. They need to understand what support they also have. Like as soldiers, this all of this is you're not in this alone. Correct. Yeah. All this equipment is is for you.

SPEAKER_00 20:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:03

That's true. That is really interesting.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

I know. Well, tomorrow being Sunday, I have the honor of being on KP. Isn't that wonderful? Do you know what KP is?

SPEAKER_01 20:15

No.

SPEAKER_00 20:16

Okay. So it means either kitchen police or kitchen patrol. That's what I was thinking. Kitchen police is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life. I love that so much. What is he doing? So under the kitchen staff assignment, um, it could be either military or civilian personnel, but it's basically like um cooking, washing dishes, food prep, busing tables, all that stuff. So, like if you think about the enlisted It's an extra duty. It's an extra duty. If you think about the vision of like, oh, what did you do in the army? I peeled potatoes.

SPEAKER_01 20:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:48

That's like a joke on KP. Okay. Duty.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Yeah. Gotcha. So he's he's doing his part. He's doing his he's feeding the troops.

SPEAKER_00 20:56

He's he's also sneaking some food. Oh, I'm su well, Carson, I swear you are you have melded with him. Okay, so there is only about 600 fellows to feed, so it keeps you busy. Well, I've been assigned to Company C, the 321st Infantry, and I suppose I'll be shipped there in about eight days. You can address my letters there now. I believe I'll be there by the time this gets to you, and when you answer it, if I'm not, I guess they will hold it there for me, I hope. The chow has really been good here.

SPEAKER_01 21:33

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

In fact, twice as good as I had it at a dare. So that's a great help. Why we even had bananas to put on our cereal this morning. And I've had meat every day I've been here so far.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Well, they're only feeding 600.

SPEAKER_00 21:49

Right. There's and well, fewer mouths to feed. Fewer mouths to feed. And listen to this. Tomorrow we're having steak. So being on KP, I'll have all I want. So maybe maybe the people on KP were like, I'm starving. They can they can sacrifice an apple or a piece of turkey. Like I'm gonna eat.

unknown 22:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:11

So I mean if you yeah, if you're doing all the extra.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

If you're the one in the kitchen, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 22:17

Hey. The uh the cook needs to get fed.

SPEAKER_00 22:20

That's right. I don't know why I have to get it on my day off when the week is as long as it is. This place you get this place gets you up early and to bed late. We get up at 5 15 here every morning, and like tonight, we never got in until 7 30. So it really makes a long day of it. And usually I'm just as tired in the morning as when I go to bed at night. Helps you sleep. Mm-hmm. When this dang thing is over, I'm gonna sleep for weeks straight. When I was home on furlough, I would have liked to lay in bed, but I was so dang busy and so many things to do that I just couldn't. Donald just cracks me out. I know. I was so dang busy. You are fishing. Like what you I mean, we knew what we need to do.

SPEAKER_01 23:10

We knew that it was gonna be like that. When you're home, everybody wants a piece.

SPEAKER_00 23:13

Everybody wants a piece. Yep, I know.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

Yeah, and you just you have to do it. You have to make your rounds. And before you know it, the time is up. Your your time is so short. So short. When your time is not yours like that, it's so frustrating.

SPEAKER_00 23:28

And like, you know, and it is important for them to see everybody and do all the stuff they need to do, but it is just like, can I please just have him? Yes, get away from me.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

And then now that he's back, you know, in California, you know, Oregon, California, he's like, they're just keeping me so busy. I know. Can I just have a minute? He doesn't get a as nearly as much time as he wants. Time, time, time.

SPEAKER_00 23:53

It's almost two months already since I've had my furlough. It doesn't seem that long in a way, but in another way, it seems like two years. I didn't get a paper tonight. I hope the news is still good. Okay, so I'm gonna try to be better about trigger warnings. Okay, because before I've been giving them after the fact, which is not actually how they work. Um, so a trigger warning like body uh gore. Okay. Okay. All right, ready? Yeah, they blew the leg and arm off one of the fellows last night on the infiltration course. I guess they were fooling around and somebody set off the TNT charge.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Uh oh. I mean one person lost an arm and a leg? Yes. That's rough.

