Pvt. W.D. Johnson Jr. 34945847
Detachment of Patients
4314 US Army Hospital Plant
APO 887 c/o Postmaster
New York N.Y.
Paris France
Jan 3, 1945
Dearest Mother & Dad:
I know you all remembered that I was born 36 years ago yesterday. I had a very nice birthday. It was a pretty day, and I rested and took it easy and had nothing to worry about. The day before yesterday we had a New Year’s turkey dinner. But no cranberries!
I ran across a boy from Alex City who was a friend of some of my friends and business acquaintances there. I have enjoyed talking to him. You would think that as much as a soldier gets around, and as many soldiers as there are, a fellow would always be running into someone he knew, but it doesn’t happen that way. It seems that I’m mostly thrown with fellows who came all the way across the States from Alabama. So it’s always good to meet a guy with whom you have something in common. Not long ago I ran across Grady Lemmon, a boy from Tennessee with whom I trained at Blanding. I was happy to meet up with him.
I think I told you all I wrote Rip the other day hoping maybe I could hear from him before I left here. I’m scheduled to go farther back to a rest area just any time and it will be a week or two before I’m back with my outfit. I think by that time I’ll be thoroughly fed up with just lying around doing nothing and will be glad to get back.
I wrote Louise all about my fortune telling nature. Get her to tell you about it.
Dad, when I get back, I can give you enuf dope to improve your armchair generalship and by the time the next war starts you should be in fine fettle to swing right into the game.
I read in our Army paper, Stars & Stripes, that the govt. is still talking about a form of manpower draft that might affect the status of some now deferred or on the 47 list. That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about and I’m glad of that. I guess Farnie Hughes can start worrying again.
Well, I still haven’t seen anything of Paris yet. I could navigate it too, only my clothes are locked up. Too bad!
I saw a show today and went down to the Red Cross rooms & played Bingo for about an hour tonite.
We get good food here. We have hot cereal, bacon & eggs for b’fast, meat & veg. for dinner & also supper. I’ve learned to love hot cereals such as farina, oatmeal & cream of wheat, for breakfast. I learned to like it out on the line this winter. Sometimes before dawn they can venture up pretty close to the front & bring hot chow. Boy, when you’ve been awake in the snow most of the nite and can wrap yourself around some hot oatmeal & hot coffee it really hits the spot. So hot
cereals have become very dear to me and I believe I’ll continue to like them after the war. Another thing I like is the Army pancake. I haven’t run across an army cook yet who made anything but good ones. I can eat em with syrup by the ton. We always eat well unless we’re cut off from our kitchen (which is usually back a ways) but those periods don’t usually last long. The Jerries surely don’t eat like we do on the line. I tried to eat some Jerry sardines we captured and they were terrible. Unfit for human consumption, says I, which explains why the Krauts can eat em.
Speaking of these Heinies, there isn’t anything “super” about the race that I’ve seen. Back in the hospital at the front, the only wounded that were bellerin’ & bawlin’ were the wounded Jerries. You seldom hear a squawk out of one of our guys. Boy, we’ve really got the medics over here. If I ever need a doc after the war I’ll be partial to the one who served overseas. They have some mighty good ones. And enough can’t be said for the Army nurses, especially the gals up in the evacuation hospitals at the front. Those girls have really got the guts and they make a soldier feel like he’s a king. And some of em is rale purty too!
Speaking of food and admitting that I get plenty to eat, Mom, I’m still going to put in an order for a cocoanut cake when I get back, and I’m going to eat 10 slices of it without stopping! Also some home made fudge. We get Hershey bars etc occasionally but that kind of chocolate has a sort of waxy taste to me.
It’s about time for lights out so this will have to end for now. I hope you all are well. Don’t worry about me, honies, as I’m fine and this war will end before long and I’ll probably get a chance to come home before the Army completes my free world tour by giving me free board & a trip to China.
I’m thinking of you and loving you all the time. Your prayers have been answered Mom, so have faith. I have. So take it easy and before long we’ll all be sitting around the fire together.
Love always
David Jr.