SPEAKER_00 24:37

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 24:38

In training, right?

SPEAKER_00 24:41

Why are you fooling around with the TNT?

SPEAKER_01 24:43

Um, that's not a game. Yeah. What are you doing? Don't be playing around.

SPEAKER_00 24:48

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's crazy. I know. Awful. Well, kid, it's about 9 30, and by the time I shave and take a bath and get my fatigues ready for the morning, it will be 10 or 10.30, and five rolls around plenty fast, and I'm dead tired. So say hello to the folks for me and take good care of yourself. I love and miss you as ever. Love and kisses from yours only. Yours only. Don.

SPEAKER_01 25:16

Oh. That's so sweet. I mean, he really he is pooped. Because he's not, he's ready to go to bed. He's like, I gotta do X, Y, and Z. Right. I like that he's shaving before bed.

SPEAKER_00 25:28

Yes, he was a night shaver.

SPEAKER_01 25:30

Always. He's like, I gotta, I gotta clean up before I put my head on the pillow.

SPEAKER_00 25:34

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

I don't know why he always shaved at night. That's funny. Yeah. I would have thought that he would have needed to do it. In the morning. Yeah, you're gonna have a five o'clock shadow when you wake up. Of course, he didn't care. No, he doesn't care. He doesn't want to make ring. What are you talking about? Yeah, he's like, get out of my face. Excuse me. I remember somebody yelled at him because he hadn't shaved. Yeah, and he's like, Yeah, I didn't.

SPEAKER_00 25:54

Like, don't be so hot. Yeah, what do you want from me?

SPEAKER_02 25:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 25:58

Okay. Ready for the next. All right. February 28th, 1944. My dear Philoma. Well, another day has passed and still the same old stuff. SSDD, right? Mm-hmm. I received the paper tonight, but I can't understand why I didn't receive any mail or letters from you.

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 26:19

But I guess I'll have to be a little patient and they will come soon. I'm getting all the practicing on how to fire the rifle over again, and I have to go on the firing range again. Everything we went through at a dare, we have to do over again. I guess every time you get into another outfit, you have to go through it all over. Today I threw the hand grenades again. So that's over.

SPEAKER_01 26:44

But you know what? I mean, I kind of understand it. Like you have to make sure they're qualified. That everybody's qualified. Like I get you did this there. Right. Let's just double check. If you're Let me if you're gonna deploy with this unit, we need to make sure.

SPEAKER_00 26:58

Right. Let me make sure you're up to our standards. Let me make sure they're not messing around up there at a dare.

SPEAKER_01 27:03

And I'm sure for him on some level, it was more fun when he was at a dare because it was a new experience. Right. And now he's like, I've already done this. Right. Teach me something new. Why are you fools making me do this again? Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

Teach me something new.

SPEAKER_01 27:17

But more training, more training, more training.

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Our reminder doesn't hurt, especially if we're talking about a grenade.

SPEAKER_01 27:23

McDonald's like, I got this. I don't need this. I know. Yeah. Don't worry about me.

SPEAKER_00 27:27

Don't worry about me. I guess next I have to go through the gas chamber again.

SPEAKER_01 27:32

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 27:33

I know. It was a beautiful day here yesterday, but I had to be on KP. But today it was rainy and cold. It's pouring down and the wind is about to tear the tar paper off the huts.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

That would not be fun.

SPEAKER_00 27:50

I'm going to tell you this now because maybe later I won't be able to. But I hear a rumor that we're supposed to take a 15-day cruise on the Pacific for some more amphibious training. I don't know if this is true or not, but if it is, and you don't get any mail for 15 or 20 days, you will know what's taking place. This is supposed to be in the next six weeks if the rumor is true. But it just may be a lot of baloney flowing around or flying around.

SPEAKER_01 28:19

You know, I mean, I don't know if that's true or not, but I can understand where he's coming from. He's like, I gotta let her know.

SPEAKER_00 28:26

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 28:27

If you don't hear from me for two weeks, you gotta let me know. Because at this point, I would think that she's getting his letters. Right. And you know, it's they're communicating with the other, but nobody's right. Nobody's getting that there, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:41

They're they're yeah, it's just like thoughts in the wind. Yeah. Yes, it is. I didn't get through till late yesterday, so I wasn't able to write and I was awful tired. When I got finished, it was over 1,000 plates and cups, besides mopping the floors and scrubbing pots and pans. It's really tough on KP here in the training battalion. Of course it is.

SPEAKER_01 29:05

Of course it is. Of course it is, Donald. Of course it is. He but you know what? He had to scrub and clean all of that, even though there's 600 people there. He had a thousand dishes to do, right? Mm-hmm. But you know he got some extra food. I you know he did. You know. He's like, I had two steaks. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 29:22

He has a I had all the steak I want. Yeah, he didn't he didn't complain about that how it tastes.

SPEAKER_01 29:27

He didn't say I left the kitchen starving.

SPEAKER_00 29:30

Right. I hope I moved up in the company before you write back to me because if your letters go to C Company and I'm not there, that will be bad. But I expect to move up there in about another week. I'm wondering if he's hoping they'll hold on to his letters or if they'll just get rid of him because he's gonna be able to get it.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Absolutely. He is desperate to get those letters. He knows, he knows she's writing. Right. And he's like, I need to get my hot little hands on those letters. Right. He needs them for his own morale and well-being.

SPEAKER_00 30:00

Exactly. I bought 45 airmail stamps tonight, so I'll have enough stamps to write you.

SPEAKER_01 30:07

No, you won't.

SPEAKER_00 30:07

No, you won't. Yeah, keep going. At the present time, the stove is making such a noise that everybody is laughing. It sounds like an old boy pig grunting.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

An old boy pig.

SPEAKER_00 30:21

The wind is blowing in this damn the wind is blowing, and this damn little oil stove is so tiny that it vibrates all over. I haven't seen Wallace yet. I don't know where he's located, but maybe I'll run into him someday and I'll get his address. My dang lip is cracking in the center again, so it's hurting to beat the Dickens.

SPEAKER_01 30:43

Oh, that was like in that picture.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Uh-huh. Keeps opening up.

SPEAKER_01 30:47

Bless his heart.

SPEAKER_00 30:48

We haven't been doing as much hiking here as we did at a dare as yet. And the food is good, but the sergeants tell us when we get up to our company, we get less food and a lot more walking than we're getting here.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

He's like, I don't care.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Yeah, whatever.

SPEAKER_01 31:03

I'm just gonna eat. I'm just yeah, let me fill up here. He's like, it's gonna be tough over there. I'm gonna go ahead and do some front loading.

SPEAKER_00 31:12

Exactly. Somebody stole my dang field jacket yesterday. So I'll have to buy a new one if I can. And I guess you can't buy them down here.

SPEAKER_01 31:22

Oh my gosh.

SPEAKER_00 31:23

So annoying.

SPEAKER_01 31:25

He needs to just keep everything locked down.

SPEAKER_00 31:28

I know. What is he doing? Just leaving everything out willy-nilly. He is.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

I'm convinced.

SPEAKER_00 31:33

I read the letter that Sparky wrote that was in the paper. I'll look him up sometime if I can. Okay, so I looked. I actually do not have this letter that Sparky wrote in the paper. Okay, he's a soldier somewhere from home, one of his friends. Now, in a previous episode, we talked about somebody from home, Odevani, uh-huh meeting General MacArthur.

SPEAKER_01 31:54

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 31:54

I do have that. Oh, that's funny. Yes, it was in Nanny's scrapbook. Oh, so on the actual episode um Instagram post, I I have posted it. Okay. So sorry about that. I did have it. I'm gonna try to be better about seeing what I actually have before I open my mouth. Ha ha. Anyway, moving on.

unknown 32:16

Ha ha.

SPEAKER_00 32:17

I do have it. All right. How is everything at home now? I hope fine. I imagine spring should be getting pretty close now because it won't be long till good old trout season will be in again.

SPEAKER_01 32:30

I love that he's just always the hunter. Solely focused. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

All you can hear around here is fellows trying to figure out which island they're going to be shipped to or what is going to happen. That would be hard. I know. I hate the unknown.

SPEAKER_01 32:47

I mean, just imagine you're sitting on the the coast of California wondering where you're going.

SPEAKER_00 32:54

Right. Seeing all of these explosions and artillery and just knowing, like, I'm gonna be seeing this for real. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:01

No, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 33:02

That would be very unsettling.

SPEAKER_00 33:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 33:04

No, thank you.

SPEAKER_00 33:06

But I never worry about it because what is to happen is all planned already. So there's no use thinking or worrying about it. I stopped writing here and tried to get the stove going when it went out while I was writing. And we can't get it started. Oh, Donald. So I guess we're in for a cold and nasty night. I won't have to worry about the sheets being cold because I haven't had a pillowcase or mattress cover since I've been here.

SPEAKER_01 33:34

Gross.

SPEAKER_00 33:35

I've been sleeping on the bare mattress and pillow.

SPEAKER_01 33:38

So is everybody, Donald.

SPEAKER_00 33:41

That is disgusting.

SPEAKER_01 33:42

That is.

SPEAKER_00 33:43

Well, kid, take good care of yourself and take it easy. I remain as ever yours. Love and kisses, Don.

SPEAKER_01 33:51

That's it.

SPEAKER_00 33:52

No PS.

SPEAKER_01 33:53

No X's, no 9X's. No. Donald. I know. He was very distracted. He's very He wasn't thinking straight.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

He is. He was out of his routine. He's out of his routine. He's cold. The stove is making a ton of noise. It's blowing smoke everywhere.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

Nasty old mattress.

SPEAKER_00 34:11

I can't.

SPEAKER_01 34:12

But he is in sunny California.

SPEAKER_00 34:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:15

At least. At least. Yes. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:18

So also, you know, we talked about the demonstration a little bit. And, you know, he said it cost about a million dollars to do that demonstration. Um, I don't know if he's exaggerating. I don't know if that's something that they told him that's what it cost. I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_01 34:34

I mean, he's not thrown out a million dollars, so there's probably a reason why he said that.

SPEAKER_00 34:38

Right. Exactly. That's a lot of money. You would imagine that they told him that it cost as much. Yes. Because he has said things with demonstrations in the in the past, like it was$40,000 or whatever, you know.

SPEAKER_02 34:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:49

Um, so we looked it up, and a million dollars in 1944 was$18.5 billion. On a demonstration. On a demonstration while the band played. So you're not far off with Nero fiddling. Like Rome's burning. And I know that that happens. I know we do training and I know it's expensive, but to actually get that number is that's great. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 35:18

Yes. Yeah, but they, I mean, you I mean, it's all part of the military. I think it is. It is. That's still a lot of money.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

It's still a lot. Maybe we can do like one last bomb and get some new textbooks. I don't know. Just a thought. That'd be great. That'd be great. Anyway, okay. Uh, ready for the last letter? Happy leap year. Happy leap year. All right. February 29th. Okay. My dear Philoma, well, another day has passed and still no letter from you as yet. I know.

SPEAKER_01 35:55

He's so blue.

SPEAKER_00 35:57

So I suppose in a few days I'll get some. I always have hope.

SPEAKER_01 36:02

I can't wait till we get to the letter when he's like, I got 42 letters from you today, Philoma. Because I feel like that's what's gonna happen for real. And he's gonna be like, I loved all of them. I just, oh, it was so wonderful to hear from you. Yep. I can just hear his joy. Yes. Like I'm thinking, I I hear his sadness now. Right. But the joy will come.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

The joy will come. So yep. I've read the last letter I received from you when I was out of there about 15 times now, and I've almost got it memorized. Oh, you should have patience like I have when you don't receive any mail. Pat yourself on the back, Donald.

SPEAKER_01 36:47

I don't know if you really had patience. I mean, you didn't, there was no option. Right. No option.

SPEAKER_00 36:53

Today we went through the infiltration course in the gas chamber. Oh, and it was really a sad sight. It was just pouring down, and the mud was about knee deep, and when we got in, there was no hot water at all to wash.

SPEAKER_02 37:07

Oh.

SPEAKER_00 37:07

All we could do was just crawl under the shower, helmet, pack, clothes, and all to wash off.

SPEAKER_01 37:13

Yuck.

SPEAKER_00 37:14

The mud was so greasy, it just run off our clothes in sheets. This course was worse than the one at Adair. I've had to sleep with our overcoats on last night, and when we got up this morning, there was an inch of water all over the floor, and we still don't have the stove fixed, and it's 10 o'clock already.

SPEAKER_01 37:36

Poor Donald.

SPEAKER_00 37:37

Poor Donald. He is suffering. Ugh.

SPEAKER_01 37:40

I mean truly, but I mean it would be icky.

SPEAKER_00 37:43

And we have to get up at 3 in the morning to take the 24-hour hike. So I'm going to make this a short letter. I won't be in until Thursday morning at three. Incidentally, we don't get anything to eat on this hike. And we get one canteen of water. So it's going to be pretty rugged.

SPEAKER_01 38:04

That does not sound healthy.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

No. What are we doing? I mean, at least something.

SPEAKER_01 38:13

Like one canteen of water?

SPEAKER_00 38:15

Yeah, that's not enough.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

That's not enough for your daily consumption, let alone on a hike.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

No, a 24-hour hike.

SPEAKER_01 38:22

I mean, I can kind of understand no food. Like, I get it. Like, I wouldn't want to do it. But I get it.

SPEAKER_00 38:28

Sure. Okay. There might be a day when you don't have food. You will survive. I get it. But like at least make them have some water.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

I would think they would need the water.

SPEAKER_00 38:39

Well, take care of yourself. And I've been thinking about you all the time for the last few weeks. I love and miss you very much. Love and kisses, Don. Aw. That is it.

SPEAKER_01 38:51

That's it. We're wrapping up 19 February 1944.

SPEAKER_00 38:55

Yep, we are done with February on a leap year.

SPEAKER_01 38:58

I mean, he is he is still faithfully writing letters, even though he's not hearing from her. I know. Which is it just breaks my heart a little bit for him because you know he's sad. He's so sad. He's so hopeful that he's gonna get mail because he knows that she writes. That's the thing. He doesn't have to he never wonder if he never has to wonder if she's writing because he knows she is. But he's just sad. He is. He's disappointed. That would be hard. Hopefully, we get some letters in March. We can't make it a whole month without letters.

SPEAKER_00 39:30

He'll die.

SPEAKER_01 39:32

He will perish. We will perish without letters.

SPEAKER_00 39:35

He gets some before he heads to his next location.

SPEAKER_01 39:38

I mean, I hope so.

SPEAKER_00 39:40

We'll see. We'll see. All right.

SPEAKER_01 39:43

We'd like to thank our audience for showing up today.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

Yes. Thank you so much for continuing to listen and staying on this journey with us. Thank you so much for liking and reviewing and subscribing.

SPEAKER_01 39:55

And we love when you guys leave comments. It's most we got to see them.

SPEAKER_00 39:59

We see every single comment. Thank you so much. We love it. It keeps us going on our journey. It does. And you can follow along with us at 500letters to Nana.com and at 500 Letters to Nana on Instagram. Um, and we are signing off from San Luis Obispo, California. We are 2,400 miles from Nana. And no letters from Paloma. And no letters yet. Maybe next time.

SPEAKER_01 40:25

Thanks.

SPEAKER_00 40:25

Bye.

SPEAKER_01 40:39

500 letters to Nana. Woohoo!